Focus Shift: A New Awakening [R-16]

Swolligator · Oct 9, 2011

Focus Shift: A New Awakening [R-16]

"I let my focus shift, that's all there is to it. Now you try."

For background information, go here.
For Out Of Character thread, go here.

Plot:

The world burned before my very eyes. The Pokemon and Human civilization that has stood for so many years had been wiped clean off of the face of the Earth; nothing remained. Wounded, I surveyed my surroundings to find the barren mountain top littered with the bodies of my comrades. Next to me, Harley lay motionless, not even a breath of air escaped nor entered her lips, her Catalyst lying only a couple of meters away; their fingers just barely touching. Miharu and her Espeon lay at the foot of the altar; their bodies twined and barely recognisable from the onslaught they had so bravely fought against. Josh was nowhere to be seen amongst the slaughter, a vague memory of him being flung off of Mount Coronet with Odessa spread through my mind like wild fire. Raike lay just behind Miharu; he along with his Catalyst Raven had been the first to die at the hands of the traitor, a sword wound slicing deep into his side from protecting his Umbreon from being hit. I tried not to look at Kris' mangled body; his was by far the worst.

Tears now flowed freely from my eyes as I pulled myself along the stone plateau towards the dying body of my faithful Houndoom. My left arm lay limp against the ground, caked in blood, sweat and dirt; the tendons and muscles long since severed beyond repair. She whimpered quietly, looking at me with those dark and foreboding, yet caring eyes. Her body was in far worse condition than my own; and I inwardly cursed myself for letting her get like this. I should have saved her when I had the chance; I should have realised the most obvious fact before my eyes before I lead them into this trap. Now as the only one alive, I felt incredibly guilty for leading them like lambs to the slaughter.

I felt a sharp pain as an old blade cut through my back, severing parts of my spine and ripping open organs as it passed through my body. I was now paralysed and dying slowly as I watched the world die and our enemy make his way into my field of vision. Kneeling on his knees, Kellyn lifted up my head so I could look into those cold, dark eyes of his; the same eyes that had help so much promise when I first met him. In the background, a corrupted Arceus lay dead atop the altar and a bloodied Giratina in Origin Forme floating menacingly above it.

It wasn't his fault; Kellyn was not born to be evil, he had been corrupted, his actions not of his own doing but that of the puppet master whom carefully controlled and manipulated him. I should have noticed, I should have realised at the start but I was too caught up in my 'save the world' mind set to realise something small and insignificant that would be our downfall.

The light faded from my eyes and I slipped from the burnt husk of a world I had previously inhabited and fought for. I watched as the images of my friends and comrades dying burned into my skull; my very last memory of them and of everything.

Sweat beaded itself down my forehead as I lay in sweat soaked sheets. Pitch lay beside my bed, head raised and fur bristling searching for signs of trouble. The dream felt all too real; I could still feel the blade in my back and my arm hanging limply by my side and the images of my friends dying one by one playing in my head like a movie reel. I realised for the first time in my life how important I actually was. Throwing on clothes and a satchel of supplies, I headed outside into the crisp, early morning air. The sun rose before my very eyes; the same sun that had set on the world I had lived in my dreams. I was determined not to let my dreams come into fruition. But knowing what was going to happen now means the rules have changed and the people I once knew may not be the same. Even I have changed in ways vastly different to my previous self. Perhaps now I could prevent the end of the world.

Terms:

Catalyst:
Only select species of Pokémon have the chance to be a catalyst and even within those species, it is very rare for a Catalyst to exist. Like their Human counterparts, Catalysts cannot shift between the Contemporary Realm and the Aether Realm but it is heavily suspected that they live in both Realms simultaneously. They essentially act as the fulcrum for their Human counterparts to both enter and exit the Aether Realm. Catalyst are said to be the 'other half' of a Shifter's soul, and as such it is by this connection that Shifters and Catalysts can find each other. Catalysts are often very loyal and very protective of their Shifter and will do anything to protect them. Catalysts are usually born at the same time as their Shifter but sometimes no more than one day before or after.

Shifting:
This is the act where a select person (called a Shifter) uses his/her Pokémon (called a Catalyst) as a fulcrum to essentially shift from the Contemporary Realm into the Aether Realm and back. When shifting, a Shifter's consciousness is moved from the Contemporary Realm where it would otherwise permanently exist, to the Aether Realm. In the Aether Realm, normal people are seen as ghostly images, speculated as 'souls' whilst a Shifter sees their body and other Shifters' bodies as what they would be like in the Contemporary Realm. Shifting is seen as the only way (currently) to get from one realm to the other, excluding the portal to the Distortion World in Turnback Cave, Sinnoh.

Shifters:
Shifters are people, who with the help of a Pokémon know as a "Catalyst", can shift between the Contemporary Realm and the Aether Realm. They are very rare and make up less than 1% of the world's total population. Shifters usually become aware of their powers at the age of fifteen, and this usually involves a shift into the Aether Realm with their Catalyst. Sifters are usually born at the same time as their Catalyst but no more than one day before or after. Unlike Catalysts, Shifters only exist in the one realm, using their shifting abilities to jump from one realm to the other.

Calling/The Call:
The Call; or the act of Calling is the instance where a Shifter sends a message through the Aether Realm to other Shifters out there. The Call can be received in the Aether Realm and in the Contemporary Realm but can only be sent from the Aether Realm. If not directed specifically to someone (by visualising them with the Shifters mind whilst sending them call), it ends up spreading throughout the Aether Realm (much like ripples on a lake when a stone is dropped in the water). Catalysts are usually the ones who catch the signal transmission due to their simultaneous existence in both realms, and act as transceivers; catching the signal of the call and transmitting it to their human through the bond that they share. This transmitting is usually done through both Catalyst and Shifter locking eyes. The Call can come in different forms; for most it is a series of images relating to the message, but for some individuals I can be different.

