Chapter Eighteen
Justice
Ivy let out a frightened squeak, barely even audible, as she looked upon the broken, fragmented shards of the crushed Cubone skull lying only feet away from her. Against all her better judgement, her eyes automatically trailed beyond the skull and then came to rest on a small, bloody bundle lying spread-eagled and abandoned and still close to the shattered skull. Her hands flew to her mouth in terror as she realised she was looking upon the battered, beaten and bloodied corpse of a freshly killed Cubone…
She didn't want to keep looking at the Cubone, but she found she couldn't take her eyes away. The bright lights from above meant she was able to make out every grim and grisly detail and any hope of looking away was simply dashed. The Cubone's body was lacerated with cuts, its flesh ripped open, revealing the sinewy tissue and its tiny little face twisted in pain. Its eyes still remained open, glassy and unresponsive, its mouth locked in the shadow of a scream. The body was tiny, the size of a newborn baby, small enough that Ivy could scoop it up comfortably in her arms. And as Ivy looked upon the dead baby Cubone, bile rose in her throat, tears pricked at her eyes and a horrified, anguished scream escaped her.
Ivy's tortured scream unfortunately then alerted the five people shrouded in black to their presence. They all started violently and turned around sharply to focus entirely on Ivy and Robert, who both backed away worriedly at the sight of the group. Each person had their face obscured by light black masks, only their eyes wholly visible. Judging from the size and structure of their bodies, Robert easily deduced four men and one particularly small and petite woman. He then realised with a flash of horror at each of the black clothed people were clutching cages in all varying size. The cages were swathed in strips of thick, heavy black cloth, preventing any good view of what they were containing. But while Robert was immediately concerned with the five intimidating strangers, his mind instantly jumping to the idea that they may be poachers or something even worse, Ivy managed to tear her thoughts away from the dead Cubone to the young man lying close to them. Spurred on by his low groans of pain and with concern mounting in her for a person she knew she could at least help, she darted away from Robert, ignoring his cries of protest and ran straight to the other young man's aid.
"Are… are you alright?!" she asked him frantically.
"Ivy, get away! He could be one of them!" Robert bellowed, his hand flying to the Pokeballs at his waist, his Hitmonlee screeching angrily by his side.
"But, he's hurt!" Ivy cried, ignoring her companion and putting a comforting hand on the young man's shoulders. The young man looked to be in a worrying state, his expensive-looking and well-tailored high collared blue shirt and pressed black trousers ripped, scuffed and covered with dust. His face was marred with pain, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, a thin, jagged cut sliced deeply into his left cheek, beads of blood standing out sharply against his pale skin. His chest heaved with every breath he took, wheezing on every inhale. As Ivy spoke to him, he visibly started, his eyes flashing open abruptly. The sight of a stranger seemed to astonish him, but as he tried to move, he let out an anguished grunt of pain.
"D…dammit!" He cried out, his voice strained.
"A… are you okay?!" Ivy gasped.
The young man didn't even get a chance to reply as a sudden shout from nearby diverted Ivy and Robert's attentions and they all looked up to see the group of people start to run, headed straight towards an adjoining tunnel at the other end of the chamber. The other young man by Ivy's side let out a vague, but angry, cry of protest and he turned towards Ivy, his navy blue eyes flashing. "St…stop them!" he cried, "D—don't let them get away!"
Ivy floundered at the man's request, entirely unsure what she could do to help, but Robert held no such inhibitions. "Htimonlee, quick!" he yelled, and quick as a flash, his Hitmonlee bounded past Ivy and the other young man, immediately giving chase to the retreating people. But the smallest of the black clothed figures, the lone female, suddenly stalled, whipped out a Pokeball and threw it, releasing a Seadra. Without even an instruction from its trainer, it suddenly expelled forth such a thick cloud of pungent black smoke that it encompassed Ivy, Robert, the other young man and the Hitmonlee within seconds. There was an almighty crash as the smoke belched out, Robert strongly suspecting his Hitmonlee had collided straight with the wall, and then everything felt silent again aside from the noises of loud, hacking coughs, as the young adults tried desperately to clear the smoke from their lungs.
The thick, hazy smoke eventually lifted and as her vision eventually cleared, Ivy made out the figure of the other young man stumble to his feet, clutching at the wound to his cheek and looking around helplessly. "No!" he cried out, whipping his head back and forth. "No! Don't… don't tell me they got away?!"
