[Personal]: Naomi's Saga

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Tyler
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Posts: 514

[Personal]: Naomi's Saga Feb 20, 2019 15:58:56 GMT -5

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Post by Tyler on Feb 20, 2019 15:58:56 GMT -5

Naomi's Backstory

SPOILER: Click to show

{

Prologue: Heart of the Desert

}

Naomi was the daughter of an archeologist who traveled the globe searching for treasure in the most treacherous of places. If there was a lead, she would dig until she uncovered the mystery. Naomi was always left at home with her father, the local police chief in Snowpoint City. For years Naomi grew up listening to her father tell the tales of his wife, the esteemed huntress: Salomé. Letters would fly back monthly, detailing Salomé’s escapades and what treasure she would be bringing back next. When her mother was home, Naomi would sit by the fireplace for hours listening to the dangerous journeys and close encounters with death/fate/destiny. Naomi always begged Salomé to allow her to come along on the next expedition, and for countless years she denied Naomi of that pleasure. Finally, on Naomi’s 10th birthday Salomé allowed for her to come along on an expedition to the Relic Castle in the Unova Region. The Relic Castle was a rather old ruin of a city that dates back at least 2,500 years, but even though it is now a tourist attraction it has been told to house the Heart of the Desert. A priceless gem said to have once powered the ancient relic city. After an arduous trek through uncharted territory deep beneath the desert, the Berlitz women arrived with their expedition group to the heart of the city where a luminescent radiating gem sat perched on an altar. Naomi could barely contain her excitement, her mom did it, they had discovered the Heart of the Desert! Salomé knelt down by Naomi’s side, and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. Salomé reached into her satchel, pulled out a spare flashlight and handed it to Naomi. “Here you go darling, if you get scared just turn on this light and everything will be okay. It’s like I’m here with you!” Naomi looked up at her mother and grinned, accepting the flashlight.

Salomé’s crew surveyed the area for any potential traps, and once the altar was deemed safe the group approached the gem. However, as she went to grab the gem with gloved hands, a shout echoed through the city square. Naomi along with her group turned around and saw atop one of the buildings, a man with fiery red hair standing beside a menacing Houndoom. The expedition group slowly reached for their Pokeballs, but were stopped by an eerie chuckle. The man was wiggling his and shaking his head. “Don’t try it. You’re surrounded” he spoke. Seconds later, a group of men and woman emerged from the cityscape around them with various frightening looking Pokémon, varying from Tyranitar to Crobat. Salomé slowly backed away from the altar and moved to Naomi’s side. Naomi could feel her heart beating out of her chest, and her eyes were wide with terror. They kept darting around, from the red-haired man to the individuals surrounding her group. Her vision was blocked as Salomé moved in front of her, with teeth bared. “Who are you, and what are you doing all the way down here? This is a private expedition! You have two seconds to answer me!” she barked. The man smirked and shook his head with folded arms. “It would be wise of you not to order me around, you’re in no position to demand anything. But if you must know, we both seek the same prize. The Heart of the Desert. It would make me a legend in the archeology community! Not only that, it would sell for quite the price, an ancient gem such as that would make me the richest man alive!” He cackled.

Salomé glared at him, and her eyes quickly scanned the area to survey the opposing group. They were definitely a formidable group judging by their Pokémon, and she had dealt with countless groups of marauders before. But this was the most ferocious bandit looking group she had ever seen. As she figured out a way to get out of the situation, she thought it best to keep the man talking. “We were here first! It took me a year to map the proper path down to this city, and I don’t plan on just giving away the Heart so easily.”

The man’s eyebrows furrowed, but his smirk was unrelenting. “Fantastic, I was hoping that you would say that. Allow me to let you in on a little secret, I don’t plan on sharing the gem either. Neither do I plan on giving anyone else credit for finding it. You’ve served your part, now hand it over. Or else, I’ll turn this city into a funeral pyre, and your little girl will be the first to burn. Is that convincing enough for you?” The Houndoom by his side began to open its maw and the presence of fire could be seen forming in its throat.

Salomé was normally unshaken by anything, for she had bested countless groups of raiders before and lived to tell the tale. But the one thing she couldn’t bear to lose, was her daughter. She knew that she could fight, but Naomi’s safety wouldn’t be guaranteed and that wasn’t a chance she was willing to take. With gritted teeth, she spoke up to the man. “Fine. Take the gem. Just let my team go. We’ll leave and not speak a word of this!” Her heart was pounding, she knew that she shouldn’t have chanced bringing her daughter along on this expedition, but it had been the tamest opportunity to show Naomi exactly what mommy does.

The man’s eyes twinkled for a moment, and then he shut them and began to shake his head. “Hmm… okay then.” he spoke, before jumping down off of the one-story ruin and landing on one knee. He stood up and walked towards Salomé with his Houndoom trailing by his side. As he passed by her group and approached the altar, the bandits surrounding began to move closer to ensure that there wasn’t any opposition to the deal. He walked up to the altar and stared at the gem with twinkling eyes. “Excellent, this appears to be it. The Heart of the Desert, in pristine condition; albeit a little dusty." Salomé had shifted around as did her group, so that she was still in front of Naomi; who was now at the back of the group. She blinked cautiously and looked up to the man by the altar. “Good, now... we’ll be leaving. Let’s go, everyone.” She spoke with an unwavering voice, and began to slowly shift backward with her crew. That was when the man snapped his fingers and the Pokémon that were surrounding the crew got into an offensive stance. “Oh, I don’t think so. When I said okay, I was lying. You really think I would let you just walk away, there’s no way I could guarantee your silence. So, we’ll have to settle for silencing you ourselves, permanently.”

He grasped ahold of the gem, as his marauders closed in on the expedition crew. Salomé grunted as she had known exactly what was coming next. Her heart was pounding and as she looked down at Naomi, she could see the fear in her daughter’s eyes. “No,” she thought. “You can take away my life, but not my daughter’s! Not without a fight!”

