Twin Horizons: The War-Torn World

[Ninetales1]

OOC: I have been busy with school lately, and will be busy until at least the 18th, but I have time to squeeze in a post now. Some of it is copied-and-pasted (Lupin's phone conversation was too good to throw away), but it's mostly a new post.
IC:

Yamiko sprang to her feet the instant she woke up, looking around and fearing she had been kidnapped and brought to the home of a rapist--and maybe that Lupin's dead body was lying somewhere nearby. But as she looked around she saw that it was a bright sunny day, save for a cloud of ash that reduced the sun to a hazy white ball. Yamiko could look at this sun without hurting her eyes, but she felt its warmth even in the desolate surroundings. On the ground it was a mildly cloudy day, so it seemed. Such cloudy days calmed Yamiko's spirits, for for her the harshness of the sunlight reflected the harshness of life that danced in its face. In contrast to that, any lonely form of darkness was a relatively comfortable retreat.

Even the surroundings seemed lonely. Below the cliff on which Yamiko stood was a wide valley, where many clouds of dust and abandoned tanks and fallen bodies lay. It looked as if a battle in some war had just taken place. Yamiko did not like wars like this, but at the moment things seemed peaceful... sort of. Yamiko looked about more frantically, as if to see if there were any living soldiers--especially ones pointing guns at her. She looked left, right, then turned around and saw a person... but after taking a couple of steps backward she realised it was only Lupin. Presently he was checking his pockets to see if all his belongings were still there. When all was done he nodded and took a quick look around.

"'Tis a strange place to end up in after a nice walk in the meadow," he commmented. "Yet from what I can tell, it seems that we are neither captured or in any immediate danger. Still, let's not let our guard down, just in case..."
"Where are we?" Yamiko asked, more to the world itself than to Lupin. Lupin, understanding this fact, did not answer. "Did someone dump us here after we fell asleep? I don't remember any place in Sinnoh that looks anything like this place..."
Then she spoke to Lupin. "I don't see any danger either, but knowing my luck, there are probably soldiers out there scouting the area, and I reckon they won't take too friendly to us."
"At any rate," Lupin said, taking out his mobile phone, "it might help to know where we are, for I doubt we are in any part of Sinnoh. Fortunately Halberd can pinpoint our location if I we call him."
Yamiko nodded, remembering that Halberd, the so-called "leader" of the Black Cat Bandits and creator and repairer of aircrafts, had a tracking device. In fact it was a device the gang had stolen from Team Galactic's base while a group of elite trainers fought a much-watched Pokemon battle with Cyrus, the head administrator of the team. Many other devices were snagged as well, but Halberd had stored most of these in his little warehouse, for later use or for being taken apart for their individual parts. After all, he was working on a project even now, a grand aircraft of some modestly grand wonder.

Lupin was about to dial Halberd's number on the phone, when Yamiko interrupted.
"Wait a minute. There are some bombs that go off when triggered by a remote electrical signal, such as a cell phone going off."
"Such bombs would only be placed in places of cilivisation," Lupin remarked, and seeing no signs of a big city nearby, he pressed the call button. Nothing happened, though Yamiko did hold her breath for a while.

"Who dares call me from a number not in my inventory?" an exasperated-sounding voice answered.
Lupin's brow furrowed. Who is this? This definitely isn't Halberd...
"I call because I am potentially interested in your services," he finally replied, playing along with the motives of the guy on the other end of the line.

Yamiko raised an eyebrow. What in the world is Lupin talking about? He sounds like he's talking to a stranger...
While she was thinking that, Lupin raised a finger, signaling her to wait, to be quiet. Yamiko knew this meant business... of some sort.

"Indeed you have some nerve," the man on the other end of the line commented. Apparently Lupin had put his mobile on speaker mode so that Yamiko could hear. "We Vigilants are a group feared by the general public. Are you perhaps a traveling soldier with time on his hands?"
"Yes, in fact," Lupin replied. A peculiar smile played across his face, but his voice remained unchanged. Yamiko knew that he was fabricating a lie, but whoever was on the phone probably couldn't tell. "Nowadays the army doesn't pay too much attention to me, mainly because they think I'm too quote-in-quote 'individual' for their likes. I hesitate to disobey the monotonous orders of the generals, which involve attacking random cities and marching in specified patterns and operating noisy machinery with a team. I like to be the sole operator who heeds the advice of venerable leaders and acts in secret."
"Hm. What is your name?"
"Clyde Barrendale. I have served in the army for only six months, but before that I did bounty work, hunting down war criminals and turning them in for rewards. I believe that enemies within are more dangerous than enemies without, if you follow my meaning."
"Where do you live?"
"I wander around, though it is not hard for me to return home--or at least this city which I could sort of call home."
"Hmmm." There was a pause. "I like characters like you, from what you are telling me. However, I cannot fully trust you until I meet you in person. I warn you though--should you fail to live up to my standards, I shall execute you at once. If you still persist, meet me in Warehouse 43A, in the southwest corner of this city."
"I have wandered around the area for quite some time, so the city of which you are speaking slips my mind. I have not heard of the location of your office."
"That's because it's secret, silly. I know not where you are calling from, but our meeting city is Headport. Surely you recall it as an industrial hub, surrounded by factories and warehouses--like 43A."
"I'll be there. But before we part our conversation, I would like a heads-up on some of the details of the position."
"As we are called the Vigilants, we are vigilantes, ever in pursuit of those who oppose the army. You need to be of good judgment, so that you can sort out the rebels from the soldiers. Your experience as a soldier gives me a tiny bit of hope--but again, that shall be proven. You need skill in weaponry, or at the very least it is highly recommended. You will be given assignments--someone to hunt, something to watch over. I will assess your individual skills in the interview, so to speak."
"Is tomorrow morning at 10 a good time?"
"You got it."
With that Lupin hung up.

Yamiko stared a while in bewilderment. "Niiiice. He really did seem fooled. But I hope you're not actually going to that interview."
"Of course not," Lupin affirmed, putting his mobile away. "But, now we have some information."
"But what about that call? Apparently, we are in a different world, and someone in this world has a phone number identical to Halberd's. That's a highly unlikely coincidence."

As Yamiko said this, she stared off into the distance, along the gaping valley. To her right, away from the valley, she saw a slope and a stairway built into a short hill. A group of people and Pokemon were on that slope. There was a girl who was trying to talk to a boy nearby, though he seemed to ignore her, paying more attention to an Eevee and a Pikachu, who appeared to be freaking out. Not to mention a Lombre tried to scare them. But soon a Gallade came along and bonked the Lombre on the head. Following him was who Yamiko thought was Lupin at first, judging by the black clothing and the curly blond hair, but this man had somewhat shorter hair, and wore sunglasses. A short distance away, a slightly dusty-looking teenage boy in plain-looking clothing backed away from a dead person lying on the ground. A young boy with blue hair stood some distance away from the group, and appeared to be counting them.

"Those people over there look lost," Yamiko commented. "I wonder if they ended up in the same situation as we did."

Taking Lupin by the hand, Yamiko walked towards the group. As she did, she thought about what was said in the phone conversation. What was this army that the leader of the "Vigilants" spoke of? Where was this city of Headport? Unfortunately, the person didn't provide a whole lot of other information about this world, but then again, asking for such information was unwise in that conversation, since that person assumed Lupin was a native of this world.