"P… please, don't stand up!" Ivy cried, getting quickly to her feet and rushing to the other man's side. "You're hurt, you—"
"They got away, dammit!" he interrupted her, looking furious. "How did they—?"
"Smokescreen," Robert's calm voice interjected from nearby, making both Ivy and the other young man turn around to look at him, Ivy almost forgetting he was even there. "Bastards…" Robert added, under his breath. "They'll be long gone by now…"
The other young man glared at Robert like it was his fault, his unusual navy blue eyes seething with rage. He then seemed to think better of it, grunted angrily and looked to the ground. "D…dammit!" he said again.
"Are you okay?" Ivy asked at once, her eyebrows knitting together in concern.
"I'm fine," he said, sounding gruff and impatient, his face still twisted in anger. He slicked away another thin trail of blood spilling from the cut in his cheek as he spoke. "I… I can't believe I let those people get away…"
"Who were they?" Robert asked at once. "What were they doing here?"
The young man glared at Robert again, his face stony. He remained sternly quiet.
"Are you hard of hearing?" Robert asked coolly. "I'll ask you again. Who were those people and what were they doing here?"
"… I don't know who they were." The young man replied reluctantly, combing a hand through the fronds of his jet black hair. "They just came in here while I was searching around for Cubone—"
"Searching for Cubone?" Ivy asked in surprise, but her question went ignored.
"—and then they just started grabbing all the Cubone they could find. I tried to stop them, but… but…"
"You were outnumbered?" Robert prompted when he fell silent.
"Sh…shut up!" the man said, turning around on Robert, his right eye visibly twitching. His face was twisted in anger, but disappointment and bitter anguish was resonating in the depths of his navy eyes. "I… I let them take the Cubone…" he said thickly. "It was my fault. I… I should have done more to protect those poor Pokemon…"
"Hey, don't feel so bad…" Ivy said softly, daring to take a few steps in the man's direction. "I'm… I'm sure you did the best you could…"
"Well, my best wasn't enough!" the young man barked, making Ivy flinch. "Those Cubone got taken away because I couldn't protect them… One of them even got…" he grimaced, and Ivy remembered with a shock the bloodied corpse of the young Cubone lying abandoned only feet away from them. A twist of nausea stirred in her stomach and she bit her lips fiercely. The young man also looked pained as he put a hand to his head. However, he then spoke in a strong, defiant voice. "Justice needs to be served…"
Ivy hesitated, not sure what to say in light of this. "What… what are they gonna do with all those Cubone?"
"I don't know," the young man said solemnly. "But they took every last Cubone here they could find. I don't… I don't think they've left a single one…"
"No Cubone?!" Ivy cried shrilly. "But… but I need one!"
"You're not the only one…" the young man said, making Ivy lift her head up in puzzlement.
"There's nothing we can do here," Robert suddenly interjected before Ivy could speak again. "Those people are long gone, and if they've taken all the Cubone, there's nothing left for us here. Ivy, we'll have to get you that Cubone another way."
"But, Robert—!"
"But nothing," Robert said firmly. "We need to leave."
"But, I—" Ivy was about to launch into full protesting mode, but she caught a glimpse of the other young man and it made her stop right in her tracks. He was still looking furious, impatiently mopping at the blood on his cheek, but his eyes were sad and full of dismay. A little touch of sadness stirred in her heart as she looked at him. He looked so bitterly upset and despondent, so angry at the injustice of those Cubone being taken and part of her wished she could put her arms around this stranger and tell him everything would be okay. Knowing she couldn't do that, she instead rested a tentative hand on his arm. "Umm… you know…" she murmured. "Um… you should come back to the Pokemon Centre with us…"
"I can't!" the young man said angrily. "I need to go after those people!"
"You're hurt, though!" Ivy protested. "Please… you're in no condition to stay out here."
"I can't leave those poor Cubone!"
"B… but you're hurt!Look, I'll… I'll come back to Rock Tunnel with you later to look for those people if you want, but seriously, right now… we need to get you seen to."
"I don't want—"
"How can you be of any help to those Cubone when you're hurt!?" Ivy cut him off firmly, fixing him with an intense a stare as she could manage.