As the man lifted the gem up, the city began to quake and the ruins shook as though the ground itself was ripping in half. His eyes darted upwards at the city ceiling, thousands of feet above them. He could see a crack forming along the ceiling as if the ruins were about to close in upon itself; and indeed, it was. For a split second, fear flashed across his face. It was at that second that Salomé made her move. “Now!” she called out amidst the roaring of the city. Her crew quickly flung up their Pokeballs into the air, and Pokémon began forming on the ground around them. From Omastar to Excadrill, Pokémon of varying shapes and sizes appeared in a ring around the group. Salomé’s Gothitelle emerged alongside various other Pokémon, such as Sigilyph. They began casting a flurry of attacks towards the opposing group’s Pokémon, with Shadow Balls and psionic blasts flying through the air.

The red-haired man gasped and looked at the ceiling, then back down to the group as he stumbled; hastily wrapping the gem up in silk and stowing it in his pocket. “Houndoom, Fire Blast! Attack them my marauders, and leave no one standing!” His Houndoom opened its maw, as did the countless surrounding Pokémon. The expedition’s attacks appeared to have barely phased their opponents, and their opponents attacked back with immense power. The Houndoom expelled a plume of fire into the air, larger than any attack Salomé had ever seen. From every side, Hyper Beams from Tyranitars, or Sludge Bombs from Crobats flew towards her group. “Quick everyone, use Light Screen!” Instantly, her Gothitelle, Sigilyph and her allies cast walls of light around the group. Gigantic walls of light formed around them from every angle like a gigantic prism, and the incoming attacks smashed into them like waves breaking on the shore. The Fire Blast crashed into the walls and engulfed the entirety of the group, before dispelling into thin air.

The ground began shaking harder than ever, and it started to become difficult to properly stand. Salomé knew that it was time to go, and she grasped ahold of Naomi’s hand and began running back the way that the group had come. The red-haired man had covered his face from the explosion that resulted from the attacks hitting the Light Screens. When the smoke cleared and he uncovered his face, he saw the expedition crew sprinting towards the exit. “I don’t think so! You’re not going anywhere!” he barked out to them. Naomi could hear his blood-curdling voice, and it sent chills through her body.

Naomi and Salomé had fallen behind the crew, as Naomi’s legs just didn’t seem to want to work anymore. She was absolutely paralyzed with fear. Just as the crew neared the exist and they were home free, a loud bang reverberated through the city cavern. At that moment, Salomé’s heart sank as she witnessed a bright flash of light in front of her. Detonation charges exploded on the archway leading to the exit, flinging the entirety of her expedition backward through the air.

For the next few moments, Naomi didn’t quite comprehend what was going on. She saw people and Pokémon flying through the air past her, and she could see that their eyes were closed, but she couldn’t hear a thing. The rumbling had completely stopped in her mind. The explosion appeared to have temporarily tampered with her hearing, as evidenced by a persistent loud ringing in her ears. She looked up and saw her mother was shouting something. “Mom… I can’t hear you. Mommy, are we going to die?” Tears began to form in her Salomé’s eyes. Naomi looked to her right and noticed Sigilyph and Gothitelle were desperately forming Light Screens all around their bodies. Sigilyph began using Protect, and a green barrier formed around Salomé and Naomi. Gothitelle began weaving psionic energy from its hands into the barrier, causing it to glow a greenish-purple glow. Naomi’s gaze shifted past her mother, over to the red-haired man on the altar. He was laughing as he was standing, surrounded by his fellow Marauders. His eyes locked with Naomi’s and he simply smirked at her. Just before a large chunk of the ceiling the size of a house fell upon his group, an Alakazam cloaked them in a purple glow. With a blinding flash of white light, the group vanished from the Teleport and the ceiling crashed into the altar.

Chunks of the ceiling began smashing into the protective barrier surrounding the Berlitz women. Holes began forming in it, and Salomé knew that it was too spread out to save the both of them. She knelt down and pulled the necklace that she wore off, and put it over Naomi’s head so that it would rest around her daughter’s neck. She wiped the tears from her eyes and stared into Naomi’s eyes and spoke words that Naomi would not understand until many years later. With a kiss on the forehead, she yelled commands to her Pokémon. Naomi first looked up at Salomé, and then laid down on the floor just as her mother did. Gothitelle wrapped its arms around Naomi as it lay on the ground. Sigilyph perched itself atop of Naomi’s head and blocked her vision of Salomé just before a chunk of ceiling fell on top of them. Naomi’s eyes closed, and she fell asleep in the warmth of Gothitelle’s hug.

When Naomi awoke, it was pitch black, cold, and eerily quiet. She reached down to her side and pulled out Salomé’s flashlight. With a quick click, the light temporarily blinded her as it illuminated her surroundings. Her eyes drifted down and she saw Sigilyph and Gothitelle completely stone cold. It was almost as if they had been fossilized and turned into statues; most likely due to being drained of all their life force for sustaining the psychic cocoon through all of the immense pressure from the debris. Her eyes widened in terror, and she wasn’t sure if she was still unable to hear; on the plus side, the ringing had subsided. Her face was wet, evident that she had cried herself to sleep. That was when she remembered Salomé’s last moments, and tears streamed down her face. Normally she could sense her mother, through intuition or otherwise, but she no longer could. She was completely alone.

She sat in place as she cried, scanning the debris with her flashlight. It appeared as though the debris settled around her like an alcove. Her eyes looked at the rocks, and it appeared as though she was completely sealed in. Naomi wiped the tears away with her arm and put the end of the flashlight into her mouth as she had seen Salomé do, in order to free up her hands. She began to feel around with her hands for any potential openings in the rock, but there weren’t any. She then began trying to push any rocks out of the way as panic began to set in. She was sure that she would die down here, due to starvation or lack of oxygen. However, her Salomé’s voice reverberated through her mind, “If you’re scared, just turn on this light and I’ll be with you.” It slightly reassured her enough to calm her labored breathing.

She recalled her mother mentioning that during a cave in, it is best to dig out starting from the top so as to prevent a cave in. With the utmost care, she stood up and slowly began to push out smaller rocks from the top. The gap she had made was about the width of her face so far. After pushing a few smaller rocks, and mustered up the strength to move one the size of her torso. Upon doing so, she heard a shift from above and the rumble of rocks beginning to fall. Her eyes widened in terror; this was it, she had caused a rockslide. Naomi quickly sat back down on the floor with her head between her knees and arms covering the top of her head and ears as she rocked back and forth until the vibrations stopped. Her body felt fine, and she hadn’t been hit by anything so she uncurled herself and looked up. To her surprise, there was a much larger opening in the rock wall, large enough for her to fit through. With the flashlight still in her mouth and her head through the hole, she could see that the entirety of what used to be the floor was now covered in a layer of rocks that could be walked on. She was determined to get out of here, and with one last look down at Gothitelle’s arm she crawled out.