Yamiko stopped short, having come to within a foot of bumping into the man in black. This man had just asked the group what was happening. Seconds later the blue-haired boy approached and did the same.

"Well as we can all tell," Lupin told the group, "there is a war going on. Unfortunately I was unable to learn of the army's motives, but apparently there is an organisation that is on the lookout for those who do not side with the army. And I don't think the fate of whoever encounters one of these bounty hunters, say, is a pleasurable one."
"Did you all come from Sinnoh like we did?" Yamiko asked thr group. "We got here in a very strange way--we were having a pleasant nighttime walk when all of a sudden, some strange presence caused us to grow sleepy, and eventually we couldn't take it anymore, and lay down on the grass... and the next thing we knew we woke up here. I have no idea what kind of a place this is, but it would be wise to find out, and to find out who's behind this army, and what this war is for. I thought I caught a glimpse of a town over there," and here she pointed to the small hill, behind which the top of a dusty building could be seen, "so if there are non-soldier folk there and we are careful, we can ask them. After all, I take it that you have no idea what this place is either."
"Another thing," Lupin added, "don't make any phone calls. The area codes are different and unknown here, and any call will direct you to a stranger, or else nothing at all. I just got off the phone with the leader of that organisation I mentioned, and apparently he wants an interview with me. Not that I would go, of course. I prefer not to work for such an organisation. Who knows if they could turn out to be a second Team Galactic?"
"We work against such organisations," Yamiko added. Then she glanced sideways at Lupin, and the two exchanged brief smiles and nods. When she spoke again, she reduced her voice to more of a whisper. "We infiltrate them."

 

[Nano5002]

"Hmm, interesting. I am known as Mackenzie, and I am a traveling magician and actor. I have been to a nearby city and there were soldiers in the streets, though my black garb hid me well within the shadows. I am not from Sinnoh, in fact, I was all the way in Johto when I was taken here," explained Mackenzie, bowing politely. He stood up straight again and pushed his sunglasses back up his nose. Syterion bowed as well, while Jolini gave a slight wave and began to pace, "These are my pokemon, Syterion is the Gallade and Jolini is the Lombre. Pardon if Jolini should act rudely, he is impatient and seems to delight in fright as much as a Misdreavus. As for the alternate world theory, perhaps the God of Space is to blame for our predicaments."

"Greetings to you, fellows, and may I inquire as to who you should be?" asked Syterion to the Eevee and Raichu, bowing to they and the other trainers.

 

[Ninetales1]

OOC: Here's something I rarely do: two posts in one day!
IC:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Mackenzie introduced himself and his Pokemon, Yamiko looked at him in wonder. It wasn't just because he had a Gallade (which was one of her favourite Pokemon). It was because he was a magician--thus he reminded her of her father. Yamiko thought of her father for a moment, and her face grew a bit sad as she did so. Ever since Yamiko lived with her two adopted mothers, she never saw him; the last time was a hot day in July, when she was thirteen, in the park they often visited when Yamiko was a child. Although she was glad to see him, he was far from the "Happy Dan" he was when he was younger, before Yamiko was born. Back then, Dan had been a traveling magician, performing randomly in the streets of various cities in Kanto, or in front of concert halls or movie theaters. He specialised in making objects vanish, especially things like coins, and he was a fairly good juggler too. Once or twice he pulled a small Pokemon (provided by the audience, as all he had was a Hypno) out of his purple top hat, and other times he snuck objects into Pokeballs. Sometimes Mai, his young assistant and later Yamiko's mother, would help him out with tricks, although she had little skill in them.

And then there was Happy Dan's signature act, a card trick. In that trick, he would show the audience a card (without looking at it himself) then place it in the deck, shuffle the deck, and fan through the deck to look at a card. Nothing fancy, right? What gave the trick its uniqueness is that Dan would show the audience not one, but three cards. His secret to this trick, as he showed her once, was to slip the chosen card up his sleeve, using only a slight and quick motion of his fingers. (Or at least he tried to; his hands were much slower after he contracted a disease that weakened them, which occurred just before Yamiko was born.) Occasionally he would drop the card into his pocket as well. Yamiko found this trick fascinating, or at least the theory of it, but she never got around to really practising it. But this trick was also one of the things that drew Yamiko to Lupin. For Lupin always performed the exact same action when taking a wallet from someone's pocket.

As a result of this train of thought, Yamiko became aware of the fact that she was still holding Lupin's hand, and she glanced at him and smiled. But that was brief, for just then Mackenzie bowed to the couple (after doing so to a few others). Yamiko blushed for a moment, then spoke to him.
"Well well, a magician eh? How exciting! My father used to be a magician too. Unfortunately, I haven't seen him for a few years now--he's probably still homeless in Saffron City. I've lived with adopted parents since then, and am myself more of a dancer."
Then she spoke to the group. "Well anyway, my name is Yamiko, and yes, I'm originally from Kanto. I had to run away from home in order to start my Pokemon journey, but that I did. I'm really not much into battles myself, but I do enjoy being a coordinator. I specialise in Pokemon of the psychic and ghost-type... well, actually, those are the types of the Pokemon I have... Oh, and also... well... Oh, and this is Lupin, my boyfriend." Yamiko appeared a little nervous near the end of the sentence.
Lupin nodded. "Hm, who would have known that Yamiko's code of secrecy is higher than mine? Well, I do little with my Pokemon other than travel, and I have no 'job' per se. Let's just say that I wander about by night, that I occasionally find myself doing the work of a spy, and that I use skills like to those of a magician for purposes better left unseen."
He paused., then turned to Mackenzie, a glint appearing in his eyes.
"And here are the two of us, well-suited for sneaking about in the darkness."

"Hm, speaking of the city," Yamiko mentioned to no particular person, rocking back and forth on her heels as she spoke, "I think it would be a good idea to investigate it. It seems like we must be watchful, though. Lupin and I are definitely going, since we're used to this type of thing and prefer darkness to ashy sun, but anyone also curious may follow."
With that she winked.
"Shall we go then?" Lupin suggested, giving Yamiko's arm a light tug.
"Erm, what about the rest of the group...? If any of them are as worthy as Mackenzie here of joining us on our venture, they could prove to be good help."
"Maybe so," Lupin commented, his trace of a smile vanishing, his voice quiet. "But still, I can't trust anyone so easily who is not a Black Cat Bandit."
"Ever testing people, are you?" Yamiko whispered back, winking.

 

[dream's-epilogue]

(@ nano: was Syterion talking to Maia & Matsui? Maia's an Eevee, but Matsui's a Raichu, not a Pika...and Iyo's human.)

Iyo laughed goofily at the one called Mackenzie.

"Ha ha...you talk funny."

While Matsui sighed loudly and walked over to Iyo, Maia just watched him sadly, her eyes red from the crying.

Poor boy...something like this, I don't know how he'll react...I just hope he'll be okay...

Iyo turned and saw Matsui approach, and gave him a gleeful grin. "Oh, hey Matsui! What's the plan for today?"

Matsui just glared at him sternly. <Idiot! Do you even know what's going on?!>

Iyo just stared at him confusedly. "Uh, what? Sorry, Matsui, but, you know I can't understand you..." He turned to the one called Mackenzie. "Um, do you, like, have any paper, and, like, a pen or pencil or something?"
-------
Meanwhile, the man's Gallade spoke rather boldly, <Greetings to you, fellows, and may I inquire as to who you should be?>

Despite the feelings of suspicion and sorrow flowing through her, Maia managed to keep her voice level as she replied. <Hmm...well, usually, a gentleman would introduce himself first, but these ARE extenuating circumstances. My name's Maia, and the loudmouth Raichu over there is Matsui. Oh, and the idiot human next to him is Iyosuke. And you are?>
-------
Matsui's senses told him something was up. While Iyo harassed the oddly-dressed man, Matsui subtly turned his attention elsewhere, and picked up traces of a conversation.

