Operation: Maledict

[Yrie]

Reily and Raichu were nearly at Hearthome, but the sky had darkened and it was more difficult to see in the dark. Reily looked above as they passed a tree, studying its branches, as if trying to draw some conclusion by looking at the large, thick branches of the tree. Suddenly, she grabbed a lower one, and with one fluid movement, she hoisted herself up onto the tree branch. Moving carefully from branch to branch, each foot carefully placed to avoid falling, she selected a thick, lower branch, which was forked, the arrangements of branches provided the ideal bed for sleeping. Reily knew many trainers preferred to sleep on the ground, camp out, as they called it, rather than in a tree, but Reily disliked sleeping that way, and she was protected by the thick branches of the tree she had selected if it rained. Few raindrops ever reached her, as she had found a way to make a sort of roof with a picnic blanket thing, though in the morning the slick leaves would be laden with water droplets, and it took only a small rustle of the branches in order to disturb the perfect droplets, which then rained down upon her. She preferred it anyway, though she always carefully selected the tree, the branches had to be thick enough to provide adequete protection from the rain, must have a arrangement of branches that would surround her and keep her from falling off during the night, though the chances of that happening were low anyway, so accustomed she had become to this. Reily looked down at Raichu, who nodded and followed her, taking the same path she had taken. Reily hung her backpack from a seperate branch, removing the sleeping bag. It was lightweight and waterproof, folding up into a small bundle, and yet it was very comfortable, either that or Reily really did become someone who enjoyed sleeping out in the rough, though, in truth, it wasn't that rough.


"Hey, look!" Reily exclaimed, as she lay the sleeping back on top of the branches, trying to arrange them and hook them together with string she had packed to form a sort of leafy, or rather, woody, nest. Not very good, but it wasn't too bad either. She pulled out a small, waterproof, and yet soft, blanket, arranging it to make a bed for Raichu. Anyone else who ever head of how they slept when they were a distance from the pokemon center would have thought it unrealistic, and Reily guessed she could understand that. Right now, she was pointing to a couple of branches above them, on which a Hoothoot was perched. "How cute!" She tied a waterproof picnic blanket to the branch above them by tying strings with weights onto each corner, and wrapping the string a few times around a branch to secure it. The weights, which weren't very heavy, weren't exactly a pain to carry, but it was worth it, especially when it rained.


At last Reily climbed into the sleeping bag, and Raichu settled into its nest, fixed in another "bundle" of branches close by. Though it always took Reily several minutes to drift off to sleep, Raichu could fall asleep in moments. Finally, Reily found her eyelids getting heavy, and eventually they closed as she sank into sleep.


Where am I? Reily muttered, finding herself staring at a dark red sky, blood red, not a single cloud, there was no sign of the moon or sun, and there were no stars. Very strange, I suppose, Reily thought with a yawn, but I'll wake up and it'll all be a dream. She could tell when she was dreaming, she didn't know how, she just could. Though it was dark, she could just barely make out a figure in the darkness. Curiousity grabbed hold of her and she approached the figure cautiously, she caught a glimpse of a beautiful girl with darker hair, though it might have been blonde, she couldn't tell, and pale skin that seemed to inhibit a sort of glow. Reily couldn't imagine who she might be, but pulled her gaze from the girl to notice her surroundings for the first time. No trees obscured the sky, it seemed to be miles of barren wasteland, which might have once have been farmland, judging from what seemed to be a corral, with broken posts and fencing. Dust rose in a swirling cloud from the ground as she scuffed it nervously, Reily found herself approaching the girl, who seemed to take no notice of her, and she saw that in her hand, the girl held a ring, the band was a pure, ebony black, and it is set with a large crystalline stone. It was a clear blue color, yet the stone itself was opaque, and shone with the radiance of...Reily didn't know, the sun or moon maybe, she had never been a poetic person. Just then, the girl opened her mouth, a plea for help issues from it. At first, Reily couldn't understand what she was saying, and then the words began to make sense to her. Please, help me! Fuchsia City! Repeated over and over, Reily can hear the words clearly now, but she just becomes more and more perplexed. Just then, the earth and sky began to darken, and she found herself sinking into velvety of blackness. Nothing visible to her, she can't even see the hand in front of her face. At that moment, the darkness is punctured by a glowing pair of red eyes, they appeared to belong to a Pokemon, and Reily thought that there was something otherworldly about them. A demonic, low voice issued from its unseen mouth, repeating something over and over, Reily shivered, uneasy, fear beginning to tug at her insides, as the words repeated over and over, like a broken record, they began to get clearer, she could understand them.


"I am Maledict."

"Raichu rai!" Raichu was shaking Reily over and over, and Reily opened her eyes groggily. Reily sat up abruptly, and Raichu grasped onto the branch to avoid being knocked off the tree.