She had walked across the debris in the direction of the doorway. She could still see the cave markings around it, so she knew that that had to be it. However, her face fell when she saw that it was covered to the doorway with rocks. The feeling of hopelessness briefly filled her, before being replaced with anger. She was angry that this had to happen, and she was angry that those marauders got away. She had to get out because the world had to know what had happened here. She was determined to make those people pay for what they did to her mother.

Naomi set to work with pulling away rocks from the top of the doorway. They were much larger than the others. Her body felt completely exhausted moments prior, but a burst of energy suddenly filled her entirety. She had no clue where the herculean strength inside of her came from, but she didn’t care. With renewed determination, she began clawing the rocks away. She could almost swear her hands were exhibiting a blue hue. However, blinking made it go away and she began to wonder if being down in the dark for so long was making her delusional. It took quite some time, but she had managed to pull away enough rocks that she was able to see the curve of an earthen staircase and a doorway at the end of the hall. She squirmed her body through the gap and crawled until she could walk up the stairs. Upon reaching the top, she gasped as she saw the labyrinth that the excavation crew had to navigate through to get further down. Gigantic walls of stone rose up all the way to a raised ceiling, and she remembered her mother saying that it took years to determine the proper path. The feeling of hopelessness began to creep back up on her, and she looked at the three different directions that stood before her. She had no idea of which direction to go, all she could remember of the labyrinth is that it seemed to go on forever.

She sat down on the ground with the flashlight in hand and felt her vision get foggy. Her body began gasping, and seconds later the tears began to pour. She let the flashlight drop from her hand and roll a few feet away. She no longer cared about getting out, because she knew that she was hopelessly lost and would die down here. She sobbed for quite some time, until she eventually passed out on the cold cavern floor as everything faded to black.

Naomi woke up sometime later, but she couldn’t see anything. She wondered if she was still asleep, which prompted her to reach up and feel her eyelids. They were definitely open. It was completely dark, and panic struck her when she realized that her flashlight had died. Her stomach began to growl, feeling the pang of hunger. She pulled her small backpack off and rummaged through it. She felt a plastic wrapped sandwich and a granola bar. It wasn’t much, but she knew that it would sustain her for now. She ate the entirety of the sandwich and drank from the water bottle, ensuring that she left at least half for later. With the pain in her stomach gone, she looked around in the dark and noticed two glowing red circles a few feet away. “H-hello..?” she called out to it, her voice shaky with fear. The two circles began to move around, moving closer to her. She let out a gasp and felt her body petrified with fear. “Who are you?! D-don’t come any closer!” she squeaked. The red circles continued moving forward until they were only a foot away from her. She couldn’t move her limbs, but she was able to pinch her arm. She could feel it, and she was certain that she wasn’t sleeping. The circles stopped a few inches away from her face. She felt them staring at her— no, through her. They floated there for a few minutes, each pair of eyes analyzing the other; as if reading the intentions of one another.

The silence was broken by a soft cry, “Yaaaaaaama!” Her fear slowly vanished as she began to realize that it was a Pokémon. Naomi slowly raised her hand and moved it towards the eyes. They slowly began to move away from her. “Please, don’t go. I feel so alone. I don’t know how to get out of here, I’m afraid that I’ll never get out. Can you help me?” Her voice cracked midway through the sentence, the desperation causing her voice to waver. The eyes stopped moving away and slowly moved back over to her. The Pokémon floated inches away from her hand and cried out. “Yaaaaaaaaaam!” Naomi smiled weakly and placed her hand above the eyes where she assumed its head would be. She could feel a slight bump, and then a smooth rounded head. The Pokémon let out a happy hum, causing Naomi to crack a slight smile. “Can you help me get out of here? I’m so lost.” The Pokémon nodded against her hand, and a surge of hope filled her. She felt the Pokémon rise up, and she began to see a golden circle glow brightly. Soon enough, the circle began glowing even brighter and she could make out that it was a mask. “Do I... have to put that on? Will it help me get out?” The Pokémon shifted up and down, as it nodded. Naomi grasped the mask and picked it up, turning it around as it glowed. She noticed that it didn’t have any mouth or eye holes, but she was desperate. Without a second thought she put it on and everything faded to black.

When she came to, she heard someone speaking. It sounded distorted like they were whispering while underwater. The voice pulled her up from the depths of her mind and her eyes fluttered open where they met those of a police officer. Behind him she could see stars, which made her smile. “Stars... I haven’t seen those in so long.” The officer gave her a smile and called over to his partner. “She’s awake! We need to get her on the chopper quick!” Naomi turned her head to the side, and she felt the softness of sand under her. To her side was a big black police helicopter with flashing lights, and beside it was three sports utility vehicles with red and blue lights flashing on them. As she stared into the red, she gasped and quickly sat up. “Where is it! Where’s the Pokémon at?!” The officer was perplexed for a moment, but then his eyes looked over at the entrance to Relic Castle. “Oh, that little fella’ is right over there. Be careful now, don’t move around too much. We’re waiting on the medics to check you over.” Naomi ignored the officer and slowly stood up much to his chagrin, and she looked over to where he had been staring at. At the entrance of the Relic Castle, she saw it; the two red eyes. “I’m okay.” She waved the officer off and walked over to it. She could finally see more of its shape, and noticed the golden mask fixed to its body like a hat rack. She knelt down in front of it and smiled, with the Officer standing a few feet away with arms crossed to watch her.

