Who Sings in the Rain Anyway? [DIANA]

[JERICHO MAXWELL]

Jericho sat up against the curb on the side of the road. Numerous people walked and ran by, some with umbrellas and others with hoodies. Some gave the redhead an odd glance before continuing on, while others simply pretended he wasn't there. Ignore the weird kid sitting in the rain. Natural human response, he supposed. He might bite.

Jericho sighed. He hated being in one of his depressed funks. And normally, while he was in such a mood, he would play with Techno. But it was raining, and Jericho didn't much like her being out in the rain, seeing as she was an electric mouse. He contemplated bringing out Riley, but the little Eevee didn't much like the rain either. He fiddled with a Pokeball before opening it in his palm. "C'mon, Petey," he said. A familiar flash of red...and an unexpected color. Where he expected blue and brown of his Wartortle, an orange and brown Pokemon now stood. Jericho frowned.

"Tech, what are you doing? It's raining," he said, as if it weren't obvious. The Raichu gave him a look that clearly said 'yeah, and look at how much I care.' She settled for giving a firm "Rai."

The small Raichu hopped into Jericho's lap, and nuzzled beneath his chin. Jericho tried to hold his frown, but his stubbornness was worn away by the adorable mouse in his lap. "Alright, alright, you win. I'll try my best to be peppier." Techno chirruped and jumped onto his shoulder before licking his temple. His bangs, which were already plastered to his face from the light rainfall, were being bent into awkward ways by the Raichu's tongue. Jericho let her do as she pleased.

He stared at the park across from him, letting his thoughts drift. Vermillion was similar to Cerulean, and Cerulean was not a happy place for him. His home was there, but it was anything but welcoming at this point. I loved his parents, and he missed them, but he couldn't face that town again. It had killed Max. Jericho stroked Techno's back and sighed. He really hated getting in these depressed funks. his thoughts always shifted to those of Max.

He looked up with closed eyes at the sky, letting the drops fall. He was soaked to the bone, but he wasn't uncomfortable. He would be when he had to find somewhere to sleep, but he wasn't thinking about it now. It was late afternoon, and still pretty warm outside. But the sky was grey and it looked two hours later than it was. He opened his eyes and watched the people walk by, taking in their appearance, their expressions, their everything. He loved watching people. He sat, continued to pet his beloved Raichu, and delved into his thoughts.

[/blockquote]

[DIANA LOCKEHART]

Diana was huddled over a book in the Vermilion library, a book regarding the ever elusive Suicune that the Saffron City Library did not have in stock for there was only one like it. She loved Suicune - well the whole Beast Trio and their Leader, Ho-oh - it was so beautiful, gallant, so precise and all-knowing. She turned the page, one concerning the bulk of Suicune's powers. The power to walk on water, the power of the Northern Wind, and most likely telepathy. Does Suicune know where Ho-oh is? The Book had also said that Suicune was the closest out of all the Legendary Beats to Ho-oh after all. The Team Rocket Admin sighed at the thought, her mind quickly running off to fantasize about meeting the Elusive Legendary Beast. What would Suicune think of her? Would it be disgusted? Pleased? Apathetic? She would die to find out...

Roserade suddenly jumped up on the table and Diana looked up to see an autobiography being pushed in her face. Her eyebrows instantly furrow in irritation and she glares at her first Pokemon. "I am nothing like that Eusine!" She whispered harshly, rising from her seat. They may have been toward the back of the library, but she wanted nothing to do with those elderly Librarians. Roserade let out his version of a chuckle and dropped the book onto the table as they began to depart. The Team Rocket Admin had jotted down several pages of notes about Suicune, but she had also gotten notes on Entei, Raikou, Lugia, and Ho-oh from previous trips to the library when she wasn't needed at that dreaded lab.

The pair walk underneath the protection of an umbrella through the streets of Vermilion, Diana's strut almost paralleling Roserade's cool stride. She clutched the small, leather notebook full of her notes closer to her chest as they walked, making their way through the streets and back to their hotel. The walking-plant looked up as they waited for the crossing-light to change, Roserade had noticed that abnormally small Raichu and was looking at it quizzically. He knew Raichu were supposed to be bigger than he, so what was wrong with this one? Curiously, Roserade flips up into the air, landing on a moving car before making his way over to Raichu by using other cars. He lands coolly on the sidewalk before smoothly up to the side of the Trainer and his pokemon, with a hand on his right hip. Damn how cool he was....

Meanwhile, Diana nearly jumped in fright when her Precious First Pokemon jumped into traffic. "Roserade!" That's when Diana took her chance to run across the street and followed her Pokemon over to where he had paused to question the Raichu. "Have you caught the Stupid, Roserade?!" She growled as she looked down at her Pokemon, who merely shrugged it off for the most part. He was too cool to pay attention to J-Walking laws.