The young man's face flashed with frustration and he threw his arms up in exasperation, but there was no denying he had been beaten. Reluctantly, he eventually choked out a reply. "Fine. I'll… I'll go with you…"
"That's good." Ivy nodded, with a breath of relief. "H…hey, you'll be alright. We'll get you something to eat and drink and get your cut seen to and you'll be fine."
The young man grunted.
"Um… I'm Ivy, by the way. Ivy McKenzie."
She offered her hand to him gingerly. He looked at her proffered hand almost suspiciously at first, as if he was trying to work out what to do with it. Then the hard look behind his navy eyes softened and he sighed before eventually taking her hand. "Aaron Westbrook," he mumbled.
"Nice to meet you, Aaron Westbrook." Ivy smiled, before singling out Robert with her finger. "And he's Robert Rhodes, okay? He doesn't say much and he's a bit mean sometimes, but he's glad to meet you too,"
"Pleasure…" Aaron said stiffly.
"Well, now that we're all acquainted, we really should get out of here." Robert said decisively, recalling his Hitmonlee that had Hi-Jump Kicked the cave wall and knocked itself out, before turning towards the chamber exit.
"Ah, Robert, wait for us!" Ivy called back in panic as Robert disappeared down the outgoing tunnel. She turned around to give Aaron an encouraging smile, before quickly giving chase after Robert. Aaron hesitated for a moment as Ivy bounded away, cast a look back at the tunnels behind him and let out a long sigh. He recalled the unconscious Nidorino lying at his side and took one final look at the young dead Cubone, wincing at the grisly sight of its mutilated body. He grimaced and muttered one word under his breath before heading off in pursuit of Robert and Ivy.
"Justice…"
Some time later, in the relatively empty Pokemon Centre lounge, a noticeably calmer Aaron Westbrook emerged from one of the examination rooms, now sporting a thick white bandage across his cut cheek. His pale face now held some healthy colour to it, his ragged breathing had subsided and he felt far stronger, steadier and better on his feet, but he still hesitated upon seeing Robert and Ivy sitting waiting for him. He forced his unsure feet to move and made himself sit down in the seat opposite to Ivy and Robert. He relaxed slightly only when Ivy offered him a wide smile and a can of ice cold lemonade. He took the proffered gift, snapped it open and drank from it greedily and gratefully, swallowing down almost half of it in three big gulps. While Ivy smiled, Robert barely even acknowledged him, flicking through a Pokemon World magazine, pretending to be fascinated by an article depicting various new gadgets from Moore and Moore, a company specialising in top of the range trainer goods.
"Feeling better?" Ivy asked, looking up at the young man.
"Much," Aaron admitted, and as he said so, a sudden smile crept across his face as he looked upon the girl in front of him, finally recognising what a pretty little thing she was. "And all the better for seeing you, Ivy," he added smoothly.
Robert promptly spat out the mouthful of lemonade he had just taken in, but he went ignored as Ivy blinked, tilting her head to one side, puzzled. "I… I'm sorry?" she questioned.
There was a smooth, cool smile now tugging at Aaron's lips. "You're a sight for sore eyes," he said, with a cheeky wink. "Have I thanked you for looking after me in the Rock Tunnel?"
Ivy shook her head, perplexed, whilst Robert fought the urge to slam his head into the table in front of them.
"Well, thank you for taking such good care of me," Aaron's smile was widening with every word he spoke.
Robert was watching in a mixture of disgust and disbelief at the sugary sweet tone of voice Aaron was using. "Is he… is he hitting on Ivy?!"
Ivy seemed oblivious to Aaron's advances, merely smiling pleasantly. "It's no problem, honestly! It was my pleasure!"
"No, no, Ivy… I mean it," Aaron said, his navy eyes twinkling mischievously as his hand reached out and found hers. "I don't know what I would have done without you." And with that, he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it gently.
While Ivy did find the kiss to the hand somewhat unusual, she just grinned happily. "You're welcome!" she trilled.
Robert let out an anguished groan and hid his face firmly behind the issue of Pokemon World he was flicking through. "Is she really that dense?" he thought in a strange mixture of shock, annoyance and disbelief, before he let out a deep sigh. "And of course, it's just my luck that the random guy she would just pick up from nowhere would turn out to be a Lothario… Honestly…"
A moment passed, Ivy still remaining totally clueless to Aaron's flirtatious ways. "So… do… do you think we'll find the people who took the Cubone?"