“Hi there. So, you’re my hero, huh?” The Pokémon gave an ecstatic cry, and floated up to look at her. Naomi gasped and then reached into her backpack quickly, pulling out the granola bar. “Here, I’m sure you’re hungry too!” She unwrapped the bar, and held it out for the Pokémon. It hovered near the bar momentarily as if assessing, before taking a bite. Its mood seemed to shift, and it happily cried out, before twirling in the air around Naomi. “Yaaaamaaaaa!~” Naomi let out a giggle, and allowed for it to eat the rest of the food. The officer called over to her, “Come on kid, we’ve got to get on the chopper to take you to Castelia General Hospital. On the way there, I’m going to need your information and what exactly happened here.” Naomi turned around and nodded, before walking with the officer to the helicopter. She turned her head before she got on, and saw the Pokémon still floating in place where she had left it; she swore that she saw a tear sparkle in the moonlight before falling down into the sand. “I don’t want to be alone. Will you come with me?” she called over to it nervously. The Pokémon happily let out a cry and flew over to her immediately, prompting Naomi to embrace it in a gentle hug. The officer smirked, and waved for them to get in. Naomi’s hair began whipping around wildly as the helicopter started up. She took one last glance at the Relic Castle surrounded by police officers, and then looked up to the stars and the moon. She felt herself start to cry, which prompted her to bite her lip to stop. Her expression hardened and she got into the helicopter with the officer’s help; keeping the Pokémon on her lap the entire ride. The helicopter rose into the air as the officer signaled the pilot to take off. The Desert Resort vanished in the distance as the helicopter flew off in the direction of the moon.

Naomi was taken to Castelia General Hospital where she was checked over, and her story of what happened in the Relic Castle was recorded. Her father arrived the next day and took her back home to Snowpoint City in the Sinnoh Region. The Unovan Police Department notified the International Police, and the Berlitz Case was opened. The ruins of the relic castle were excavated after a year of digging and the bodies of Salomé’s crew were discovered. A closed casket funeral for Salomé and the crew was held in Snowpoint City the following week. Interpol attempted to pursue the marauders depicted in Naomi’s police report, but with little to no information or evidence, the case was dropped after six months of constant court trials. The Berlitz Case was classified as a horrific cave-in accident and the Heart of the Desert was never recovered. The lower levels of the Relic Castle were sealed up; leaving everything underneath of the shrine of Volcarona off limits. Interpol deemed the entire story of the marauders and the Heart of the Desert as a fabrication made up by Naomi Berlitz in order to cope with experiencing the death of her mother, Salomé Berlitz. Naomi was ordered to attend a mental facility for a year where she would receive constant visits from her father, the only person who truly believed her.

Naomi’s dreams of going on a journey were halted by the tragic loss of her mother, and her forced isolation from the world. The adults pitied her, and the children thought of her as a lying freak. After her therapy was finished, she was discharged from the facility and instructed to see a therapist on a monthly basis. Her father took her out of school, resorting to hiring a personal teacher to homeschool her. She learned the basics that were required, but didn’t pursue further education. She spent most of her time in isolation at the Snowpoint mansion with Damask and her Father. She researched more about the Pokémon Yamask, and learned everything about the species, particularly that they have the memories of long ago when they were humans. Part of Naomi believes that Yamask is the spirit of Salomé reincarnated in Pokémon form, sent to help her escape the ruins of Relic Castle.

Champion Cynthia was a close family friend through Salomé, with the two often exchanging postcards or phone calls of their journeys around the world. Recognizing Naomi’s untapped potential and as a favor to the Berlitz family, Cynthia extends an invitation to the opening of her new school, Azure Academy. Filled with questions about herself, Pokémon, and the world, Naomi decides to attend the academy with her partner Pokémon: Osiris. However, the primary motivator is learning how to be a strong, capable elite trainer like Champion Cynthia, in order to hunt down the Crimson Marauders and solve her mother’s case.

Last Edit: Jul 18, 2019 16:16:22 GMT -5 by Tyler

Tyler
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Posts: 514

[Personal]: Naomi's Saga Feb 22, 2019 23:44:32 GMT -5

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Post by Tyler on Feb 22, 2019 23:44:32 GMT -5

Personal Scene: Enter, Naomi!
Description: Naomi arrives at Azure Academy.

Naomi stared out the window of the limo with a bored expression, her one hand rested on her knee and the other idly playing with her cellphone. She had been seeing the same trees for the past twenty minutes, and for past few minutes she had been wondering if the driver was playing a cruel joke on her. Trees were nothing too exciting to her, although she did enjoy seeing them without snow unlike in Snowpoint City. The journey from Snowpoint wasn't an easy one, as she had to take a train that only went to Celestic Town, and then meet up with a driver hired by her father to take her the rest of the way. It was quite the journey from Celestic Town, and she periodically checked her phone to see just how long it had been since they started driving. "Are we almost there yet?" she called up to the driver, through the open panel dividing the back of the limo from the front. "No, Ms. Berlitz. It's not much farther! We'll be there any minute!" Naomi rolled her eyes, and looked back out the window at the lush coniferous trees.

After what felt like an hour, but was only five minutes, the limo made a left turn off of the main road and onto a heavily wooded, winding dirt road path. There was a sign on the left of the path with what looked like an Arceus etched into it that read "Azure Academy." Her mind instantly flashed to the invitation letter and the logo at the top. "So that must be the school insignia. It's actually not that bad looking, I'm sure mom would've loved it." Naomi caught herself after the thought and rolled her eyes once more. There was no point in feeling sorry for herself, but that didn't mean the pain was going to magically go away. Part of the reason for her coming here was to get over that feeling, by keeping herself busy with school.

Without even realizing it, the winding forest path eventually straightened out and the limo pulled up to a large iron fence with a guard station situated next to it. The driver pulled up to the station and flashed his ID and the invitation, then motioned to the back of the car with his thumb. Naomi's window went down to allow the guard to verify her face with the photo that was sent in for registration. He gave the driver a nod, and went back into the station. Seconds later the magnificent iron gates slid open and the limo continued on through. There was still a stretch of road after this, but Naomi could make out buildings in the distance; they were getting close.