[JERICHO MAXWELL]

Jericho was still lost in his annoyingly depressing thoughts when he heard a squealing of someone's tires, followed by a shout. He jumped quite horribly as he was jerked out of his thoughts. Techno, responding to her owner's surprise, jumped out of her skin as well and fell off of Jericho's shoulder and onto his knee. She looked over to where the noise was coming from, saw a Roserade crossing the street elegantly, and chirruped. Jericho looked to where she was looking as well, but looked at the person now crossing the street, looking frantic. She was taller than him, which was abnormal for a woman usually.

Techno stood and sniffed at the Roserade as it approached her, tail curled at the end. She shook her body once, sick of the water coating her fur. She was a naturally curious Pokemon and was not intimidated by the flower Pokemon. Jericho stood and waited for the woman to cross the street. When she did, he opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted as she shouted at her Roserade. Jericho shook his head, wanting his bangs out of his eyes.

"He's probably curious about Tech. She's an odd sight, I'll have to admit," he said, inferring the Roserade's actions. Techno was not unused to other Pokemon being curious about her odd size. She used to hate it, but now she rather liked the attention. The Raichu looked up at Jericho with a pout, as if to say 'yeah I know I'm odd, do you have to point it out?'

He looked at the woman, unsure of what to say. He was soaking wet, so he felt rather foolish. He hadn't thought he would have to interact with anyone.

[/blockquote]

[DIANA LOCKEHART]

Diana finally noticed the boy in front of her and blinked down at him. He was soaking wet, which made him look quite.....depressing if not dumb. She scoffed down at the Raichu once her Trainer had given a reason of why Roserade would act out in such a way. "It's nothing to run across the street for..." She huffed and felt Roserade's flower-hands brush her calf, purple eyes flickering downward to give him one last warning glance before looking back to the Raichu's Trainer, looking him up and down. Her eyebrows furrow in an odd sense of irritation. "Why are you just STANDING there?" If you were looking for a nice person, you shouldn't have stopped looking when you saw Diana. She didn't initially come off as a 'nice person', though usually she did mean well at least.

Roserade yawned, already bored, and turned his eyes to stare some more at Raichu. He then straightened out his cape and looked back up at his Trainer curiously, why was she still standing there? Diana bore holes into this boy with her eyes, her hands were on her hips in a sassy way. The Admin sighed and closed her umbrella, practically throwing it into his hands before she moved past him. "Come on Roserade, I don't like wasting time. " Well that part was true, but this was mostly due to how impatient Diana was. The Roserade followed her closely as they continued down the street, now becoming wet from the rain. The Admin cursed and tucked the leather notebook into her coat to keep the precious thing dry.

[JERICHO MAXWELL]

Jericho immediately knew to be on the defensive once he saw the woman's body language. Her entire posture screamed sarcasm. Once hearing the trainer badmouthing her, Techno immediately crouched, annoyed. Jericho bent and picked her up before she did something stupid. Techno looked down at the Roserade, then looked back up at the woman and glared. Normally her cheeks would be dancing with sparks, but she wasn't stupid enough to do so while it was raining. Jericho was calm and unassertive, though a bit annoyed.

"I don't really have anywhere else to be," he said simply, in an answer to her question, which was the truth. He normally stayed at various Pokemon centers and got hotel rooms if he could with whatever little money his mother could wire him. Techno darted from Jericho's arms to his shoulder, where her tail found it's normal comfortable place around his chest.

The continued to glare at him, her hands on her hips, and Jericho continued to stare right back, eyes even and hands held loosely at his sides. Then, he found something being thrusted into his arms. His cool demeanor faltered and he grabbed the thing with eyebrows raised.Before he could argue back the woman was already marching down the street. Jericho looked at Techno, and the Raichu looked right back. then he darted after her.

"Hey, wait, I can't take this!" he said. "I don't mind getting wet, but I don't think you want to. Her outfit was elaborate and her hair was so long, after all. He caught up to her and Techno jumped off of his shoulder and scampered next to the Roserade, curious.

[/blockquote]

[DIANA LOCKEHART]

Diana nearly groaned as she turned around to face the boy once more, but she held it in and gave him an apathetic frown. She had only given the umbrella to him because he was literally sopping wet, and probably was about to get sick. Worst come to worst, if Diana became sick or cold she would just cuddle up to Rapidash or get some cough medicine and deal. The Admin placed one had on her hip as Roserade scoffed over to the Raichu, having made the decision to taunt the Raichu for being so small. He was so similar to his Trainer in so many ways....Anyway, Diana raised the hand that had been on her hip to silence the lad. "I actually couldn't care less about being wet." Diana let her hand fall while her other hand kept the notebook from falling, but it looked like she was just clutching her jacket for warmth.

"Rade, rade!" The Flower-handed Pokemon called up to his Trainer and motioned for her to get going. While he, a Grass-type, did not mind the rain - he did not want Diana to catch a cold since then....she would be in a bad mood. "I know Roserade, I know." Diana looked back over to the boy and cocked at eyebrow. "Just keep the umbrella - I, a working Trainer, must be going!" She said in her usual cocky way before turning and continuing down the street. Roserade looks over to the Raichu, makes another small taunt, and then proceeds to bound after his Trainer.