The Origin Blade:
A weapon of myth suggested to be crafted from pieces of the elemental plates of Arceus; it retains to ability to severely injure legendary Pokemon, not to the point of death, but to a state where they are close to dying. Only a single Shifter possess' the ability to wield this object at any given time. A mythic weapons such as this is lost to the annals of history; its location unknown to even the most powerful of Pokemon. Myths also state that after it was created and used, it was split apart into seventeen pieces that were scattered across the world in time and space.

Death Walking:
An ability only available to one Shifter at a time, it allows the possessor to walk where no other Shifter can; Death. Very difficult to master, yet incredibly powerful, the user can walk through the Death Realm without having previously died and without harm to themselves or their Catalyst. The ability itself requires immense amounts of power from the user, meaning that this ability can take a huge toll on that person; something that shouldn't be done often. Despite this fact, the Death Walker is perhaps one of the most important Shifters.

Dual Vision:
Another ability that can only be possessed by one Shifter at any given time, it allows the possessor the ability to looking into both the Contemporary and Aether Realm simultaneously. Gained as if by accident but entirely coincidental; the ability can drive people mad. By concentrating through one eye, the user can see through either realm depending on which eye is in which, however if not concentrating the user can see both at the same time, more often than not causing problems in movement and sight.

Places:

Aether Realm:
This realm exists close to our conscious Contemporary Realm. It mostly exists as a grey, hazy world where buildings and nature become transparent and shimmering, ghostly images of people and Pokémon appear; this is speculated to be their Spirit, hence the name of the realm. There is no weather in the Aether Realm, this includes wind. Pokémon known as Catalysts are said to live in both the Contemporary Realm and Aether Realm simultaneous but this too is highly speculated. When moving from the Human Realm to the Aether Realm, Shifters take their bodies with them meaning that when they Shift out of the Aether Realm into the Human Realm, they effectively teleport somewhere else. There is no sound in the Aether Realm however it has been noted that both Pokémon and humans can talk in this realm through some sort of telekinesis. It has been speculated that in some cases, people have been able to converse with their Pokémon, however there is no evidence to back this theory up. It is sometimes confused with the Distortion World of Giratina, due to its oddly different environment, but it is something completely different.

Contemporary Realm:
The realm that we see around us; this realm holds our consciousness' as well as our physical bodies. Here is where humanity and Pokémon have flourished and lived. Most people here are not able to shift between the realms; possibly even less than 1% of the world's population can 'shift' into other dimensions or possesses knowledge of other existing dimensions. The Contemporary Realm is where our physical bodies exist, whereas the Aether Realm is said to be where our 'souls' exist, moving in relation to where our physical bodies move. When travelling to the Aether Realm, a Shifter's body is thought to go into some sort of 'Limbo", waiting for the Shifter to reappear which is effectively teleportation.

Death Realm:
A dark and lonely realm that is only accessible to the dead and Death Walker is where both Pokemon and Human souls come to rest. Shrouded in thick pitch blackness with no light to speak of, the realm is home to millions of dead souls that wander the endless emptiness. Only a Death Walker may come to this realm and ultimately return, but their soul is a beacon for those lost souls wandering aimlessly so swiftness is essential. If a Death Walker stays down here for too long, they will wear the penalty upon returning to the Contemporary Realm.

Rules:

Spoiler:

SU's:

Spoiler:

Swolligator · Nov 4, 2011

Pitch's nose hung in the air as she took in the smells of her surroundings, and acknowledging no sign of trouble; she lowered her head and rested in on Anthony's thigh. Anthony had been sitting on the dewy wet grass for over half an hour; lost in thought about what to do. He remembered over and over again how his past-self had made the first move; shouting out a message across the Aether Realm, no wonder the enemy had been able to find them. If he were to do that, then would it still happen again that way? This was the tricky thing about knowing the future, because once you have knowledge of it, it can quickly change. Anthony was wasting time, precious time that they didn't have, making up a decision that should have been easy to make.

"I don't know Pitch," he spoke to the Houndoom whom sat on the ground beside him, "I could take the risk and get everyone to assemble at Mirage Island like last time and see if the same thing will happen as what has happened in my dream, or I could get everyone together in another location, and possibly look at avoiding the whole situation, but then wouldn't that mean that the same stuff would go down, just at a different location?" Anthony had always had a habit of speaking a fair bit when he was feeling stressed, and the gravity of the situation did nothing to help him with it at all.

"It's bullsh*t that I know what is going to happen, yet the paradox of the situation is that if I try and avoid it, the situation will change and the events still transpire," running his hands through his hair, Anthony was wasting precious time that he could never get back, the stress was getting to him, aggravating him as he struggled to find a new solution to his problem. "How am I supposed to save these people I don't know, how am I supposed to save the world when all I know is what could happen, yet that might change?!?" Anthony got up so suddenly that he startled Pitch, who rose with him, but he gave her a pat on the head, in a gesture of apology before putting his hands in his pockets, pacing backwards and forwards as he began to wear a path in the grass. He kicked a stone with the toe of his boot and watched as it tumbled towards the edge of the cliff not a metre away, listening till it finally smashed against the rocks below.

Pitch rested back down beside the bag Anthony had packed especially, though knowledge of what had happened and general experimentation, he found that very few things could be carried through the Aether Realm. Aside from the Catalyst and the Shifter, only the clothes on a Shifter's back were able to properly shift into the Aether Realm. Items in a bag simple seemed to hit some invisible barrier and drop to the ground. Anything that was not natural such as Potions and PokeBalls were unable to cross over into the Aether Realm, but natural materials like clothing, bread and berries were able to. Any other Pokemon beside Catalysts were unable to shift over to the Aether Realm, the same went for other Humans aside from Shifters, again they seemed to hit some sort of magical invisible barrier that regulated what shifted over, and what didn't. Apart from Pitch, the only other Pokemon Anthony had was a Fearow he had caught earlier which would help him fly somewhere faster than the Aether Realm, despite it still being a quick method of travel. It seemed that walking one metre in the Aether Realm was equivalent to walking about three metres in the Contemporary Realm.