She wondered what the campus was going to look like for months, and now she would finally know. Her eyes remained focused on the buildings in the distance, but she was quickly jolted out of her daze when her phone began to ring. It was her father. She hastily tapped the accept button and held the phone up to her ear; a grin quickly forming on her face. "Hello father, we're almost there. It shouldn't be much further. How are you?" she cheerfully spoke. "Hey there NamNam! Glad to hear that, I just wanted to check in and to wish you an awesome first day at school kiddo. I'm pretty-- oh. Woops, looks like we got a job, I'll call to check in with you later tonight or tomorrow just keep your phone with you. Cya NamNam!" Her face fell as she heard the call end before she could even say anything. She hates it when he does that, but she understands. He’s a busy many with a busy job. She let out a sigh as she looked down and lowered the phone from her ear before throwing it beside her on the back seat.

"Thanks dad... talk to you soon."

She looked back up out the window and saw the gigantic campus sprawling before her, and she let out a soft gasp. It was beautiful, the orientation building loomed ahead just behind an opening in the fence that was adorned with various Sinnohan designs and flower beds. She could make out fountains on either side of the front doors and felt excitement rise up from within her. She hadn't felt like this in a long time. The limo stopped just outside of the opening and the driver called back to her. "We've arrived Ms. Berlitz. I'll help you get your things." After helping her out of the car and retrieving her belongings from the trunk, he left her by the gate and departed. She stood before the entrance to the school and smiled briefly. Naomi grasped her Poké Ball and tapped the button, unleashing Osiris in a beam of blue light before her. "Yamaaa!" Naomi smirked and grabbed her belongings. "Welcome to Azure Academy, Osiris! Let's get going, we don't want to be late for orientation." Osiris let out a cheerful cry and whirled around her. She walked towards the doors of the orientation center with Osiris floating beside her, determined to start fresh

Last Edit: Feb 23, 2019 0:40:46 GMT -5 by Tyler

Tyler
Administrator

Posts: 514

[Personal]: Naomi's Saga Feb 23, 2019 0:32:36 GMT -5

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Post by Tyler on Feb 23, 2019 0:32:36 GMT -5

Personal Scene: Enter, Anubis!
Description: Naomi goes for a moonlit stroll.

Naomi laid in bed in her dorm, looking out the window. It was around 1 in the morning, but she couldn't sleep. Jess was fast asleep in the bed next to her, snoring the night away. It was a crystal clear sky, and nights like these reminded her of when she would sit out on the balcony of the Berlitz Mansion with her mother. Whenever Salomé came back from an expedition the pair would always sit out there with a hot drink and enjoy one another's company; the subject of talk would often be Salomé's latest archeological adventure and what she discovered. It was Naomi's happy place. Azure Academy was beautiful, but she missed home.

The dorm room was rather hot due to the central heating, and Naomi kept fidgeting. Enough was enough, she couldn't take rolling back and forth all night even if it was a Friday. She turned towards the nightstand and stared at her phone. She knew he would be awake, he always worked night shifts. She slid her night robe on, stepped into her slippers and dropped her cell phone in the front pocket, all the while remaining as quiet as possible. She wouldn't want to be rude and wake up her roommate. Osiris stirred up from the bed, and floated by her side. Just as she was about to leave, a faint blue light flashed behind her. She turned and saw the egg glowing in the dark, and decided to bring it along. She slid the door open and quietly closed it behind her as she stepped into the hallway with the egg incubator in her right arm.

It wasn't that far of a walk to the stairwell, much to her delight and there was only one more flight of stairs to get to the rooftop. She ascended and opened the door, stepping out into the cool winter air. There was some snow on the ground from a few days before, but she was used to the cold. Naomi whipped her phone out and tapped her father's number in as she walked across the rooftop. The stars were shining brightly, but their beauty paled in comparison to the full moon that lingered overhead, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was truly a beautiful night.

She took a seat on a picnic bench set up on the side of the roof for stargazers, placing the egg on the table. She tapped the call button and soon the dial tone resounded.

". . ."

Brrrrtttt

". . ."

Brrrrttttttt

". . ."

Brrrrrrrrtttt

"Hey NamNam! Sorry, I was busy with somethin'! How are ya' kiddo?"

Her father's voice broke through the electronic silence, singlehandedly breaking Naomi's apathetic demeanor and causing a smile to form on her face.

"Hey dad! I'm doing okay, I just wanted to call home and see how you were doing."

"Who's that? Oh! Oops"

Naomi heard a voice in the background, it sounded distinctly feminine, but also very beautiful. She sounded nice.

"Heh, sorry about that! Is everything okay? You know you can come home whenever you wanna'!"

She smiled, and part of her really wanted to say yes, but she knew that she couldn't. She couldn't go back to doing nothing. Here -- here she was doing something.

"I know! I like it here, I just figured I should check in since it's been a while; and you forgot to call back."

"OH! Gosh, sorry NamNam, it totally slipped my mind. I've just been -- preoccupied, is all. I'd ask about how you're doing in your classes, but I know that you're studying hard. Have you made any friends yet?"

Naomi nodded as she listened, and bit her lip at the last part. She honestly wasn't sure if she could consider anyone a friend yet. Then she remembered Aero.

"Yeah! I've made a few friends."

The conversation went on a little while longer as she discussed her classes, he discussed work, and then excused himself as he had to go out to another 'job.' She smirked, knowing full well what he was up to.

"Good luck NamNam, and keep up the good work! Love ya' kiddo'!"

"Love you too, dad."

The call clicked as it ended, and she put her phone away. She looked up at the stars and closed her eyes. She'd love to have some more friends, but this egg didn't seem close to hatching. It was taking days, and with Professor Lovely's class drawing closer and closer, she wondered if she were going to fail. It's not like she could make the egg go any faster.

She pulled the incubator closer to her, hugging it to her chest as she closed her eyes. Osiris floated beside her with eyes closed, no doubt having fallen asleep from the phone conversation; however, he was quickly awakened by a shimmering blue light. It began to glow brighter and brighter until Naomi opened her eyes and realized that it was coming from the egg. It looked like the egg was shining bright blue just like a star, until a few seconds later it stopped when the egg morphed into that of a small blue Pokémon with ears that reminded her of Headmistress Cynthia's hair accessories. Sparkles scattered through the air and the Riolu gave her a big grin. Her eyes momentarily widened in shock, and then a smile spread across her face.

"Hey there. It's like you read my mind."

The Pokémon cried out, giving her a wink as if to say, 'maybe I was.'