He didn't know what to make of what he heard; his suspicion hiked up a notch at the phrase "Black Cat Bandit." Whatever it was, it couldn't be good...

He stopped himself They were in no situation to pick allies; until he had a better idea of what was going on, their best bet was to learn as much as possible and stay alive, and the odds of success improved if they stayed together.

Still, he had an odd feeling about these people. He'd have to keep a close eye on them, especially the pair from whom he'd heard of these "bandits." The one's suggestion to explore the nearby city was a sound one, but he'd have to watch their backs the entire way...

 

[Nano5002]

(I fixed it, sorry.)

"Ah, I apologize. My trainer introduced me, and I had assumed you heard. My name is Syterion, and I apologize it it is a little long. My trainer here is Mackenzie, and the hyper Lombre is known as Jolini." said Syterion, bowing again in apology, and gesturing to their other companion.

"Hey! Yup, Yup, I don't talk like them, though, nope, not at all like them," said Jolini quickly, while he paced back and forth impatiently, adding, "I hope it rains, I like the rain, don't you just love the rain? Rain is wonderful, it feeds the plants, it puts out fires, it cools you on a hot summer day, rain is awesome!"

"Ah, your father was a magician as well? Did he happen to chance a meeting or seeing of the magician Orlando? Orlando was my teacher, and I can never seem to catch him," said Mackenzie to Tamiko and Lupin. He listened to them talking about traveling into the nearby city.

"I saw no other people other than soldiers, and the structure of the buildings is often unstable. If we go we would be in less danger splitting up for the search and meeting once more at a pre-named point later on. Then the buildings must support less weight at one time, and the soldiers shall not spot us so easily in the shadowy fire-light. Then again, there is safety and strength in numbers, should we meet any trouble in the stone valleys of the streets. Which would you think to work more to our advantage?" asked Mackenzie, suggesting the pros and cons of each plan.

 

[Shadow Umbreon Xd 002]

When the boy named Mackanzie had finished his speech,Ryu thought about his options.''Should I stay with the group or go solo'' he wondered,then he remembered that he hadn't introduced himself.''I'm Ryu by the way'' he muttered and then checked his backpack,to see if his pokeballs were still there.''One...two...three'' he said to no one in particualar.

It was then that he had the brilliant idea (Or so he thought) of checking the map on his pokenav.He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the red machine.He flicked the on switch impatiently,but when the screen flickered into life the dreaded words''No signal detected'' appeard on the screen in bright red letters,he decided that he wasn't in Kanto anymore.

 

[Ninetales1]

OOC: Lol, it's Yamiko, not Tamiko. Of course, it's probably just a typo.
IC:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lupin had a quick answer to Mackenzie's question, for Halberd had asked him a similar question when the Black Cat Bandits planned a scouting of a Team Rocket base.
"The best option would be to stick together, for several reasons. First, we are in an unfamiliar world, and I only advise splitting up when in familiar territory, or when attacked. Second, if we do split up, it would be wise to keep in touch with each other, and here that is neither easy nor safe."
"And you never know what kind of devices a phone call might trigger--if we're in a city during a war it might set off a bomb, even," Yamiko added.
"Third," Lupin continued, "there's little harm in it if we're all careful about being unseen. They say that a lone ninja is no harder to notice than a group of ninjas."
"In places where the ground is unstable," Yamiko commnted, "we should stay slightly apart in a given space, along the edges of the building, just enough so that we can see or hear each other. Come to think of it, if we lose each other in a dark place and no soldiers are about, we can flash the light on a Pokeball--it's not very bright--so we can find each other. But maybe we don't need to--we can see pretty well in the dark."

There was a pause, during which Yamiko looked around at all the Pokemon. This gave her an idea. With that, she released both her Pokemon from their Pokeballs. Out came an Espeon and a Mismagius.
"This here is Velvet and Laverne," and here she indicated the two, respectively, "and they've often accompanied the two of us in our ventures. Velvet may not be able to see well in the dark, but she can sense when a soldier is approaching--plus, the telepathic abilities associated with psychic-type Pokemon come in handy for communication purposes. Laverne of course wouldn't have to worry about making sounds or losing balance on an uneven floor, and being a ghost, she doesn't have to worry about tight spaces between walls. I think Syterion could certainly come along as well if he wants to."

"I don't know about Jolini though," Lupin mentioned. "You mentioned him being impatient, and usually I don't trust those who are impatient on these kinds of ventures. For the same reason Rigel, my Arcanine, should remain in his Pokeball for now. But as for Artemis here..."
At that point Lupin released his Mightyena from a Pokeball.
"...So far she's proven to be an excellent scout, and is good at hiding in darkness. Unfortunately, she doesn't do well on uneven surfaces and thus shouldn't go in the buildings, but she can easily find us again by scent."

At that point Ryu was introducing himself to the group. Lupin glanced at him without much interest, watching him try to check his Kanto map. Yamiko, meanwhile, decided to respond to Mackenzie's other question.
"Hm, the name Orlando seems to ring a bell, but maybe I only heard of him from some conversation I overheard long ago. My father followed no role models; he contrived nearly all of his tricks himself, drawing inspiration from random magic shows he happened upon throughout his life. But I think magicians are among the sneaky folk of the world. Unless they're looking for you, they're hard to find."
Lupin cracked a slight smile as Yamiko said this.

"At any rate," Lupin said while turning away from the group, "I think we should be going."

"It's strange," Yamiko commented, following him. "We're so used to going to bed around this time, yet I don't feel that tired. Probably because we just awoke from an unexpected night's sleep."
"I still do, a little bit," Lupin replied. "But it's another one of those little physical nuisances that must be overcome."
It was Yamiko's turn to smile at what Lupin said, but her smile was warmer and more passionate, though still small. The two, along with their three smaller Pokemon, started to make their way towards the city, but they gave the others time to catch up. Artemis and Velvet conversed with each other as they strolled along; Laverne floated upward to get a better view of the surroundings.

<"Ah, and where there's war, people die, lots of them in fact,"> Laverne muttered to herself as she scanned the mostly desolate landscape. <"Perhaps this could be my opportunity to finally know what it feels like to own a human soul. How I have hungered for one for the longest time!">

<"Whoa, where in the world are we?"> Velvet wondered.
<"Well, we certainly aren't in Sinnoh, are we?"> Artemis replied. <"I think we must be careful in these parts, for I smell death and ash and dust all around. There's also the faint odour of gunpowder and of engine exhaust.">
<"I sense that there's something not right about this place,"> Velvet reported. <"I'm not sure what the danger is, but for some reason it seems more dangerous for us than for our trainers.">
<"That is very odd indeed,"> Artemis commented, giving the Espeon a quizzical look.

 

[Nano5002]

"Very well, I agree - Jolini is not one for stealth missions, although he can pick some locks if need be," agreed Mackenzie, nodding as he followed and returning Jolini. Syterion followed.