"I can't do this any more, Pitch," the Houndoom understood to an extent what Anthony was meaning, and with bag in mouth, she walked over to him, dropping Anthony's bad at his feet and looking up at him, "I can't keep wasting time." He locked eyes with her and the world seemed to slow down. Anthony reached out and stroked Pitch's soft fur, and in the one brush, the sun disappeared behind him, as the world lost colour to become the bleak, bleary grey of the Aether Realm. The chirping on the Pidgey in the trees cut out to be replaced by the eerie silence of the hollow Aether Realm. Anthony knew that here he could communicate with Pitch, not through speech, but though a series of images and a supernatural understanding of each other. No matter how much Anthony had tried to scream, there was no sound option available in the Aether Realm, yet some sort of Telepathic connection was opened up between Shifter and Catalyst, but Anthony did not know if the same went for two Shifters or two Catalysts, but he assumed it would.

Opening his mind to the flow of the Aether Realm, the weird breeze that always seemed to echo throughout the deserted realm, "To any who receive this message, my name is Anthony Stagg and I am a Shifter like you. I'm not going to sugar-coat it, but I need your help to save the world. Please meet me at Mirage Island in Hoenn, as a Shifter you should have no trouble getting there."

Shifting back into the Contemporary Realm, Anthony bent down to pick up the Pokeball that rested at his feet and looked at Pitch, "It all begins now," he smirked as he tossed the ball into the air, the Fearow released from its spherical prison and flapping its wing powerfully. It settle on the ground and Anthony managed to get Pitch to jump inside a Ball, and grudgingly, she did so, not seeming too happy about him. Swing onto the Fearow's back, he gave it a slight tap with his heel and it lifted up into the air, heading west towards Hoenn.

The sun was resting behind the mountains to the east of Hoenn by the time Anthony landed in Pacifidlog Town on one of the platforms supported by Corsola. Having helped Anthony get here, he reached into his backpack, withdrawing a berry which he chucked towards its head in compensation. It snapped the berry out of mid-air with its long, sharp beak before giving a squawk as it pushed off into the air, probably off to find a nice cliff face to rest for the night before its journey home. Anthony released Pitch from her ball, patting her as she sat by his side for a moment while she cleaned herself and stretched, "I don't know what its like in there," he said as he scratched her behind the ear, "but I'm sure its nothing too hard." He laughed a little, looking up at the starts that shone brightly above him. A brief flashback took him back to his dream; as he lay dying he watched as the stars in the heavens winked out one by one and darkness enveloped not just the world, but the universe as well.

Coming back to the present, Anthony stopped patting Pitch, "It's time to go," he said to her and the pair disappeared into the Aether Realm; Mirage Island their destination. Anthony knew that Mirage Island existed in both the Aether Realm and the Contemporary Realm, only appearing in the Contemporary Realm on special occasions. The Wynaut that inhabited the Island seemed to have something to do with the Aether Realm, as if they were able to shift the island in and out of it. The thing that the Aether Realm made easy was the terrain. While most of it followed the terrain set out in the Contemporary Realm, it seemed that water took on a solid state, so as Anthony walked towards Mirage Island, he was effectively walking on water. 'Pretty Messianic stuff' he though to himself as they neared the island, from Pacifidlog Town, it would have taken a while to get to, nearly half an hour, but Anthony managed to make it in just over ten minutes. Finding no one there, in the Aether Realm at least, he decided to set up camp in the Contemporary Realm, waiting for his helpers to arrive.

Ieyasu · Nov 22, 2011

Sean woke up suddenly. In the first seconds of his being awake, everything was grey and blurred, but slowly everything cleared up and he saw a Mightyena leaning over him.

"Charon? Why are you..." Sean began, then everything hit him at the same time. "Crap, did I fall asleep again? Look, I know the software has to be debugged by tomorrow-" -he looked at a clock and saw the time- "today, at 9:30, but can't a man get some sleep?" He felt himself drifting off again, sinking back into the chair, and then a sharp sensation as Charon batted at his ear. "Okay, you win, but I don't know why."

But evidently, debugging a new PC box storage system for the local Pokemaniac wasn't what was on Charon's mind, as the Mightyena still seemed uneasy for some reason. Sean stretched and tried to concentrate on the screen, but couldn't focus. The letters were faded and indistinct, and no matter how many times he blinked his eyes to clear everything up, everything went back to illegible just seconds after.

Sean got up and plodded across the room for anything with caffeine. His eyes were only half-open and not focused on anything, so he almost tripped when Charon walked in front of him. Sean snapped awake and looked down. Charon was looking up. Their eyes met. Sean's mouth opened, about to say something...and then felt lightheaded. He remembered the feeling like no other. It was very distinct, not your average lightheaded feeling. The world faded to grey, except Sean and Charon, and Sean began to panic. "Not again!" he screamed, but no sound came out of his mouth.

And then he heard a sound. Not his own voice, and it didn't even sound like it was present anywhere but his head, but it wasn't thoughts. It sounded like someone was talking. The voice said, "To any who receive this message, my name is Anthony Stagg and I am a Shifter like you. I'm not going to sugar-coat it, but I need your help to save the world. Please meet me at Mirage Island in Hoenn, as a Shifter you should have no trouble getting there."