The two stared at one another for a few seconds, judging one another's auras. Once they were satisfied, she came to a conclusion of what to name him. He reminded her of something she read about when she was thinking of something to name Osiris.

"Welcome to the team... Anubis."

Last Edit: Feb 23, 2019 0:34:41 GMT -5 by Tyler

Tyler
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Posts: 514

[Personal]: Naomi's Saga Feb 23, 2019 0:36:17 GMT -5

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Post by Tyler on Feb 23, 2019 0:36:17 GMT -5

Personal Scene: Mother?
Description: Naomi has an ominous dream.

The entire library was absolutely silent, save for the sound of the librarian organizing the shelves and the ticking of the large grandfather clock. It was both peaceful and creepy to be in the school practically alone. Naomi had finished her latest assignments and decided to get ahead on her work, since there wasn't much else to do. Everyone was away on the expedition; it was essentially like Spring Break for her, without the comfort of her own home.

Once she was done, she gathered up her belongings and headed to the cafe for dinner. It was some sort of Johto medley of rice and vegetables, but it was rather delicious. As she sat eating it she couldn't help but be reminded of home. She pondered what her father was doing, no doubt just sitting around at the station laughing with the other officers. There was never much crime in Snowpoint City, save for the occasional burglary. Most of the cases involved rescuing tourists that went missing by foolishly wandering into the nearby forests, resulting in frequent search parties. Naomi remembered when she herself had gotten lost and had to have a search party sent out after her; she was trying to imitate her mother Salomé by investigating a nearby ruin for any sign of treasure. Little did she know that it was just a cabin that had burnt down years before she was born. Her father informed her of that when found her. Naomi couldn't help but faintly smile and utter a soft chuckle as she recalled the memory.

The feeling of loneliness started to creep up on her when she walked back to the Acuity dorms. Not a single student from Acuity, other than her, had been punished and made to stay behind. The entire campus felt like a ghost town. She'd never noticed how much she had gotten used to the presence of others; being alone used to be an everyday thing. She held her arms tight, prompting Osiris to pat her on the shoulder. She had almost forgotten that he was there, and flashed him a grin. He often left her to her own devices, but he could always tell when something was wrong.

She decided it would be best to shower and head to bed, hoping that the uneasy lonely feeling would disappear by the morning. She slid into bed and pulled the covers up, turning her head to take in the view of the moon just out the window before drifting into a deep sleep. Naomi felt her consciousness slip away as she was pulled through the clouds into a place she'd never seen before. Her body soared through the clouds until the sight of a monstrous shimmering palace came into sight with golden trim. Beautiful fountains adorned the maze-like gardens where diamond statues stood like frozen entities. At the entrance of the castle lay a cherry blossom lined path that led into the distance. Her hair whipped about through the air and she wasn't able to control where exactly she was going, but she didn't care; her eyes looked all about at a beautiful kingdom surrounded by forests as far as the eye could see.

She was heading straight for the glass dome at the top of the castle, and that's when the panic set in. She was going way too fast to be able to stop herself, so she raised her arms up and closed her eyes as she waited to feel her body crash through the glass. She felt the impact and her eyes immediately flashed open.

...

Naomi’s gaze was fixated on a man kneeling before her with his arms shackled behind his back. She stared down the barrel of a pistol that she was aiming with her left hand, and in front of it was a man looking up at her with pleading eyes. The gun possessed a rather fine texture, with ornate gold woodwork adorning its exterior. A golden vine wove its way around the back of the grip, and then up along the barrel of the gun. This intricate design decorated the entirety of the weapon, finishing its winding journey at a beautiful golden leaf where the trigger would be located. The pistol was rather light, thereby allowing her shaking hand to shake all the more easily. A woman dressed in the finest diamonds and silks sat on a throne, staring down at the girl from high up behind the man. The throne that the woman was perched upon replicated the fine golden vine patterns all along the back of the throne, ending in beautifully curled golden leaves for armrests. The woman held a staff in her right hand with the very same design, except this piece possessed a rather large diamond protruding from the pommel just beneath the woman’s hand. Her lips opened, and she barked an order to Naomi, “Hurry up, girl. Finish the job, and prove your loyalty to the crown!” Her voice echoed through the grand hall off of the marble floors, and reverberated as it bounced upwards to the rafters of the building where a grand diamond chandelier hung majestically. The light that was refracted off of the diamonds hanging from the chandelier cast a dance of light down upon the scene below. It created a beautiful display for a rather gruesome occasion. The small specs of light danced across Naomi’s hand as she continued to look down at the shackled prisoner. Her eyes replicated the very same shimmer of the chandelier just as her grip around the pistol tightened, with her finger hugging the trigger. If one were to look the girl dead in the eyes, they would see that they had begun to accumulate moisture as though she were about to cry.

Normally, it was the executioner’s job to deal with traitors to the crown. However, the Queen was testing her daughter’s loyalty after a failed coup to usurp the throne. The night before, Naomi and the traitor stood hunched over a table illuminated in candlelight as their fellow rebels dallied around the dark room conversing. The scent of rebellion filled the air, and shadows along with secrecy were the allies of the rebels upon this night. The traitor pointed downwards at a letter that lay open on the table, detailing the information for a secret meeting to discuss the 'problem.' In this case the problem was the tyrannical Queen that ruled the Crystal Kingdom. She had grown too power-hungry and ruled with an iron fist, executing anyone that got in her way in the search for the Holy Grail. The Grail was rumored to have the ability to grant eternal youth and immortality. The Queen planned to extend her reign for an eternity, in order to transform the Crystal Kingdom into the strongest kingdom in the entire continent of Kansai. The Queen’s ultimate goal was to rule an empire. Naomi knew the truth behind the Queen’s power, which involved the sacrifice of countless young women to maintain her eternal youth thus far. She knew that this was becoming a problem that needed to be fixed, for it would not stop even after the Grail was found. The Queen’s thirst for blood could only grow stronger and more volatile with an eternal reign.