"I hope so," Aaron said at once. "They couldn't have gone far… Not with that many of them and not carrying around a bunch of Cubone that were in cages and not Pokeballs. I think I'll do some investigating… Maybe ask around town… someone's bound to have seen them. I need to get those Cubone back…"
Ivy looked up at Aaron. "I… I need a Cubone too…"
"You do?" he asked, sounding interested. "Why?"
Ivy flinched a little. "University stuff," she said evasively.
Aaron's eyebrows knotted together in confusion. "University stuff…?"
"Mmm," Ivy nodded uncomfortably.
"Just out of curiosity, what university do you go to?"
"Saffron City."
"S…Saffron University?" Aaron repeated, his voice suddenly reaching an alarmingly high pitch. "I'm… I'm at Saffron University too!"
At this point, Robert actually turned around to pay attention, his eyes widening at Aaron's revelation. Ivy's mouth swung open comically as she looked at the shocked young man in front of her, before a huge, beaming smile flashed across her face. "No way!" she cried out in exuberance.
"Yeah!" Aaron said at once. "I'm in second year, studying Criminal Justice."
"I'm a second year too!" Ivy squealed. "I'm doing history!"
"What a small world," Aaron grinned in approval, idly straightening the cuff of his blue shirt.
"I know!" Ivy cried, her eyes shining. "That's amazing!"
While Ivy and Aaron began talking excitedly about Saffron University, swapping details about first year residences, classes they had taken and possible mutual friends, a thought piqued Robert's interest. "Wait a minute," he said, setting the issue of Pokemon World down. "Aaron, if you're at the same university Ivy's at… and you're looking for a Cubone like she is, does that mean you're doing the same course as she is?"
Aaron grimaced and looked away briefly, before catching Ivy's eye. He smiled wryly. "They got you too, huh?"
Ivy nodded, before suddenly being hit with the gravity of what had just been revealed. A shock of excitement suddenly bubbled up in her and she jumped up onto her knees on the sofa, bouncing up and down like an ecstatic child. "So… so you're doing the course too? The Pokemon catching course?"
"Unfortunately," Aaron said with a sigh, looking far less enthused than Ivy did at the prospect of meeting a fellow student.
Ivy blinked, managing to compose herself. "How… how did you end up having to do this…?" she asked as calmly as possible.
Aaron grimaced again. "I… failed an extra module."
"An extra module?" Ivy asked in confusion.
"I didn't get a good enough grade in maths before I left school, but because I had such a good application, personal statement and grades in other classes, the university agreed to still let me in to study provided I took a supplementary maths class to make up for it. I passed it in first year, just, but… I won't lie, I absolutely flunked it this year," he said with a dry, disappointed laugh. "And so, here I am."
"I failed an essay," Ivy blurted out dumbly.
"I see," Aaron nodded, before looking over at Robert. "And what about you, Robert?"
"Me?" Robert said incredulously. "No, I'm not at university. I'm only here cos my idiot cousin took a soft spot to her," he jerked his thumb at Ivy in an offhand manner. "…and her friend."
"Yeah, I brought a friend with me." Ivy explained when Aaron looked at her in confusion. "A friend from university," she added. "He took up Pokemon training with me cos I don't think I could have handled it on my own," she admitted with a short laugh.
Aaron nodded again. "Well, I came on my own. I didn't have anyone to go with, and although I didn't have any experience, my dad gave me some pointers before I left. He used to be on the police force, so he knew his stuff."
"How many Pokemon for the course do you have?" Ivy asked in interest.
"Just two," Aaron said, looking slightly sheepish. "Nidorino and Venonat."
"You have a Venonat!?" Ivy cried out, making Aaron flinch in surprise at the shrillness of her voice. "Oh my God, where did you get one?!"
"The Safari Zone in Fuchsia City,"
"I could have told you that," Robert imparted from nearby, but he went unnoticed.
"I live in Fuchsia City, so getting a Venonat was quite easy. I know the Safari Zone very well, you know?" Aaron said, and Ivy detected a slight hint of pride in his voice. "I caught my Nidorino as a Nidoran there too. I've also got a Staryu and a Magnemite, just to help balance out my team."