Sean felt sick for a second. He was fated to save the world? What did the world need saving from? Sean didn't even know what was really happening to him; did this Anthony Stagg and the other Shifters -or whatever he had called them- stand a chance? But at the same time there was hope. He knew now there were others who shared his condition, and this Anthony seemed to know about it. And if Sean could meet him on Mirage Island, then he absolutely would go for it.

Suddenly the world turned back to normal, and Sean shook his head. "What just happened...?" he asked. He looked down and saw Charon again. "How did you do that?" Charon didn't answer, of course, but just turned away. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Sean looked up at the ceiling, reflecting on the events that he'd just been through. Was it even real? It might have just been a dream, but dreams like that were rarely arbitrary. Sean could have fallen asleep again, but when everything returned to normal, he was still standing on two feet. He decided not to play with destiny and ignore the dream, or reality, whichever it was. In five minutes he was out the door with Charon at his feet. No matter what, Charon was important, Sean just didn't know why. Too excited to inform his family and friends or even pack properly, Sean set off for Mirage Island, Hoenn, to meet his destiny and learn whether the vision had been real and what to do with it.

Skymin · Nov 23, 2011

Harley stared at her desk, pencil in hand. What... What could she draw? There were so many things buzzing around in her mind yet she could not manage to bring one up to the surface. When she put the pencil to paper, Harley immediately pulled away. What was she trying to say, what was she trying to communicate through this piece? Where was the meaning to a mindless scribble when Harley could create works of art. She dropped her pencil in minor frustration. She needed a break, she needed inspiration but mainly, she needed to get out. She would never really attempt the latter without any real reason, otherwise she'd be left wandering Johto aimlessly.

"What do you think, Ceri?" she leaned back in her chair, looking at her Zoroark. He shrugged back, sitting on the floor rather obediently, watching his master attempt to draw. He didn't mind that she had not taken much notice of him for the past hour, he just liked to be in her company. "What do you think I should draw?"

He got to his feet rather slowly and using his ability, created an illusion. His own body 'morphed' into a Moltres, but he couldn't keep up such a detailed illusion for so long. Soon, his Moltres got a little weird, a Moltres who looked rather droopy eyed and with quite dimmed flames. Then its neck fell and it kind of crumbled to the floor. Harley let out a little laugh. Ceri was as bad as keeping up illusions as Harley was at keeping up her visions.

"A retarded Moltres? Okay then," she gave another chuckle and got to work, attempting to draw possibly the stupidest bird ever. "Seriously Ceri, this is what you want me to dr--"

She stopped as Ceri placed a paw on her shoulder and her vision shifted, replacing her somewhat colourful room to a dark, grey and monotonous one. It was her visions, as she called it, but this one was different, accompanied by a voice.

"To any who receive this message, my name is Anthony Stagg and I am a Shifter like you. I'm not going to sugar-coat it, but I need your help to save the world. Please meet me at Mirage Island in Hoenn, as a Shifter you should have no trouble getting there."

Then the vision ended, Harley barely hanging onto the last words. So that's what it was called, that's what she was. A shifter? At first, she was a little stumped on it. So, she was not the only one? That... Well, sucked. She had always thought she was unique with this gift. She had never told anyone about it, save for Ceri, because she always believed it was her's. But, to use this gift to save the world? It was, well, interesting at the least. The mention of Mirage Island was also something that piqued her interest; she had never seen the island, only read about it in history books.

"... Let's go check it out then," Harley said. This was so out of character for her, spontaneously planning a trip to Hoenn after years of being cooped up in her room. But a trip to Mirage Island to find out about her visions was something she could not pass up.

She had found her inspiration again.

* * *

Pacifidlog Town looked peaceful enough, but Harley didn't plan on stopping there to talk to the locals. In fact, she didn't plan on stopping at all. True, their local legends on either the legendary Rayquaza or perhaps on random sights of Latias and Latios could prove to be interesting but those were only possibilities; Harley wanted facts. On her father's Pidgeot that she "borrowed" (she asked Jo (the Pidgeot) for permission, not her father), she slowly flew over the ocean, searching for Mirage Island. From what she had read, it appeared at random, depending on the person who was looking for it. It was also inhabited by Wynaut, who somehow had an influence when it would show up or not. Harley actually had that specific book in hand (Myths and Legends of Hoenn) but the high winds in the air kind of restricted her reading it.

"I can't see it Ceri," she yelled at him, the winds muffling her voice. He didn't 'say' anything, just pointed at a foggy part of the ocean. With a nod, Harley tapped Jo and pointed at the fog. Unsure, but loyal to Harley, Jo slowly descended into the fog. Harley at first thought they'd hit water, but no. The fog parted as they got further down which revealed a small island. She circled around until she saw a form of life, a boy or a man setting up what looked like a camp or a resting place. Jo flittered down and landed just near the camp, helping Harley and Ceri off. Taking her Zoroark's hand, she stepped away from Jo (who followed her as she did) and took Ceri's hand, approaching the... Guy. She hated to talk to people but if this meant knowing more about her visions, she'd take that risk.

"Are you Anthony Stagg?"

MichaelaTheUchiha · Nov 26, 2011

Miharu sighed from her position in the treetops, staring up into the sky. She was currently cloud watching as she had nothing to do. No trainers to battle, she had already read all of her books, and none of her pokemon wanted to spar with her. All in all, it made for a very bored Miharu.

"I'm bored..." she let out in a slight whine.

Sei, who was curled up next to her, sighed. She nudged at Miharu's hands and only stayed more curled up in her side. It seemed that Sei was very comfortable.

Bishamon, in the next branch over, glanced at Miharu.

Master, you really should learn patience outside of battles.

Miharu huffed. "What's the point?" Miharu said out loud for Sei's benefit.

Probably due to Sei being a catalyst, Sei couldn't read the mind of Miharu and the same went for Miharu, as well as Bishamon (and the rest of Miharu's psychic pokemon) couldn't read Sei's mind either. There seemed to be a block that was denying everyone entry. Sei was able to read other's minds, however.