Words were exchanged over candlelight, and a plan was formulated to execute the Queen the following morning. The cook was to poison the Queen’s meal to weaken her, thus preventing her from utilizing her mystical powers to defend herself. After all, it was a rather well-known fact that the Queen was able to make anything happen, or anyone kneel before her with a simple thought. Afterward, the traitor was to slit the Queen’s throat with a mystical dagger that the Queen kept locked up in her royal armory. Naomi, being the princess of the kingdom was the only other person who could obtain it for the rebels, due to her royal lineage. After the plan was made, everyone dispersed and Naomi sat in her room contemplating the situation. She had always despised her mother, who never sought to show affection to her daughter. But something about murdering one’s own mother struck a chord within her. Due to this change of heart, she exposed the plan to her mother and the next morning, every conspirator was to be executed. In order to prove herself, Naomi was tasked with executing the entirety of the rebel faction. The execution would start with the leader of the rebellion, who was also one of her close personal friends.

As she stared down at the leader of the rebellion, she wondered if the loyalty to her mother was more powerful than her loyalty to the people. Was blood really thicker than water? After all, this was her mother, and she was only playing along with the rebels to figure out their true intentions after she intercepted a message to her handmaiden regarding the meeting. Were the people of the Crystal Kingdom equal to her enough to be considered brothers and sisters? All of these thoughts flashed through her mind as she gripped the gun while the Queen barked for her to prove her loyalty. Naomi had to make a split second decision, so she hastily closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. With her decision made, she opened her eyes, exhaled and then aimed the gun towards the Queen and fired off shot towards her heart. The golden bullet flew from the chamber, twirling through the air like a graceful dancer, and then found its way into the closing curtains of her mother’s heart. The Queen cried out, and fell to the floor in front of the throne clutching her chest and writhing in pain. Naomi closed her eyes and spoke with a voice so fiery and full of passion.

“This is my Kingdom now.”

For how was a Queen meant to rule if she did not think of her people?

When she opened her eyes back up, the floor in front of the throne was completely barren. There was no more screaming, and there was certainly no Queen writing in pain upon the floor. Naomi turned her head and looked around, her eyes could barely believe what she was seeing. All of the shackled prisoners had collapsed upon the ground with their eyes missing from their sockets. The leader of the rebellion specifically no longer possessed a head. Naomi gasped and covered her mouth with her free hand as she collapsed on the floor. At that moment, she felt as though all of the wind had been knocked from her lungs and she was struggling to breathe. The feeling didn’t stop until the loud, ominous cackle of her mother resounded through the halls of the throne room and then down throughout the entirety of the castle as the Queen’s entity consumed the spirit of every single living being in the kingdom except for one. Naomi rocked back and forth with her head in her knees and her arms clasped tightly around her legs as she sobbed. A number of questions echoed throughout her mind as though a cacophony of voices were fighting to escape. The loudest question broke through the silence among the midst of the periodic sobbing and spilled through her lips like the blood flowing from the citizens of the kingdom.

“Am I responsible for this?”

...

Naomi gasped and her eyes flew open, taking in the dark confines of her dorm room. She felt something wet dripping down her face and moved her fingers to feel it -- she was crying. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath as she stared at the foot of her bed in the darkness. The dream was so bizarre and vivid that it felt absolutely real. The thought of having another woman, let alone one so evil, as her mother felt absolutely sickening.

“Mom...” she whispered.

Naomi turned and looked back at the moon as the thought of her mother filled her mind. She had sat around doing nothing for far too long. Starting tomorrow, she would plan her next course of action in tracking down the Crimson Marauders. Naomi knew that there was a town nearby that without a doubt contained a police station, but she wasn't worried about how to get in. Her dream gave her just gave her an idea of how to do it.

Last Edit: Feb 23, 2019 0:37:19 GMT -5 by Tyler

Tyler
Administrator

Posts: 514

[Personal]: Naomi's Saga Mar 4, 2019 13:15:41 GMT -5

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Post by Tyler on Mar 4, 2019 13:15:41 GMT -5

Personal Scene: Infiltration
Description: Naomi infiltrates the local Police Station.

It was the day after her trip to the library and the departure of the students going on the Azure Expedition, and Naomi waited until the sun had set to make her move. She slid her boots on, threw on her trenchcoat and departed her dorm room. The halls were eerily quiet due to the absence of any students in the Acuity dorm - even the security guard had gone home for the week.

Naomi silently left the dorm alongside Osiris and made her way for the northernmost gate where the Salazzle had previously broken through and interrupted the Azure Ball, what a mess that was. It was covered up with a somewhat heavy statue to deter anyone from coming in, or out. Naomi had already planned for this. She pulled out a Poké Ball and tapped the button, unleashing Anubis on the ground before her. "You know what to do," she whispered. The Riolu nodded and walked over to the statue, easily lifting it to the side with its Herculean strength. Anubis pulled the fencing upward with ease in order for Naomi to slip through. Naomi held it up so that Anubis could slide under and shift the statue back into position whilst Osiris floated over the top. After dusting herself off she ventured off along the edge of the forest toward the dirt path that led toward the nearby Azure Village.

Once out of range from the front guard station, Naomi pulled out a flashlight and flicked it on to allow the light to illuminate the dark path. Periodically she had to quickly shut the light and hide behind one of the many trees that lined the path when a patrol car passed by doing its hourly rounds. After about a two hour journey, she finally reached the outskirts of the town. It was a small village with only a single street lined with a Pokémon Center, Fortune Teller, Food Mart, the Azure Inn and the Police Station. A few houses dotted the outskirts here and there. There were only a few streetlamps that lined the street, so she tried her best to stay in the shadows.

After making her way up the street she finally arrived at the station. It was a rather small building, but the layout still seemed the same. The perks of practically living in a police station as a child were knowing all the ins and outs of it; which is why she knew that there was always an emergency hatch on the top of the building. It was the only easy way in since the doors were all locked with keypads for inputting a code for the officers. Naomi walked along the side of the building in the alleyway trying to find a way up, and that was when she had an idea. She motioned at Anubis and performed a throwing motion, pointing up at the roof. The Riolu looked at her with concern but nodded, holding out its arms. Naomi looked over to Osiris and he knew exactly what she needed. He closed his eyes and engulfed her in a Hex cocoon. Combined with the levitation and Anubis' strength, Naomi was launched up into the air. She landed with a soft thud on the roof, listening for a moment to hear if anyone knew she was up there. When it appeared to be all clear, Osiris and Anubis came soaring onto the rooftop.