"Oh my gosh! Oh..sorry, Raichu, I really am. But I had the strangest dream last night." She went on to describe her dream in great detail, Raichu listened patiently, though without a look of distinct puzzlement. Reily, after decribing her dream, stopped to catch her breath before leaping into action, repacking everything, which only took a few minutes, and then leapt down from the tree branch, which was close to the ground anyway, followed closely by Raichu. She ran forward in the direction of Hearthome City, Raichu running alongside her. Finally, she stopped to catch her breath.


"But Fuschia City is in the Kanto or Johto Region, I can't remember!" Reily gasped, clutching her side, "I have no clue how to get there, we're all the way in Sinnoh! We'd have to get to the Hoenn Region, then take another boat or something to the Kanto/ Johto Region, and heaven knows how long that could take!" As they crossed the next hill, Reily gasped, just barely able to refrain from crying out in surprise and pity. Sprawled out on the road in front of her, clearly injured and in pain, was an Absol. One of the rarest pokemon in the world, though far less rare than legendary pokemon.


"Oh, the poor pokemon!" Reily cried, her pity for the pokemon getting the best of her, as she ran over to the Absol at full speed, followed, as usual, by Raichu, who looked concerned, though slightly apprehensive at the same time. The Absol, who had spotted them, raised its head slightly, though it growled as it laid its head back down. Reilyl took a first aid kit out of her backpack, something her mom had insisted she take along and keep full of supplies when she had first started her journey, and she was glad that she had listened, though she would have brought one anyway, probably. She cleaned a long gash in the Absol's front leg and wrapped a gauze bandage around the wound, ignoring its growl of pain. She secured the bandage with some surgical tape, and then poured out some water from the water bottle in her backpack into her cupped hand, and held it out to the Absol, willing it to drink the water before it all seeped through the cracks between her fingers. To her surprise, the Absol lifted its head and lapped up what was left of the water. Guess he...or she...must be pretty desperate. I feel so sorry for it, I wonder what could have happened.


Raichu conversed with the Absol, seeming to accept its answers in grunts and growls, as Reily cleaned and bandaged the rest of the wounds. She poured some more water out onto her hand for the Absol to drink, and only after she had given it some pokemon food from a canister, which wasn't as good as the types she usually carried, but which the Absol ate gratefully. She couldn't believe how...willing the Absol was to cooperate with her attempts to at least clean and bandage her wounds, then again, the pokemon was hurt pretty badly, he must have had no other option. Only after the Absol had eaten did she stop to decide what to do next.


"Wait, Absol are the disaster pokemon, so do you mean that you are here to warn Hearthome about a coming disaster?" Reily asked the Absol, who merely stared at her with deep, untelling eyes.


"Never mind. Let's get you to a Pokemon Center, I know I didn't really do everything professionally, but Nurse Joy will be able to heal you." She took out her phone, hitting the button that said "Pokemon Center." She stated the location of the pokemon center that she wanted to contact, and listened as Nurse Joy answered with the typical.

"Hello, Hearthome City Pokemon Center."


"Um, hello, I found an injured Absol in the road near Hearthome, about two miles south of Hearthome, in fact, it had a couple gashes and cuts, mostly on its legs and sides, I bandaged them, but its really poorly done, considering me. Do you think-?" She got that far before Nurse Joy interrupted.

"Well be there in a couple of minutes."

Sure enough, true to her word, three minutes later a van bearing the trademark "P" on it pulled up near Reily, Raichu, and Absol. Nurse Joy jumped out of the drivers seat.

"I left Blissey in charge of the pokemon center for the moment. Let's get Absol into the back of the van. A couple of Chanseys jumped out, and removed a cot from the back of the van. Faster than anyone Reily had ever seen, they somehow got the growling Absol onto the cot and into the back of the van, which was empty, allowing room for the Chanseys, the cot, which now had Absol lying on it, and a few people. Reily and Raichu climbed into the back at Nurse Joy's invitation, along with the Chanseys, and they set off towards the Pokemon Center, Reily and Raichu spoke gently with Absol the entire time to reassure it. As the van pulled up at the back of the Pokemon Center, the Chanseys wheeled the cot through a door and disappeared, Nurse Joy said it would be easier to go through the front entrance, which Reily did, and sat down on one of the comfortable, squashy, chairs, left to think about her dream in peace, while Raichu took a nap. They both waited anxiously to hear anything about the Absol.

 

[Legend]

OOC: I filled this post with a few assumptions so if I am horribly wrong and take too many liberties with the law that has been set forth, please tell me and I will edit accordingly.