"Greetings, I am Syterion. I understand that you and your trainers are skilled in this sort of venture?" said Syterion, bowing to the other new pokemon as he walked along, "If so then your skills will be invaluable on this quest. Miss Velvet, was it? I have also had this feeling. I believe it has to do with something about this place. So far I have sensed no non-human life outside of those pokemon in our group."

"Yes, Orlando is hard to find if he does not want to be found. It seems as if fate guides his course to speed whenever I draw near. Xatu was always right before, though, so I believe we shall meet once again someday to continue my training," said Mackenzie as he walked.

Mackenzie looked at a pebble and picked it up. He had not practiced in a while, and felt a bit rusty. Building in his mind a picture of the particles in the pebble he began to space them apart using psychic energy. Turning the pebble into a less dense substance, like clay, he rolled and shaped it in his hand, making a near perfect sphere. He used his nail to add the details and made it dense again. In his hand was a miniature, stone pokeball.
-----
(I thought I'd demonstrate how Mackenzie's 'magic' worked. Such small particles take intense concentration to understand, picture, and effect accurately, so he usually needs to meditate before bigger endeavors than a little light or a pebble.)

 

[dream's-epilogue]

Through some scrounging, Iyo managed to find a scrap of paper and a broken pencil. He snatched it up and handed it to Matsui; somehow, the fact that the pencil had been lying near a blood-soaked body escaped his notice.

"Here Matsui; use this."

Matsui grasped the pencil stub tightly with his tail. Kneeling low, he traced it slowly across the paper in a close pattern. After a moment, he picked up the scrap and examined his handiwork. It was rough, but at least it was legible. He handed the scrap back to Iyo, and Iyo read it aloud.

"'Your plan is a sound one. I think we should stick together for the time being, at least until we know where we are. Our first job should be to find a place to stay, as well as supplies. What do you think?'" He looked up. "That's it. Oh, wait...'PS: Iyo, we aren't in Sinnoh anymore.' He blinked several times. "Wait...what?"

It was now that he finally noticed his environment. "Oh...wow...what happened here...?"
---------------
<There,> Matsui said matter-of-factly, <I've relayed my thoughts to the humans. Like Iyo read, our best bet is to stick together for now. We have no idea where we are or how we got here, but I don't think it'd be a good idea to split up, at least not yet. So, waht do you all think?> he addressed to the other Pokemon.

 

[Nano5002]

"I agree with him, for there was little left in the store where I awoke, and we will require water and food," said Mackenzie. He thought about mentioning the locket, but decided it was trivial. He tossed the small stone orb up and caught it as he walked, watching some metallic, black substance in the stone glint slightly in the hazy sunlight, "And a safe place to stay may be the storage cellar of the store where I awoke. It'd be a bit crowded, but it's already looted empty, and somewhat hard to spot as well. I don't suppose any soldiers would go back down into it now."

Syterion turned to the Raichu, "I agree as well, Sir Matsui. Our best bet, as my trainer would say, is to 'play the Survivalist.' In other words, do what needs to be done when it is needed, and now I think the biggest priority has been addressed. Drinking water. Every living thing needs water to survive. Miss Artemis, do you happen to smell any fresh water nearby?"

 

[LugiaFreak]

Lilah's eyes were tired as she stared quietly out the Pokémon Center window, kneeling on the small, soft cot she was going to sleep on tonight. Luckily, no one else had needed to stay at this particular Center tonight, so Lilah and her Weavile had the entire room to themselves. Laying her heavy head in her arms, Lilah watched Volbeat and Illumise dance across the night sky. Yawning, she glanced at her Weavile, who was slouched against the windowsill, asleep. It was late, and Lilah knew tomorrow was going to be a big day. She and Weavile had traveled far in their journey, and Lilah was confident that she was ready. After days of walking, Lilah and Weavile had finally made it - made it to the Pokémon League.

Smiling slightly, Lilah gently picked up Weavile and laid her on the pillow. Lilah closed the shades over the window and laid on the small cot, exhausted. Tomorrow was going to be an adventure.

~-~-~

Lilah slowly opened her eyes as thoughts of the events yesterday flowed back into her brain. Pokémon League... Elite Four... Asleep at a Pokémon Center...

Wait.

Wait. What?

Lilah blinked a few times as she struggled to her feet, grabbing a limb of the tree to was next to for support as she rubbed her eyes with exhaustion.

Tree limb?

Completely confused, Lilah's train of thought was interrupted when she choked and coughed at the poor air quality, which made breathing difficult. The entire area smelled strongly of gunpowder and brimstone, and a dull gray smog drifted sluggishly through the air and curled around the dead trees. Dazed, Lilah looked out with disbelief at the scene around her. She had awoken on a rather scratchy hill, with dead bushes and shrubs. A little ways off, there was a desolate valley filled with signs of war. Shaking her head in complete and utter confusion, Lilah blurted out, "What the hell?!"

This sudden outburst made Weavile roll over in her sleep, and she fell out of the tree and crashed to the ground. Instantly, she was on her feet and turning around in confusion. "Wea?! Weavile!" Weavile started up at a bewildered Lilah, her eyes filled with questions, none of which Lilah knew the answer to.

Lilah, too, was filled with questions, and she blinked several times, still confused. Where was she? How did she get here? Where was the Pokemon Center? Where was Sinnoh? What was going on?

Lilah looked around at her surroundings. She was on a large hill that stretched outward for many miles, under the blazing sun. The ground was dusty and dry, and hardly and vegetation could be seen. A few dead shrubs, a dead tree here or there, but other then that there wasn't much shade. On one side of the hill, it looked as if a battle had just taken place. Abandoned war machines, some of which Lilah didn't recognize, along with dropped guns and used ammunition covered the land. Despite all the twisted metal and broken machinery, the weapons of war were still outnumbered by the bodies. Hundreds upon hundreds of bodies littered the ground, some as close as the base of the hill Lilah was standing on.

She coughed again, wheezing a little. She needed to get away from this place, away from this air. Lilah didn't see any signs of food, water or shelter. It was hard to believe anyone could survive in this wasteland.

Weavile climbed the branches of the dead tree she had awoken on and lightly slapped Lilah out of her daze. "Weavile! Weavile!"

Shaking her head, Lilah coughed. "I don't know where we are either. But we need to move, now." Weavile quickly climbed to the top of the tree and looked around. After a few minutes, she looked solemnly down at Lilah. "Nothing?" Lilah sighed, disappointment heavy in her voice. Weavile slid down and stood next to Lilah for a few seconds before making a horrible hacking sound. The smoky air was beginning to get to her, too.

Lilah reached around her neck and unraveled the long scarf she wore, handing it to Weavile. Immediately understanding Lilah's plan, Weavile tore the scarf in two, handing one end to Lilah. Weavile tied her scarf end carefully around her mouth, and closed her eyes with relief as breathing become easier.

Lilah did the same, but paused for a moment to take the scarf away from her mouth and call out,

"HELLO?"

 

[Shadow Umbreon Xd 002]

''Ryu took the pokeballs from his belt and threw them into the air,there was a flash of light and suddenly Coaly,Hope and Poli were standing on the ground in front of Ryu.''Freedom!''Poli roared as he was released from the pokeball.''Wait!Where are we'' He cried''And who are you?May I ask?'' as he saw the other pokemon.Hope nudged him''Stop being so impolite!'' she muttered to him.

''Thease are my pokemon Hope the Rioulu,Poli is the Poliwrath and Coaly is the Torkoal.I agree with Mackenzie,it is unlikely the soldiers will return to the celler,but if need be we could always split into groups and scout for other ,possible, hiding places.''He was throwing in suggestions.