The point would be so you would not be so bored.

Miharu scowled. "Tch. Says you."

Says the world.

Miharu was about to retort when a message was sent through the Aether Realm.

"To any who receive this message, my name is Anthony Stagg and I am a Shifter like you. I'm not going to sugar-coat it, but I need your help to save the world. Please meet me at Mirage Island in Hoenn, as a Shifter you should have no trouble getting there."

Sei and Miharu glanced at each other. Bishamon, who was not connected to the Aether Realm, stared at the two in confusion.

What?

Miharu sighed, before grinning. "Seems that I've been summoned. Bishamon, would you mind teleporting me 'n Sei to Pacifidlog Town and taking you and your other teammates back to our secret cave of awesomeness on Mt. Silver?"

Heading to The Realm, I see.

Although Bishamon had never been there, Miharu had described it enough for him in order for him to get the gist of the place. Although they really weren't sure what the name was, it got several nicknames: "Realm of Boring," "The Realm," "Realm of Nothing," "Grey place," as well as a few others.

See you soon, master.

"Make sure Nightmare doesn't blow the cave up." Miharu rolled her eyes. "Again."

Then, Miharu and Sei were gone in a flash of light.

-x-

After trekking from Pacifidlog Town in the Aether Realm for a few minutes, Miharu and Sei saw Mirage Island. They had been there only once, and that was on accident. Shipwreck. It was the last time she would ever set sail again.

You would think that after the first three shipwrecks, I would learn, but noooooo, I just had to take another one. What the **** am I? A walking Titanic maker?

Sei sighed. We really do have the worst luck with shipwrecks. I think the crews of the ships are happy now. On that last one, the captain was about to turn us away, hearing our reputation as every ship we're on, it sinks. However, you managed to bribe him enough. That week on the island wasn't fun.

No kidding. Too bad we couldn't shift back then. Although, I guess, we would have to leave Nightmare behind.

And that's a bad thing?

Miharu laughed. Hell no. Anyways, it seems that no one is here in the Realm of Boring. I guess we should head out into the Realm of Thriving and Idiotic People.

Sei sighed. You really suck at naming things.

Shut up.

Both Miharu and Sei shifted back to the Contemporary Realm. She immediately noted two of the people here and smiled, lifting a hand in greeting.

"Yo!" Miharu exclaimed. "Since there's one guy and one girl, I'm going to assume that the guy is Anthony Stagg. Assume, because parents can be nutjobs and name their kids weird names."

Sei nudged at Miharu and gave her a look. Miharu laughed at rubbed Sei's head.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. Name's Mizu-whoops, Miharu Mizushima. You can just call me Miharu." Miharu grinned sheepishly. "This is Sei, my sanity. And since I know Stagg-san's name, although I don't know his familiar's name, the only one I don't know is Lady-san's."

Sei bowed her head towards the other two's directions. She rolled her eyes at Miharu who only grinned teasingly back.

((OOC: I can't wait to see Anthony's reaction to this Miharu. xD Also, Skymin, feel like having Harley at Miharu again? If you do, Miharu will only ignore her hatred and just start clinging to her just to annoy her. XD))

Legend · Nov 30, 2011

"Look! I am trying very hard to be nice, but why can't you do this?" A young crude voice echoed through the building. The words escape through clenched teeth, as if the young man was attempting to hold back fire from blasting into the older woman's toad like face.

"Sir, this is not a passenger plane. It's a cargo plane. We don't bring passengers abroad. Why don't you take a boat to Hoenn?" The woman said rather plainly, with a sly smile.

"Because boats. Take. Too. Long," the young man responded slowly, emphasizing every word of his sentence. The frustration was mounting.

"Well it's not my fault you waited till the last minute to take a trip over to Hoenn."

"Look you old hag! There is a very good reason why I need to get on the next plane to Hoenn and even if I tried to explain it to you, I am sure you wouldn't understand! So how about you ask whoever is piloting that piece of crap if he or she could squeeze me on the next flight instead of being nothing more than a useless obstacle in my way of saving this god for forsaken world!" the young man roared with such fervor that he ended up losing himself in the moment. It was only after the fact he let a few too many details slip.

The woman could only gasp in response before composing herself and grabbing the phone, of which the man could assume was a desperate plea to call the local police force. The man gulped, swallowing his freedom. Just as he imagined the handcuffs wrapping around his wrists, an older tall man with a full gray bread appeared and forced the woman's down, hanging up the phone in one bold motion: "That won't be necessary, Dolores. Tell me, son, what's your name?"

"Lyle. Lyle Murphy. And this is Jewel," he motioned to his Espeon who stood next to him with eyes glaring at Dolores.

"You can call me, Howard. Odd name, I know, but my parents were odd people," he laughed. "Now, tell me Lyle, why do you need to get to Hoenn so badly Do you really need to save the world?"

"It's, uhhh, complicated. I just really need to get there," Lyle said avoiding contact.

Howard chuckled before laughing again. "Ha! I see. Come on, son. You are a lucky man. I am about take the plane out to Slateport shortly. Get on board. I can make room. Hope you don't mind sitting in the back with some nasty smelling crops," Howard said motioning Lyle to follow him.

Before he knew it, Lyle was bound into a cramped seat, buckled in while Jewel was forced into a Pokeball (an unnatural position for her). Still, he couldn't complain. He was in a rush and had half a world to overcome. A small window was perched by his neck and he looked out when he felt the plane starting to move, watching Mistralton City shrink in the distance. Before long, it was the size of a speck of dust on a dirty floor. Preparing for a long trip, Lyle lost himself in the maze of his thoughts trying to sort out the past few hours.