Ivy looked distinctly uncomfortable, intimidated by the team Aaron had just described. "You got all that in just three weeks…?"
"Yeah," he said like it was the simplest thing in the world. "What have you got?"
"Uhh…" Ivy hesitated, feeling a sheepish blush tinge her cheeks. "Beedrill, Pidgey and Nidoran…"
Robert snorted to himself in the corner, while Aaron blinked. "I… I see… Well, it's a start, isn't it?"
Ivy let out a long sigh, bringing her legs up underneath her and hugging her knees. "I'm really not doing very well…" she admitted.
Robert guffawed to himself in the corner, picking up the discarded Pokemon World again. "A Beedrill that couldn't care less, a… what was it…? A Mafia Boss Lady Pidgey and a Nidoran that's scared of her own shadow. You've really not had much luck, have you?"
"Robert!" Ivy wheedled, wishing she had something to throw at him.
But while Ivy was getting somewhat used to Robert's quips, insults and putdowns, beginning to fancy them as something of a way Robert showed affection, Aaron was not impressed with the older man's behaviour. "Hey!" he said at once, his dark eyes narrowing. "You really shouldn't speak to a lady like that," he said sharply.
"Her? A lady? Don't make me laugh," Robert chuckled merrily at the absurdity of the idea.
"You should learn to watch your mouth!" Aaron said coldly.
Robert stuck out his bottom lip and moved his eyes downwards until he was almost cross-eyed to stare at his petted lip an action which Ivy admittedly found rather funny, despite Robert's maturity level hitting rock bottom. However, Robert's clowning around only seemed to anger Aaron more, his right eye suddenly developing a violent twitch. Sensing an imminent argument, Ivy quickly stepped in and tried to pacify both young men with a big smile and a cheery tone to her voice.
"It's okay, Aaron." She assured him. "Robert's always like this. If you think he's bad, you should see my best friend, Jack. He's about ten times worse."
Aaron looked horrified. "Does no-one know how to treat a woman properly?" he paused, before another playful smile teased its way onto his lips. "Especially a woman such as charming and lovely as yourself, Ivy?"
"Treat a woman properly?" Robert repeated scathingly, glaring at Aaron before Ivy could reply. "Says the one slobbering over her like a piece of meat?"
"I… I beg your pardon?!" Aaron said, looking flustered.
"I fail to see how flinging cheesy pick up lines at a woman who's obviously not interested is treating her with respect!"
"Huh? Not interested in what?" Ivy asked innocently.
There was a resounding thwack as the heel of Robert's palm made sharp, painful contact with the middle of his forehead. "Unbelievable…" he said darkly. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish Jack and Sebastian would hurry and get back…"
"A…anyway!" Ivy quickly interjected before things could escalate any further. "So, Aaron…? If those people really did take those Cubone… what are we going to do about getting one for our course?"
"I don't know," Aaron admitted. "Normally, I would just suggest going back into Rock Tunnel, but… those people took so many Cubone… I'd never seen so many in all my life. Even if they didn't get them all, any that have been left behind will be in hiding. They'll never come out. Our chances of getting one are slim to nil."
"But… but what else can we do?" Ivy asked in horror, her heart plummeting sharply to her stomach. "Can we find Cubone anywhere else?"
"Not in the wild, no…" Aaron said with a shake of his head.
"Looks like the only way you'll get a Cubone is to trade for it," Robert said coolly.
"T…trade?" Ivy asked, her eyes wide.
"That, or go after the people who took the Cubone," Aaron said with a definite nod.
"Go after them? But… but that's dangerous! And… we might not be able to find them! It would… it would take so long, too! It'd risk us failing the course…"
"I know," Aaron said with a sigh. "But I can't in good conscience leave those poor Pokemon at the hands of those people. Who knows what they're going to do to them…?"
"But what can we do? Realistically…?"
"I don't know. But I'll try. I have to try." Aaron said decisively. "I'll maybe… maybe ask around in town. Maybe someone will have seen them. I mean, it's five people all in black carrying around cages full of Cubone. Not something you can hide easily…"
Ivy nodded, before she looked at Robert nervously. "Robert… is it… likely I could get a Cubone by trading?"
Robert shrugged. "I guess so. So long as you gave the would-be trader a good offer."