 

[LugiaFreak]

"HELLO?"

There was no answer.

Lilah peered out across the vast plain, but she didn't see anything promising. Everything was dusty and dry, specks of fine, pale silt settling on Lilah's hair and clothes. Brushing them off with some annoyance, Lilah sat under the only tree she could see for miles, enjoying the cool shade. The sun was blazing down with ferocity, and from it's position on the sky, Lilah assumed it must be a little before noon. She had eaten just a small meal the night before, and her stomach protested its emptiness occasionally, despite Lilah's failed attempts to forget her hunger.

She needed to find some edible food, but water was more important if Lilah and Weavile wanted to survive. Without it, they would only survive a few days. Where was they going to find enough water for the both of them in this dusty place?

Picking up her bag, Lilah rubbed her forehead and face, brushing away any remaining drowsiness. Bending down a little, Lilah held out her arm and watched as Weavile swung herself up onto Lilah's shoulder. Placing her clawed hands onto Lilah's shoulder and balancing her feet steadily on Lilah's back, Weavile took her usual position perched on her Trainer.

Lilah looked at the tree behind her and sighed. This was the only shade for miles, and Lilah briefly considered waiting till sundown to began searching for food and water. However, she didn't want to waste precious time waiting around for her stomach to gnaw at her thoughts and concentration. So, Lilah reluctantly headed out into the sun and across the hill, trying her best to ignore the sickening stench wafting off of the bodies below. Scrunching up her face with disgust, Weavile buried her face in Lilah's shoulder and coughed.

Lilah looked down at the horrible bloody scene, gagging slightly. The smell was nearly unbearable, but ignoring the possibility of food, water, or rations carried by soldiers was not an option. Lilah narrowed her eyes and slid down the hill, holding out her arms for balance. Weavile, understanding Lilah's thoughts, hopped off of her shoulder and quickly began searching the soldiers. Lilah checked the belts and pockets, but to no avail. Some soldiers had canteens, but most were empty.

Suddenly, Weavile called out to Lilah, crying, "Wea! Weavile!" She gestured Lilah over to a soldier who had a small can attached to his waist. Lilah knelt down and removed the canister from the soldiers belt, removing the lid and peering inside. There were about four pieces of bread that were moldy and inedible, but towards he bottom a few pieces of sun-dried jerky were crunched at the bottom. Holding out her hand and emptying the jerky into her palm, Lilah counted three pieces. She split one in half, giving herself and Weavile half, along with another whole piece.

Lilah and Weavile clambered up the hill and away from the soldiers, sitting under the sun and on top of the hill, eating the jerky. It wasn't much, but it was food. Lilah ate her small half-piece, but put the other into her bag. Weavile reluctantly did the same, handing a piece to Lilah. As she put the remaining food into her bag, Lilah's heart skipped a beat as she noticed more then a few bottles of fresh, clean water sitting at the bottom. Lilah had completely forgotten about the four bottles she had placed into her bag the night before.

Taking one out and carefully unscrewing the cap, Lilah took and refreshing sip and handed the bottle to Weavile. "Not too much," she said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "This needs to last until we can find a water source." Weavile took her drink and handed the precious water back to Lilah, who screwed the cap on tight and put it back into her bag. Getting to her feet, Lilah grabbed her bag as Weavile climbed up onto her shoulder again.

Weavile leaned forward a little so Lilah could hear her better. Hissing, she commented, "Wea... Weavile."

Lilah continued to walk as she narrowed her eyes and nodded her head slightly. "You're right. We need to be careful and watch who we give this water to, if anyone. Although I highly doubt we'll find anyone in this godforsaken place."

Sighing, Lilah continued to trek across the top of the hill, looking for any signs of life. She was amazed that Weavile and herself had happened to awaken under one of the few trees that could be seen for miles. A few desert shrubs, a few dead trees... But that was about it. None of them provided any nourishment or nutrition. None of them even seemed to be alive. It seemed as if Lilah and Weavile were the only living things for miles in every direction - there were no houses, buildings, or signs of shelter. Where were they?

Pausing for a moment, Lilah gently nudged Weavile. "Weavile. See if you can spot anything." Weavile stepped into Lilah's palms as Lilah hoisted her over her head. Holding her up as high as she could, Lilah clenched her teeth a little. "Hurry. You're heavy." Weavile took one last look around the landscape before solemnly stating, "Wea. Weavile."

Lilah grunted as she set the Pokémon back onto her shoulder. "Nothing? Damn. I guess the best thing to do is keep going. Maybe we'll run across some shelter. I don't want to go back to the tree, but if don't find shelter tonight, we might have to."

Frustrated, Weavile sighed angrily, but still managed to nod.

~-~-~

It was night, and Lilah was exhausted. She had been walking with Weavile the entire day, desperately searching for food, water, or shelter. Her feet hurt with every step, and all she wanted to do was collapse on the sand and rest. Lilah estimated she had covered a few miles, but the landscape hadn't changed throughout the desolate journey. Dead shrubs, dead trees, dead air. At least they had traveled far enough away from the dead soldiers and the stagnant air that both could remove their makeshift filters from their parched mouths.

Lilah wheezed with every inhale, and wiping the sweat from her brow, she lifted her heavy head and looked out, expecting to see nothing of interest. However, there was a giant stone structure out in the middle of nowhere, and it would provide adequate shelter for the time being. Nearly fainting with delight, Lilah used the very last of her energy to sweep the tired Weavile from her shoulder and into her arms, racing to the the rock and leaning her aching back against the cool stone. Embracing Weavile, Lilah buried her face in Weavile's short fur and breathed, "We'll be okay tonight. Don't worry. Don't worry."

Lilah curled up and was asleep instantly, Weavile held tight against her the entire night.

~-~-~

Again, the sun rose and traveled across the sky, not quite declaring noon when Lilah awoke. Opening her eyes slowly, it took Lilah a few minutes to contemplate out where she was. After figuring out the situation, Lilah groaned. "It wasn't a dream...?" Weavile yawned and stretched, groggily rising to her feet. She held her clawed hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun.

Lilah sat up, rubbing her face and yawning loudly. Noticing Weavile, she smiled, "Hey. You hungry?" Weavile turned and eagerly unzipped Lilah's pack, digging around until she found the jerky. Weavile took out the water as well, and the two had a not-so-delightful meal of hard, crunchy jerky washed down with a swig of warm water. When the two were done, Lilah put the nearly-empty water bottle back into her bag and got to her feet. She stretched and cracked one of her knuckles as Weavile took the bag in her mouth and resumed her position on Lilah's shoulder.

"Alright. I guess... I guess we can just keep going. There has to something somewhere. How else could hundreds of people take part in a war?" Weavile grunted in agreement.

As Lilah continued to walk, she spotted something in the far distance. Squinting a little, Lilah jogged a few paces before realizing, "Weavile, look! Buildings! And people!" Weavile leaned forward and hissed in a low tone, her eyes narrowing. Weavile was not one to trust people, and these strangers made no exception.

"I know." Lilah said, quickening her pace. "But we don't really have a choice. If they have food or water, we could potentially get some from them. We also need to figure out what's going on." Weavile hissed, holding the pack to her chest.

As she got closer to the people, Lilah's heart skipped a beat. "Hey... Those people... Have Pokémon! They're Trainers!"