"Anubis you have to open the hatch and keep watch, Osiris and I will go in." The Riolu frowned that he wouldn't be able to come along, but nodded and eagerly ran over to the rooftop hatch to lift it open. Naomi quietly walked over and then lowered herself down, before dropping into the station. Her trench coat wooshed down as she landed, falling onto one knee gently to stabilize herself from falling over. Osiris came drifting down and began surveying the station. They were in the back hallway and they quietly made their way along the hall until they reached the Sheriff's office. She tried the door, but it was locked. They couldn't break in without setting off an alarm, so Naomi sighed and looked to Osiris. "I hoped we wouldnt have to do this... Let's go find the night shift."

At the end of the hallway they found the front office where a single officer sat in a chair dozing off by the dimly lit monitor. Naomi nodded toward the man to signal Osiris, and the ghost slowly levitated over to the man. The last thing he saw was a golden mask drifting down onto his face before he fell into a deep sleep. Osiris was in control now, and he made the officer get up from his chair and walk past Naomi toward the Sheriff's office. He unlocked it with a key and walked over to the Sheriff's computer. The monitor sprung to life and he input the password so that Naomi would have full access to the police database.

She sat down in the chair while he stood at the door standing guard; she may have about an hour until the next patrol checkup so she had to work fast. She rolled up her sleeves and began tapping away at the keys, searching for any clues in the form of criminal presence in the region. It took some digging, but there was reports of permit issues regarding an excavation team at Iron Island, strange visitors to the Oreburgh City Mining Museum and the nearby mines, as well as... the Snowpoint Temple. Her heart jumped at the possibility that her mother's murderers had been living near her father all this time, possibly keeping an eye on him - as well as her. She felt her jaw tighten as her fist clenched in anger, once she graduated she'd go take a visit; she didn't know if she would be ready to face him until then. It wasn't much to go by, but she didn't have any other leads.

She closed out the information and turned off the computer, not fearing for any fingerprints being left behind thanks to Darcy's gloves. She, alongside Osiris and the Officer walked to the main room after locking the office where Naomi walked right out the front door, waiting as Osiris unmasked the man and phased through the wall to meet her outside in the alleyway. Anubis hopped down and landed on one knee from the rooftop, to which Naomi returned him back into his ball with a pat. "Good work you two." She turned and walked off into the shadows toward the exit of the town; thankfully curfew didn't matter much due to her being much older than the average student.

As Naomi walked along the sidewalk out of town she noticed two figures standing underneath of a lamp post near the exit and they were staring right at her, as though they were waiting for her. Her jaw tightened and she continued walking, feeling Osiris move closer to her protectively in case they lashed out. As she drew closer to them she realized it was a olive toned woman with rather oddly extravagent robings, hair curlers, and a small Pokémon standing beside her. The woman was smiling and the Pokémon was staring up at Naomi as if looking at something within her. Naomi narrowed her eyes as she tried to get a read on the woman, to which the woman let out a chuckle. "Trying to read my aura, are you? You won't find anything bad, we have the same aura; and yes, I can read you, I do this for a living." Naomi's eyes widened in shock at the woman guessing exactly what she was doing, perhaps this lady was the real deal.

"I'm Madame Mystique, but you can call me Misty if you like. Don't worry, we mean you no harm. This little one just got so excited when you first arrived and it took me a bit to realize that she wanted to go outside to wait for you. She never does that, she's usually content on staring at passerbys from the window. You know what they say about Gothita... they see things that others cannot. It seems that she sees something in you, perhaps the journey that you're meant to embark on. She can read your destiny and it seems like she wants to go along with you."

Naomi was practically speechless, she had never encountered anyone like this and to top it all off, the sight of a Gothita sent chills down her spine. It looked just like her mother's. Perhaps it was her mother's, simply reborn; she had read about that before. She bit her lip, contemplating the decision to bring this Pokémon along with her. However, it didn't take long, something inside of her made her nod her head. "Isn't she your Gothita though?" The woman merely smiled and shook her head. "No... and yes. I found her and took her in, she was rather strange and the daycare was too afraid of her habits. I felt that there was a reason she came into my life... and it elates me to realize that it was because I was meant to help her meet you. It must be some sort of cosmic alignment, or something like that," she giggled. Naomi knelt down and the curious Gothita walked over, still staring with wide eyes. She finally blinked and smiled as she hugged Naomi's knee with a cry. "Gotttthhh!"

Naomi felt a swell of emotion within her and she immediately scooped up the Gothita in her arms and cradled it like a baby, holding it close to her chest. She couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. Madame Mystique stepped aside and gave her a wave, holding her robes tightly to her body in the gentle breeze. Naomi nodded to Osiris and then began to walk off with the Gothita in her one arm and her flashlight held with her free hand. "I won't tell anyone what you were doing in the Police Station either, I know that it wasn't malicious." Naomi gasped in shock and turned with eyes wide only to find that the woman had vanished. The sound of a door shutting nearby told her that the woman had gone back into her home, leaving Naomi to her own devices.

. . .

After a long trek back to the academy, Naomi maneuvered past the fence and walked back to the dorm. She didn't notice the figure in front of her as she bumped into him. "Hey! Watch it! You almost made me drop the box. The boss would kill me!" Naomi looked at the man in shock, not recognizing him from around here. He had blue hair and a large box in his arms labeled 'Fragile' on the side. The man realized that she was a student that must have stayed behind and his demeanor quickly changed. "O-oh! Sorry, I'm one of the new adjunct professors. Uhh.. I work in the archeology and science department. You should get back to your bed, it's past student curfew! Or else I'll have to tell the Headmistress, heh!" Naomi bit the inside of her cheek and quickly brushed past him, making her way back to her dorm. She couldn't let herself be punished further, especially by leaving school grounds which was expressly forbidden without permission.

The man watched her walk off with a wicked smirk, before continuing to the side of the Verity dorms where the door swung open and he joined a group of individuals carrying equipment inside. As the door swung shut the light from the doorway reflected off of one of the employee's backs revealing a big blue insignia.

Last Edit: May 30, 2019 0:38:24 GMT -5 by Tyler

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