"But… but I don't wanna give up any of my Pokemon…" Ivy said, looking horrified. "What should I do?"
"Why not go to the Safari Zone?" Aaron suggested. "There's a lot of rare Pokemon there. If you pick up something valuable to a collector, you could probably get a trade for a Cubone quite easily. On the plus side, you could find a Venonat, too."
Ivy nodded, admitting that the prospect did seem quite tempting. "Y…yeah, I guess so. And… and what about you? What will you do?"
"Look around for those Cubone," Aaron said. "I want to find them. I… I let them be taken, so I only feel responsible that I should get them back."
Ivy looked back at Robert, who had was no longer paying attention. "Listen, um… I'd like to help you ask around town… I mean, you don't have to take any help, but… I will if you'd like me to."
"You'd do that?"
"S…sure!" Ivy said at once. "I'll even get Sebastian and Jack to help too! I'm sure they'd like to, especially when they hear about it all."
Aaron looked at Ivy for a long time, a look that could have meant anything adorning his face. It was almost as if he was seeing her for the first time. "Well, that's… that's very kind. I, uh… I should repay the debt somehow…"
"Oh, no, you don't have—"
"Yes, I do." He said at once. "You already saved my hide back in Rock Tunnel and now you're promising to help me look for the Cubone. I have to repay the debt." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Wait, I know. You said you haven't gotten a Venonat, yes?"
Ivy nodded.
"I know the Safari Zone in Fuchsia like the back of my hand. I know exactly where to get all the best Venonats. If you help me find some information about these Cubone and where they've been taken, I'll take you to the Safari Zone and help get you a Venonat."
"You will?!" Ivy asked eagerly.
Aaron nodded. "I was thinking of going back to Fuchsia anyway at some point, so it's no trouble."
"Thank you, Aaron." Ivy smiled.
"It's not a problem, my dear." Aaron grinned.
Ivy beamed at him again. "So," she cried, bounding to her feet like an excited Growlithe. "Shall we go ask around?"
"Sure," he smiled, also getting to his feet. "Let's start investigating."
The two of them practically ran out the door, eager to start their investigation, leaving Robert in their wake. He sighed and continued reading. "Investigate? Who do they think they are? Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson?" He had to chuckle himself at the mental image, before idly flicking through Pokemon World, not really taking in the information he was reading. He remained like that for a solid ten minutes, before the door to the Pokemon Centre opened and Jack and Sebastian came strolling in, laughing to themselves at some unknown joke, laden down with bags from the local Pokemart. Both young men stopped, looking a little surprised to see Robert there. It was clear neither of them had expected to see him back.
"What are you doing back so soon?" Sebastian asked, setting down a huge shopping bag on the sofa next to Robert. "I thought you were taking Ivy to Rock Tunnel."
"We've been and gone," Robert said, casually. "Only problem is… we ran into a few problems. The least of which being Ivy adopting… uh… a little friend."
"You mean a Cubone?" Jack asked eagerly. "Did she get one?"
"That's a whole other story," Robert said darkly, letting out a deep sigh. "No, she didn't get a Cubone. However she did find something just as clingy and annoying as a Cubone…"
He looked up at two blank, confused faces before sighing again. "Oh, just sit down. I'll explain everything… You'll have to see it to believe it, mind you…"
Author's Note
Well, another Master's Degree update =)
With this chapter, I introduce the first of the four submitted OCs. Aaron Westbrook, submitted by my boyfriend, MasterFreezeman will be appearing in the next three to four chapters to help advance a certain plot point, as will be the case with the other OCs submitted. Their apperances will eventually culminate in the final chapters of the story. I selected OCs based on their quality or in the case with Aaron and one other OC, the fact they will help drive a specific element of the story forward.
Well, I don't really have too much to say apart from that. I know some people dislike OC submission in fics, but I'm enjoying writing the OCs and I take it as a good challenge and learning experience to adapt to characters I myself have not crafted =)
Oh, anyone who caught my very subtle Spirited reference wins a cookie =P
Thanks to my wonderful regular reviewers, Puniful-TeaKat, MidsummerMoonlight99, MasterFreezeman, TCoBlackRoses, YoungDarkPegasus, Shadow Serenity 57 and PurpleLunaWolf. Special thanks to all those who submitted, or expressed interest in submitting, OCs as well =)
Until next time!