Shocked, confused, and excited all at the same time, Lilah cupped her hands around her mouth and called out at the top of her lungs, "Heeeeeeyyy! Can you hear us? Heeellloooooo!" Although it wasn't the smartest of moves, Lilah was to relieved to care. Weavile furrowed her brow in annoyance as her stomach grumbled, and hunger reluctantly made her call out, "Weeeaviiillleee!"

Stroking her beloved Weavile to reassure her, Lilah took a deep breath and began to run towards the Pokémon Trainers.

 

[Ninetales1]

OOC: After long hours of schoolwork and recording work (see my post in the OOC thread for more info), I am finally able to post in this RPG!
IC:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Don't worry about that," Yamiko said in response to Mackenzie's comment about Jolini. She gestured towards Lupin. "Lupin can pick locks as well--in fact, he's actually very good at it."
Lupin didn't dare blush, but he did put on a little awkward smile for a while.
"I think what she means is that I have lots of experience with it," Lupin commented. "Or maybe that's just me trying not to brag about my skills, which certainly isn't a good idea."

The two followed Mackenzie as he walked towards the city. Yamiko kept gazing at him, for the fact that he was a magician sparked something in her heart. As she kept looking at him, she saw something that both excited and astonished her. Mackenzie picked up a pebble, shaped it with his mind into a sphere, and turned it into a miniature stone Pokeball. Her eyes were glued to him for the next few moments, as a memory came back to her...

It was a cool day in the middle of the Saffron City summer. Pleased by the fair change in weather, three-year-old Yamiko stood in the entryway just outside the front door, enjoying the light breeze. As she gazed around, she saw the occasional person walking down the street. Rather than hiding in the shade of an awning or the side of a house (people would often walk onto Yamiko's front porch because the house faced north--thus the front was in shade), people walked out in the street, that is unless a car came. Yet there weren't very many cars out--it was a Wednesday afternoon, and most grownups were probably on a lunch break from work. But the kids, however, were out to play. Twice, a woman passed by with two happy children following close behind, playing catch with each other or having a toy car race. One boy passed by trying to teach a Rattata to use a hula hoop; one time, the hula hoop flew off the little Pokemon and flew at Yamiko, who caught it just in time and threw it back.

The fun continued on for a few minutes, but after that, the street was empty for a while. Gazing around, Yamiko spotted a little girl about her age emerging from behind the house directly across the street from her, one that was twice as big as her house. The little girl wore a pretty sky blue dress, white boots, and a broad white hat with a red ribbon around it. Her hair was navy blue in colour and her eyes were in shadow. At first she appeared to be tossing a ball as she walked, giggling as she went. But then Yamiko saw something strange: the girl's eyes--deep indigo like her own--glowed, and the ball did as well, hovering in midair. The girl raised her arms up and opened them, and the ball grew bigger. She cupped her hands together and the ball shrank. She pointed sharply to the ball and it popped and flew around, making a flatulent sound. The deflated ball passed close to Yamiko, who caught it.

Yamiko held the ball underneath her elbow and applauded, smiling at the girl.
"Yay, that was amazing!" she cheered. "How did you do that?"
The girl giggled, and pointed at Yamiko this time. Her whole body glowed with a bright green aura. Yamiko started to feel a strange sensation in her own body, as if she was getting lighter...

Yamiko's feet left the ground, and she floated out of the entryway and upward. At first she panicked a little bit, but when she realised she was flying, she actually enjoyed it. However, when she tried to spread her arms out to further simulate the flying experience, she found she couldn't move them, and her smile momentarily vanished. A few moments later, the sensation stopped, and Yamiko fell to the ground. After struggling to get up, she spoke again.
"So that's how you do it?" She pointed to the girl. "Like this?"
In her mind Yamiko pictured the girl rising off the ground, but the girl stayed put. She tried straining her eyes a bit so that they would glow, but that didn't work either, and her eyes stayed the same indigo shade. All the while, the girl just stood there, smiling, giggling intermittently. This continued for some time, during which Yamiko started to get a headache, until...

"That's enough!" said a man's voice. Yamiko looked up to see who must have been the girl's parents. The woman was looking worriedly at the girl; the man was staring at Yamiko, a stern expression on his face. "Not everyone can use telekinesis--in fact, only a select few can!"
"T-t-tele... kinesis?" Yamiko repeated. "B-but... I..."
"You're just an ordinary girl!" the man snapped. "Sabrina here--as well as the two of us--can use it, because we happened to be given that gift. It's a very rare gift, one you have to be born with."
"Honey," the woman started, but a gaze from the man silenced her. She looked at Yamiko for a while, then finally spoke to her, her tone sounding much less threatening.
"I've been watching you for a few days now, and I know how much you would like to have a friend, and how much you don't care for the other children. Unfortunately, Sabrina's too different, too dangerous for you. She has broken many things in this very house, and I fear for all of our safeties. I am very sorry that she hurted you; it's a fairly common occurrence. And I apologise for what my husband said as well; he's likely taking his frustration for Sabrina out on you."
"So it's not true?" Yamiko asked, a hopeful tone in her voice.
"Sadly, it is," the woman answered. "Telekinesis is indeed a rare gift. No, don't be sad." Seeing Yamiko starting to fret, she knelt down and touched her on the shoulder. "You know, I do thank you for trying to be friends with our Sabrina. I fear she might become awfully lonely later in life." She paused. "You know what? I think there actually is a way that you might be able to..."
"That's enough!" the man blurted. The woman gave him a dirty look and turned back to Yamiko.
"The colour of your eyes," she commented, "it almost exactly matches that of Sabrina's. And I see a very similar light behind them as well. I think it may be that there is something in your mind that is capable of some supernatural power, although whether it's telekinesis or not I can't be sure. It could be a similar psychic ability. Maybe, judging by your sense of compassion, it could be telem..."
"I told you, that's enough!" the man shouted. "We shouldn't be talking about such matters with this girl!"

As the parents turned away and went back into their house, Yamiko backed away in sorrow. But in the years afterward she remembered what Sabrina's mother said, and everything that happened that afternoon as well. Hidden in the back of her mind was a desire to be able to use psychic abilities, and the hope that maybe hidden even further were the powers themselves. She gave up the struggle in her later days in lieu of other things, but ever it drove her... as it did now.

Thoughts about this power, including the possibility that she could even use it herself, swam around in Yamiko's mind as she came slowly back to reality. Although she had actually been gazing blankly for only five seconds, it seemed like a lot longer to her. So long that when she got back to reality and realised she had been staring at Mackenzie, she nearly jumped in shock, hoping for dear life that she didn't blush. To her even greater shock, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and heard Lupin's softly whispering voice...
"Amazing, isn't it? If you ask me, that was quite a performance coming from him. Pity that 'Pokeball' won't actually work."
Much to Lupin's surprise this time, Yamiko turned around and hugged him. He hugged her back, just to be nice, but he still looked up and gazed in no particular direction, as if to see all of his area of sight at once.
"I'm sorry..." Yamiko murmured, her voice muffled by the fact that her face was buried in Lupin's chest. "f-for gazing that is. I-I-I hope I didn't give you the wrong idea..."
Lupin cracked a slight smile. "When most people talk like that, it means they're lying." At this moment Yamiko froze, but Lupin quickly continued, holding onto her more tightly. "But when you talk like that, it means you're being honest, or so it seems. You leave me in mystery--and that's a good thing--and you leave others in confusion--also a good thing."
At that point, Lupin took Yamiko by the hand, leading her towards the city.
"Now we really must be going," he said to no particular person. After a while he looked to Mackenzie. "And the three of us, at least, should stick together for now."
There was a glint in his eyes as he said this.