------------------------------------

Lyle awoke in the bright hours of the morning. For the past few months, Lyle had lived in a small apartment building in Driftveil City working in the Cold Storage district as a laborer. It was not necessarily his choice. Refusing to accept money from his relatively rich uncle, Lyle set out to be as independent as possible. Using the money he saved up during high school, he trekked across Unova with glee and experienced things he could only dream of. It was a truly eye-opening adventure, seeing the world in something other than a low quality photograph in a textbook or a screen. But all good things come to end, just as his bank account. Surprisingly, Lyle did not have too much difficulty finding a few part-time jobs to build a resume on his way across Unova, so grabbing this low-pay full time job in Driftveil to fill his coffers with minimum wage money wasn't too hard. It was everything attached with this responsibility that made it a challenge.

Lyle's life was set on a routine. Each day he would wake up at the crack of dawn and make his way to the kitchen and in daze he would feed Jewel and himself cheap local brand food. It was cheap, but somehow filling enough for the both of them. He would clean himself in his mold ridden bathroom before putting on his uniform and make his way to work. He usually let Jewel wander the city during the day to keep her sane, while he did the exact opposite. Each day at work was in a frozen wasteland fit only for morbidly obese eskimos whose layers of clothing and fat would protect them from the unforgiving landscape. He spent 9 hours in this tortuous depiction of hell doing Satan's work. It was tiring and brutal and required two cups of coffee after his shift to warm his body up to natural temperatures. Lyle would then return home and cook Jewel and himself a more substantial meal. All things considered, he was a good cook and was able to work with cheap natural ingredients to make a decent meal. Lyle was forced to do so, working on a low budget in a town with accessibility to resources. He and Jewel would usually eat over a movie on the local channels on his 10 year old television that would break out in static at least once during the programming. It was annoying, but manageable. Bed time would follow his evening hygiene in which he and Jewel would cuddle up due to the lack of heat in his bedroom. This was a regular day.

But this day was…different. It all started with the morning ritual. Jewel, his Espeon, was a morning bird. She would never be in the bed by the time Lyle woke up, making her away outside to absorb the morning sun. This morning, instead, she stared at Lyle with her small beading eyes.

"What…?" Lyle asked with a gasp. Jewel's full body weight was crushing Lyle's lungs, but she didn't seem to notice. Annoyed, Lyle forced himself up and went on with his morning rituals, Jewel puppy dogging him the whole way with more zeal than normal. She rarely did this and Lyle took notice. The two had bonded greatly throughout their respective lives, especially after the moment when he was younger. He would never forget that vivid experience in the realm he called "The Void." That cold, lifeless domain where sound, thought and hope died with the color. It was gray and dismal and Lyle took enjoyment in residing in such a place. Originally, he had enjoyed the silence but everything excess becomes undesirable. The only positive result was the developing relationship with Jewel. Since then, he felt that their bond had strengthen to the point that they could communicate without words. It was a pleasant feeling having that relationship.

Therefore having Jewel behave like a suppository constantly following him without giving him any room to breathe was worrisome. The only time she ever acted like this was when Lyle was in danger, or when he forgot something vitally important. Jewel nudged him several times in the legs, tripping him twice.

"Fine! What do you need?" Lyle asked with impatience. Jewel sat in front of Lyle and stared him. With a sigh, Lyle knelt down in front of her and stared back: "Well?" In that moment, Lyle lifted a paw and smacked Lyle in the nose.

"To any who receive this message, my name is Anthony Stagg and I am a Shifter like you. I'm not going to sugar-coat it, but I need your help to save the world. Please meet me at Mirage Island in Hoenn, as a Shifter you should have no trouble getting there."

When that brief…message…was done, Lyle took a few steps back and violently shook his head.

Shifter?

Mirage Island?

Save the world?

That was a lot to absorb. Shifter probably referred to his ability to step into the Void. It was the only that was worth bestowing a name to, as otherwise Lyle was fairly unremarkable. Mirage Island was a place that Lyle heard of in his history of Hoenn class. It was a hard to reach island in proximity to Pacifidlog Town, which some math genius said that finding the island was harder than finding a shiny Pokemon. There is a fun fact for you. Save the world? Well that's just ridiculous. Who would need Lyle's help in saving the world?

Lyle laughed off the elaborate joke from Jewel and waved her off, going back to making breakfast. Jewel didn't like being ignored. She nudged him more violently this time, as if she understood what he was summoned to do. Lyle, wanting nothing more than breakfast, did his best to ignore it. What a foolish young man.

"Look, it doesn't affect me! Whatever that was couldn't have been real. Why would anyone ask me to help them save the world? Plenty of better candidates out there. Like Neil, for example. Arceus knows he is up to the task," Lyle said with a grumble.

Jewel, with a small display of physic prowess, had caused Lyle's breakfast cereal to explode in his face as he finished mumbling his final words.

"I always wanted to go to Hoenn."

--------------------------------

"And we are here!" A older voice rung in his ears and slapping him in the face. "Wakey, Wakey!"

"What…what's going on?" Lyle asked with a yawning groan.

"Welcome to Slateport City, Hoenn," Howard said, helping the half awake Lyle unbuckle himself. They walked out of the back of the plane into the bright sun, Lyle's eyes instinctively half closing themselves to adjust to the changing light. Making out the outlines in the distance, he could see a small city. "It's a fine place. If I wasn't such a lover of the skies, I would probably live here. The sea brushing across your face with enough city life to distract you till you pass out on your couch. It's perfect!" Howard laughed. It was readily apparent that Howard was not a sane man and it was nothing short of a miracle that Lyle was still alive.

"Thanks…Howard," Lyle said offering what little money he had left in his wallet.

"Bah! Don't worry about it, son. You'll need the money to get anywhere here."

"But…the plane ride..."

"Do you really think that was such a big deal? Dolores is just a little witch. Nobody likes her," Howard winked.