As the three walked, it was Lupin's turn to flash back, though not nearly as far or deeply as Yamiko did. He didn't picture anything, but he thought briefly about his friend Merlin, another Black Cat Bandit. (The Black Cat Bandits were pretty much his only friends anyway, and of course Yamiko.) Quite different at least appearance-wise from the famous wizard of Arthurian legend, Merlin was both wise and very intelligent, and had a penchant for speaking in riddles and utilising unique greetings upon meeting someone. He was also a deeply spiritual person, and was a bit psychically gifted as well; although he couldn't quite use the powerful stuff like telekinesis or hypnotism. He was particularly gifted in seeing people's auras, and as a side effect, he could occasionally read a person's surface thoughts as well, although the latter was an ability he didn't have any control over. He often practised divination, especially with the crystal ball in his room; he also did tarot readings for people. In his free time, he was often either reading (often times trying to dechiper an ancient book from his parents' library), meditating, or at his little workshop, trying to experiment with psychic abilities like hypnotism, telepathy, and telekinesis. Once he reported that he managed to move a straw across the room with his mind, but as no one was there to see that, there was some doubt. What made Lupin think about him was not only Mackenzie's little act, but the fact that Mackenzie's manner of speaking was slightly similar to that of Merlin... Even Lupin stopped to gaze at Mackenzie one time, although more quizzically.

"Well then, I guess we're even," Yamiko remarked, seeing what Lupin was doing.
"And I guess I can safely conclude that gazing at Mackenzie this way is not the result of a crush," Lupin added matter-of-factly. Yamiko actually giggled.

Just then, one of the boys in the group spoke, reading something on a piece of scrap paper. He was suggesting that the group stick together for the time being, and the group should find supplies and a place to stay. Soon after Mackenzie replied, agreeing with him, and adding that finding food and water should also be a priority.
"Let's find water first," Lupin suggested. "A person can survive far longer without food than without water."
"Fortunately," Yamiko added, "provided the city was only recently attacked, there should still be water flowing into it, even if the pipes are damaged. It might be the easiest thing to find in the city, second only to rubble and soldiers."
"And, it usually takes a long time for a group of soldiers, however large, to loot a whole city," Lupin continued. "Soldiers have a tendency to overlook some places, especially when they're shaken up by the very nature of war."

Meanwhile, Syterion was asking Artemis if she could find some water.
<"...Really, you don't have to call me 'Miss',"> she replied, sounding bashful. <"I'm used to being both an outcast and an outlaw, so the title hardly seems fitting for me. Well anyway, I'll see what I can do...">
With that, she started to sniff the air, closing her eyes and focusing her thoughts on the city beyond. She took deep, almost meditative breaths, focusing only on her sense of smell, as if all other senses didn't exist. Within moments, various scents reached her nose, subtle though they were, and she pointed them out as she noticed them.
<"There's the usual dust and rubble, the scent of sweat, indicating soldiers, and gunpowder... Then there's... tomatoes? Dry tomatoes, by the smell of it, and maybe no good. Then... let's see... ah, there's the sewer, although that likely doesn't contain clean water. There's the scent of wet steel close to it, and stale vapour...">
The Mightyena opened her eyes.
<"That must be where fresh water flows out of a pipe and cascades into a sewer,"> she concluded. <"I'll track that scent as we head into the city. It's a hard smell to detect in the first place, and nigh impossible if it's covered up by stronger odours, but provided my senses don't fail me, it's there.">

Just then, Artemis glimpsed something purple floating near the wall behind which the city stood. Recognising it as Laverne, she stood stiff, her tail twitching as it always did when she noticed something. She glanced at Lupin, who seemed to be giving her a look of warning.
Right, if I call out to her, soldiers might hear me, she thought. My guess is that she's scouting the area. That's something I normally do... then again she's harder to see and won't make any footsteps.
For a moment Artemis felt a little jealous, but then she remembered that Laverne didn't have her keen sense of smell, honed through many other scouting ventures. Indeed, the true reason why she was loyal to Lupin, despite her independent nature, was that she believed he could help her grow stronger. Before meeting him, she had thought that she was better off alone, but over time she began to see the virtue in companionship... It was a virtue that Lupin and Yamiko were beginning to see as well, especially in each other.

After a while, Laverne returned. Knowing that the trainers would not be able to understand her if she spoke to them, instead she formed a small ball of shadow energy in front of her, and with the force of her mind, kneaded it like a piece of dough. Then she made the mass take a small human shape, a shape that paced around with a machine gun perched on its shoulder. Then she reformed the shape into four human shapes. One was peering inside a hole, another was breaking a box with a crowbar, another was climbing around an invisible obstacle course, and the fourth was examining a wine bottle. Around these shapes was a thin square. The expression on her face grew a bit happier at the second image, and she mused a string of "Mis"es as she did so.

Yamiko nodded, having interpreted the images. This was how Laverne communicated with her, and she got to practise shaping her attacks in the process--a double deal. "Hm, I think this means that although there a few soldiers walking about and keeping an eye out for enemies, most of them are busy looting."
Laverne nodded, indicating that that was correct. Then she continued, this time shaping the shadowy mass into a drop of water. She made this drop of water fall to the ground, where it snaked along the ground in a stream. Near the stream she set up the faint outline of a building.
"Water running alongside the building?" Yamiko interpreted.
The shadowy mass then became a skull and crossbones, which slowly shook from side to side.
"That shaking indicates a maybe," Yamiko explained. "So the water may be poisonous. Or just dirty."
The last image Laverne showed consisted of a person-like figure walking up to a door, inserting a knife into the lock and jiggling it, opening the door, and turning into a downwards arrow. This arrow morphed into several drops of water falling down to the ground, where they manished in a shadowy mist.
"This image is pretty self-explanatory," Yamiko mentioned. "Although Laverne sounded uncertain about it. Apparently there's a locked door somewhere that leads to some underground place where there may be water."
"Laverne should know by now that that's not how I pick a lock," Lupin commented, more to himself than anything else. "Yet this got the message across better."

At this point, Velvet was sitting at Syterion's feet, pointing at the town with her forked tail.
"Fi, fi!" she said impatiently to the others.

 

[Nano5002]

"Yes, the world of particles is a small one, and a simple one, but it is fascinating how changes in it is the capability of anything from turning a solid to a liquid, to unleashing the mighty power of the split atom. Also, if one was skilled as my teacher, one can create solid figures from the very air, manipulating it as if it were a marionette. Alas, I am not nearly that skilled yet, and I likely never will be," mused Mackenzie, tossing the little piece of stone in the air again.

"Very well, thank you Artemis, and if it comes down to it I'm sure Mackenzie would be able to purify some water. It would take quite some time, however, to purify enough for all of us," said Syterion.

Mackenzie looked up and around, hearing something in the distance. He turned and looked to the source, seeing a figure in the distance, shouting at them. From the other cries he supposed the second figure on the shoulder of the first was a Weavile. He waved to them, but had the discretion not to shout, lest the looting soldiers hear them.

 

[LugiaFreak]

Lilah saw one of the Trainers wave at her, and she could feel Weavile's grip on her shoulder tighten. "Don't worry," Lilah said quietly. "We're only talking to these people so we can either try and figure out what's going on, or find some food." Although Weavile gave a slight nod, her grip didn't loosen as Lilah neared the group.

The other members of the group glanced at Lilah for a moment as she quickly introduced herself to everyone. She then turned to the Trainer who had waved to her and didn't waste any time getting to the point.

"I'm Lilah, and this is my Pokémon Weavile." Gesturing to Weavile, Lilah added, "Don't approach her. She isn't one to trust other people." Weavile's fur bristled as Lilah stroked her, continuing, "I assume, since you all appear to not be soldiers and have Pokémon, that you awoke here a few days ago without remembering how you got here? Or am I the only one?"

 

[Nano5002]

"Correct. We are making way to yonder city, where we plan to find things needed for survival. I'm surprised to find yet another person with pokemon in this godforsaken land of war and destruction. I am known as Mackenzie, I am a traveling magician," said Mackenzie, with his usual bow, "it is a pleasure to meet you. Now, there are soldiers nearby, and I should think alerting them to be quite unwise."

 

[Ninetales1]

OOC: I can't wait for Dream any longer... time to post.
IC:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Yamiko looked at Lilah and her beloved Weavile, she got a feeling that the two shared a very close bond. In fact, for a brief moment, that bond reminded her of the bond she and Lupin seemed to be forming. One where neither can do without the other, one where each gets protective of the other... It was also the kind of bond Yamiko remembered having with her father, and with Velvet as well. Perhaps this was the bond known as true love... but love is a complicated concept anyway, so maybe that wasn't so.

"Has Weavile been through lots of misfortune in the past?" Yamiko asked, "That usually makes one less... trusting... of... bah, that was a stupid question." Yamiko bowed her head in embarrassment.
"That's probably why we don't easily trust others either," Lupin said matter-of-factly.
So far I don't really trust the lot of these other people here, he thought, save maybe for Mackenzie. Still, I should be wary of him.

At this point, Yamiko thought it was high time these trainers formed a plan to explore the city, and to work out some details of that plan. So far the group had no idea how to approach the city, for instance. For a moment she paused and took a look around. This group consisted of six people: herself and Lupin, Mackenzie, Iyo, Ryu, and Lilah. Looking around at the Pokemon, Yamiko saw her and Lupin's own Pokemon--a Mightyena, Mismagius, and Espeon. She saw the others' Pokemon: a Gallade, Weavile, Raichu, Eevee, Torkoal, Poliwrath, and Riolu--making ten Pokemon in all. (Or twelve if one can count Rigel and Jolini, who were in their Pokeballs.) Overall, it seemed like a good group, provided no one acted stupid.

Just then, as if their brains were connected, Yamiko and Lupin came up with roughly the same idea at the same time. Yamiko whispered something in Lupin's ear, and he nodded, agreeing with her, and mentioning he has just been thinking relatively the same thing. The two looked at each other for a while, and then Lupin spoke to all trainers present.
"All right, since it has been suggested many times that we shall all stick together for now, it's high time we come up with a rough plan of how to go about this, and enter the city."
Just then, the sun emerged from behind the cloud of ash, causing Lupin to squint for a brief moment. Muttering some sort of malediction under his breath, he took a small black umbrella out of his pocket, unfolding it and holding it above and slightly behind his head.
"No, it isn't raining," he continued, sounding a little bit annoyed, "it's just that I hate it when the sunlight gets bright like this. My guess is it will be noon in an hour or two. Now, based on certain presumptions, the soldiers are continuing to loot the city, and eventually there will be nothing left for us."
"So what I was thinking," Yamiko added, "was that since it looks like we'll be staying here for a while, probably in the cellar Mackenzie mentioned, and since it's unlikely that the soldiers will return to that cellar, we should gather whatever we can find that seems useful in the city, then head to the cellar. It might be wise for some of us to lead the soldiers elsewhere, to distract them while we do some looting for ourselves, and head to the water source my Mismagius showed us about. We're likely to find bottles and other containers along the way. But we have to hurry, before everything is taken by the soldiers."

Just then, Laverne floated over, sounding excited.
<"Hey, I can distract the soldiers! I can scare them, in fact, away from places with resources and such. Plus, if I drain the fear out of them, they'll have less energy to go looking for things. I don't advise fighting them, of course, because they likely have guns with them. Not that they'll affect me, but...">
"I think I know what you're thinking," Yamiko mentioned, cracking a smile. "I don't know how easy those soldiers are to scare, but as long as you stay relatively invisible, you should be fine."

"One thing we probably should do, quickly though," Lupin suggested to the group, "is get to know each other just a little bit better. Such a thing really helps in a group effort. So, why don't we go around and get an overview of each other's skills and experience, including those of our Pokemon--anything that could help us on this venture. Keep in mind, what we're about to embark on is, simply put, a stealth mission. We'd be doing a lot of sneaking about in that city, and finding things like food and other resources--although we already have a rough idea of where the water is. If any of you or any of your Pokemon have any skills relating to scouting, sneaking, looting, distracting, and such, it's in your best interest to mention it."

Yamiko decided to start that process. "Well, I'm Yamiko and this here is Lupin. That Mightyena there is Artemis; here's Laverne, my Mismagius, and Velvet, my Espeon. Lupin also has an Arcanine, but he's not really suited for missions like this, as he's a bit noisy and impatient, albeit reliable. All of us have experience with stealth missions like this, and are good at sneaking about, although we are a bit more used to doing this at night. We're nocturnal, and I guess one reason why we're so anxious to go is because our usual bedtime is drawing near. I, erm... am good at hiding, and, er... well, Laverne loves to scare people, and is good at staying somewhat invisible. Velvet could be useful for detecting the presence of soldiers, and anything requiring telekinesis... and Laverne can cause some pretty good distractions. And Lupin here is very skilled with his hands, and can very well pick a lock or maybe even disable an electronic device if need be."

"Now now Yamiko, don't flatter me," Lupin said, sounding very slightly embarrassed but keeping his usual serious tone of voice. "One thing I do have experience with is looting, and I'd like to do some of my own once we get into the city. May I also add at this point that since we don't entirely trust each other yet, it's okay if some of us go off on our own for a while. Let's not leave the city, though. We should stick together and find the cellar first, so that we can make it our meeting place. Plus, if any of us get lost, Artemis can probably find us and bring us back together, maybe."

"Now what about everyone else?" Lupin asked the group.

 

[Devon2393]

Name: Leafy
Pokemon: Lefeon
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Appearance: HT 3'03 WT 56.2 lbs. Brown with green tiped ears and tail and a leaf growing out of the forehead.
personality: Highly Energetic quite at times shy around its own species but opens up to humans Backround: When he was a small eevee he was left behind by his pack in Eterna Forest forst to survive and train on his own now Leafy wont allow hiself to trust his own kind.
Moves: Leaf Blade, Protect, Sunny Day, Synthesis
Special Skills: Leaf Guard-Prevents Status problems in sunny weather

 

[Ninetales1]

OOC: Erm, Devon? I know I'm not the creator of this RPG, but I can see right now that unless you make lots of improvements on your signup, you're not going to be accepted. First of all, your Personality and Background are way too short, and you should leave a space between the two sections. Second, an ability hardly counts as a special skill; it's something all Leafeon can do. He's going to need one or two extra skills in order to survive--especially in a world where people don't take kindly to Pokemon.