Smiling, Lyle shook Howard's hand and made his way to the docks knowing his epic commute was not quite over.

---------------------

Aside from paying a great deal of money, the boat ride to Pacifidlog Town was not bad. In fact, it was far more enjoyable than the plane ride but to be fair, he barely remembered that. Lyle struggled to find his land legs as he made his way to the other side of the town. He wanted to stop for a meal, so he gave in to his desire and got a local bite to eat. Fittingly, most of the menus offered nothing but fish of which Lyle was not fond of. But it was cheap in comparison to what one would find ashore, especially in Unova. Satisfied with his decision, Lyle walked to the eastern edge of town and stared into the horizon.

"Well, how the hell am I supposed to find Mirage Island?" Lyle said scratching his head. Jewel placed her paw on the surface of the water and mimicked a walking motion. Lyle smiled a bit before mumbling something like "you are a genius" to his Pokemon. With that, Lyle said 'hello' to the Void once again.

Lyle had not grown accustomed to the Void quite yet. Every time he stepped in into that parallel dimension of lifeless silence, Lyle realized how apt the name truly was. It was void of sound, void of color, void of emotion, and void of life. It was the ultimate zone of suffering for someone could never articulate how depressing the world was. Lyle found the Void useful at times, primarily that the plane was also void of sense, as natural law appeared to be thrown out the window. Following the shift, he stepped down onto the water and much to his surprise it was solid. Smirking to himself, Lyle trekked across the water with great ease, as if the water was a well paved sidewalk.

After no more than an hour of walking, Lyle found the island. Following his arrival onshore (and return to the living plane), he saw a gathering of people. None of them looked familiar, so it was best to go with neutrality as his greeting.

"You must be the shifters."

Ieyasu · Dec 1, 2011

Sean finally stepped ashore on Mirage Island. It had taken him too long to get there. Although he'd been able to fly to Pacifidlog Town on the back of another trainer's Pidgeot (for no small price), he hadn't even known that the island he was after appeared at random. He'd simply asked a man with a speedboat to take him to Mirage Island, and the man had just laughed. "Funny, kid," he'd said. "Mirage Island isn't easy to find. It appears at random, and I myself have never been there. If you're looking for it, well, there isn't much I can do but wish you luck."

Sean kicked at the boards that made up Pacifidlog's ground. "Great. How do I find an island that appears at random?" He wandered the town for almost half an hour, looking for an answer. He couldn't exactly fly back home, since the trainer had left with her Pidgeot, but he couldn't stay here, either. Eventually he looked down at Charon. "Come on, do...whatever you did those times I... uh... you know what I'm talking about!" he cried, and stood there for a few seconds, expecting Charon to send him to the faded grey world, but that didn't happen. Eventually Sean groaned in frustration and turned away. Then everything faded to grey and Sean and Charon were alone. Angry, Sean looked down at his Mightyena. "Okay, that's it! Now you're just messing with me! Not cool!" he almost yelled, but stopped himself when he remembered there was no sound in this world.

It's okay. You don't need to say it. Sean was startled -- what made that noise? The only other person (well, technically, Pokemon) here was... Charon?

What the hell?! Sean thought as his body pulled away from Charon. Was that you?

Yes. Don't ask any more questions. It's telepathy.

Awesome! Sean thought. The voice "speaking" to him sounded deep and calm in his mind, and he guessed that if Charon could talk, it would sound like that. But now what?
---------------------

Sean smiled with triumph as he stepped into the world as he knew it. He was on Mirage Island against all odds, and he wasn't late, apparently, because there were several others on the island, all with Pokemon of their own. Sean approached the group, with Charon following him.

"You must be the Shifters." Sean's attention was directed to a young man who looked just a year or two older than himself. He looked as though he had just arrived - come to think of it, so did everyone else - and had tape on his nose.

Sean answered him. "Evidently, although I have no clue what that means. I guess the defining trait of a Shifter is their ability to switch between this world and "that" one, you know what I mean. Other than that I have no idea." There was only one other male in the group, so Sean reasoned he must be Anthony. To him, Sean asked, "Am I correct?"

Nakuzami · Dec 2, 2011

Kris Kollyns

Nuvema Town to Mirage Island
The End of this World, into the Next
★

I knew that Dusk was laying on me before I even opened my eyes.

I woke up, feeling a weight on my stomache, hesitating to open my eyes because I knew Dusk's face would be right there as soon as I opened them. They always were.

This time was no different.

I opened my eyes, and barely an inch away from my face was Dusk's face, and he was staring directly into my eyes. We stared at each other like that for a few moments before I finally decided to say something. "You're such a strange Pokemon." I laughed a little as I gently pushed Dusk off of me, he didn't even react until he was laying on his back, and then he leaped up and became the incredibly annoying Dusk that I knew and loved.

I shifted and accidently kicked a lump near my feet, immediately a sense of dread and regret fell over me. I slowly turned my head and glanced nervously at the lump, but it was too late, I had awoken it.

"Dusk, run for your life!" I whispered as the the lump - Yorkie, my Lillipup - yawned, stretched and stood up. I stared wide-eyed as Yorkie finished stretching, opened his eyes all the way, looked at me and began to wag his tail. The end was near, there would be no survivors.

"Pup pup pup, pupupup!" Yorkie exclaimed as he readied himself for launch. I prayed to Arceus that my soul would be spared, but I knew there was absolutely no chance of that; not even Arceus had enough power to stop the terror that was Yorkie.

"PUP!" Yorkie launched.

Dusk jumped for his life.

I reached out my arms in an attempt to save my life.

I failed.

In less than a second my face was being mauled by Yorkie's tongue. He was adorable, but incredibly annoying, even moreso than Dusk. He never grew out of his puppy phase, and at first I thought that adorable, but it was also the scariest thing ever. I was just glad he wasn't a Stoutland that acted like this, or else I would have died long ago.

"Yorkie, Yorkie," I laughed, "Yorkie, stop, stop, YORKIE!" I grabbed the puppy Pokemon and pushed him away from my face, gasping for air as I was freed from the grips of death.

I set Yorkie down on the floor and he immediately began to chase his tail. By now all of my Pokemon were waking up. Monaqua, Monierba and Monuego, my Panpour, Pansage and Pansear were all sitting on my couch. Monagua and Monuego were fighting over something, and Monierba was sitting in the middle, attempting to keep the peace. I turned on my Xbox 360, put in Soulcalibur IV and handed both Monagua and Monuego a controller. The two could actually play the game, and they were rather good at it, which scared me a little.

Monierba pulled out a Percy Jackson book and began to read. Yes, my grass monkey was reading a book. To be honest, I wasn't sure if he could actually read them, but it seemed like he could so I didn't question it. If I did question it, he'd probably just screech at me anyways.

I changed my clothes and pulled on my hoodie right before Salivan, my Lickitung, entered the room with an armful of fruits. It was a good thing that my sister, Krystal, was always up before Salivan, or else we probably wouldn't have any food left in the house. My Togekiss, Torgen, was now sitting on my bed and watching my Final Fantasy: Advent Children movie. My Cinccinno, Kiyoko, was frantically running around my room and cleaning with her tail. My Watchog, Kenelm, was staring out my window, gazing at everything in sight, no doubt making a few innocent bystanders rather uncomfortable.

I stood up, Dusk rubbing up against my leg while purring, ready to start another normal day. Too bad normal was one thing that was not going to happen today, as evidence by the telepathic message that played through my head mere seconds after Dusk had stopped purring, turning more serious than I thought possible for the feline.

"To any who receive this message, my name is Anthony Stagg and I am a Shifter like you. I'm not going to sugar-coat it, but I need your help to save the world. Please meet me at Mirage Island in Hoenn, as a Shifter you should have no trouble getting there."

I froze, completely and utterly confused. I glanced at Dusk, who looked deadly serious, which was definately not normal. Dusk was never serious, emphasis on never.

"We . . . we should go, shouldn't we?" I asked Dusk, a bit uncertain. He nodded, and I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomache. Shifters, so that's what we were called. Although, I had never actually thought much about the fact that there could be others like me, I tried to ignore that horrid place as much as possible. I had no idea what it was called, but the few times I talked about it with Dusk it received a few nicknames including that horrid place, the grey area, Dusk's realm, among other things.

"Torgen, come on." I motioned for the Togekiss to follow me, and he looked at me for a moment while looking slightly confused, but after that moment's hesitation he leaped into the air and hovered next to my head. "Guys," I said, speaking to the rest of my Pokemon. "We have to go, behave yourselves." I knew that would never happen in a million years. Good thing my Pokemon were afraid of Krystal, with the exception of Yorkie. But even Yorkie behaved when Krystal was in charge, which bugged me to no end.

I descended the stairs and passed Krystal in the kitchen. "We've got to go, I have no idea when we'll be back," I explained as we walked by and out the door.

"Okay, but try not to kill yourselves! I don't feel like explaining to Mom that you randomly disappeared without a trace!" Krystal yelled after me.

"Gee, thanks sis!" I yelled back sarcastically. Torgen crouched down to the ground and I climbed onto his back, Dusk climbed on after me and layed down between my arms. It was a good thing that Torgen was incredibly strong, or else we might not have had a ride to Hoenn. "Damn," I cursed once I realized how far away Mirage Island was from Nuvema Town, supposedly near Pacifidlog. "We have a long flight ahead of us."

*****

A few hours and a sore rump later, I was landing in Pacifidlog Town. I dismounted Torgen along with Dusk and we both stretched, thankful to be able to move again. "Okay Torgen, thanks for the ride. I'll send you back to Krystal now," I pulled out Torgen's Pokeball and recalled him. A few minutes later I was exiting the Pokemon Center, having sent Torgen back to my house through the PC.

"Okay, Dusk, time to go to the stupid dimension." I sighed and tried to clear my mind. I had very little experiance in . . . shifting, and I just hoped I could do it and walk all the way to Mirage Island without falling into the ocean. I did some deep breathing as I attempted to focus, but I couldn't do it. "Damn . . . okay, I need to concentrate," I began to pace a little as I tried to think of a way to shift. "Oh, I think I might have it," I said as I pulled out a notebook from my bag. If the key to shifting was concentration, then perhaps I could write or draw something. I was a mediocre artist and a rather average writer, but it was the best thing I could come up with at the moment.

I closed my eyes and thought for a moment, before I began to write. My pencil moved over my paper, leaving a rather confusing story in its wake. I had no idea where this story was going, but I knew the concentration on it was working once the world around me changed.

The sound of the ocean silenced, the wind stopped blowing and all color seemed to leave the world. The people and Pokemon were no longer people or Pokemon, but more like ghostly images. I shivered slightly as I put my notebook away and began to walk on the land where the ocean had been moments earlier.

*****

I approached an island that I knew wasn't normally there, and it was apparently inhabited by Wynaut. I stepped onto the island and suddenly the world was moving again; the ocean returned and I could hear the waves hitting the island's shore. The Pokemon were once again crying happily as they ran and flew around, and I could once again feel the breeze. It felt good to be back in my own world.

After a quick moment of taking in the world once again, I looked around the island and noticed a group of people. It seemed I was late to this little party, but better late than never, I suppose.

"So . . . this must be the little gathering of the ones known as Shifters?" I asked as I walked up to the group, but I decided to stay at the edge of the group and watch for now.

Focus Shift: A New Awakening [R-16]

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[img]https://i.imgur.com/iwlpePA.png[/img]

★