Malic's incredible pace was eventually halted as he entered the city limits of Lavender Town. The scope of the tower that he could even see from Saffron was almost majestic, far greater than the buildings and "skyscrapers" of Goldenrod. He was unsure of its function at this point, due the recent rumors of the structure being a radio tower. Due to his studies, he had read that it was a tribute to the dead Pokemon which explained Lavender Town's solemn atmosphere, after all it being a town of mourners and religious advocates. At this point, the tower appeared to be a hybrid, having several electronic tools sticking out of every floor and a large antenna at the top, but the ancient feel of the building remained. The only rational explanation was that the tower was becoming the radio tower, probably to compete with Goldenrod's service. Shades of purple covered nearly building and a heavy sad aura seemed to loom overhead and a chilly gust from the south made the entire town less comforting. Malic had no desire to remain here for long as he felt that at any moment, a zombie or some undead creature would leap out and consume him whole. Despite his better judgment, he chose to rest at the Pokemon Center and confirm his route towards Fuchsia and better prep himself for the run. If the dream was a true vision, similar to his experiences in Sinnoh, a calm walk would prove fatal. He removed his jacket and t-shirt, revealing only a muscle shirt with a pale complexion. His scarred, toned body likely woo'ed a few women as desperate sighs could be heard in the background. Choosing to leave his jeans on, Malic uncovered a Ipod-like device and headphones and placed him in his year to listen to some Alternative Rock, the only real music left in the world. Packing the rest of his stuff, Malic jogged down the southern route.

Unlike Lavender Town, the southern route was not a horrifying experience, but in fact a calming stress free environment. The first part was primarily composed of docks and wooden boards, providing a easy jog. With a cooling breeze and fishermen at several posts stalking the local fish begging to their gods for a decent catch to make their lives worthwhile, the serene feel of the eastern part of Kanto put a smile on Malic's face. The environment, however, was not immortal and Malic had to meet reality. Soon a wood land region conquered the sea-based route and Malic was soon surrounded by hopefuls, trainers who thought that had met the best and beat the rest. Halting his stride for a bit, Malic summoned Garchomp to the field and walked briskly through the forest of trainers. Most had parted the way, clearing a path as if Malic had the powers of Moses. Even the "epic" battles between Spearows and Pidgeys had taken long pauses to admire the aura that the fearsome Garchomp emitted. With that out of the way, the rest was clear and Malic came around the last bend of his marathon and reached Fuschia's limits.

OOC: I was going to end here, but wow. Way too short for this RP.

His run took several hours, more than he hoped. By the time he had actually, arrived the sun started bidding farewell to the world and resting its rays for the next day. That prevented him from many options, especially for food and shelter. Never mind his search for Charlie, which would be hurt by his own fatigue. The first thing Malic did upon his arrival was hit the nearest cafe (again) in order to relax, cool down, and ponder about his next move. Considering he ran a considerable distance, Malic's ability to think clearly was severely damaged. The runner's high had to remove itself from his being and he required several galloons of water and a few pounds of food to refill his empty tanks. Money was not a problem for Malic (OOC: First time for any of my characters). And with that mentality, he spoiled himself to quality Kanto food, mostly lunch-like foods considering he was at a Cafe, even at the later hours of the evening. Consuming several Kanto Special Sandwichs and a few liters of spring water, Malic had a full stomach and satisfied well-being. He paid with great care, and not to mention a generous tip which likely made the waiter's night.

Malic found a fine Inn that evening, if minimal requirements equal quality. The dream distracted his ability to rest well that night so Malic chose to do an odd behavior for one of his character: Mediate. He rarely had the patience to actually focus and clear his mind, but for the current situation he had found himself in, mediation seemed like a grand idea. Malic focused on the dream trying to find clues as to where in the city limits could Charlie be. As unreliable dreams are, it was the only amount of "evidence" he had and the only hints he could muster up. Remembering the principal images of the environment, Malic tossed away the empty blood red sky and the various words that carried with the wind. Focus Malic, Focus! Sky...no. Empty world...no. Farm....maybe? Ending his train of thought, Malic pondered on the idea of a farm. Staring out the singular window of his room, Malic saw the sky beginning to darken but he chose to bolt the door anyway and search the city. Common sense, told him that most farms would be outside the central part of the city. Normally he would ask for assistance with questions like "Hey. Have you seen a girl that resembled blah blah blah?" but Malic knew it wasn't in her character to blantly reveal her appearance if she was in trouble. After leaving the central section of the city that felt like a city, Malic toured the outskirts.

Losing track of time, Malic grabbed an old stick and called out Bagon. His baby Pokemon, Bagon was well-breed and capable of forming a small fire to work with to light a torch to see in the endless abyss of darkness. He chose to leave Bagon out his ball, hoping he would detect something that could lead him to Charlie. He had no belongings of hers, after all she didn't like Malic that much and leaving no impression on her, she didn't particularly leave him with a parting gift. As a result, using Bagon as a tracker was out of his idea pool. Malic was not skilled in tracking like a park ranger would have been, so he could not rely on those abilities either. For him, it was guess and check and with so many buildings spread out, it was like find a needle in a haystack. A cold wind swept Malic and put on his shirt and jacket to keep warm. It was too late to continue, but he had one farm that seemed to call out to him. Like a force pulling him towards it (OOC: I hope I worked in Ring idea). Unable to explain it, Malic had a difficult time resisting its orders, even with all his rational thought telling him to leave the farmhouse that most horror movies seem to center around.

"Strange. Hey Bagon. Lets check this old place out." Malic called. His approach was loud and uncaring, as Malic did not expect to meet anyone. His torch was bright against the night sky. In other words, Malic's stride towards the old, prehistoric farm was that of a juggernaut ready to stomp his way through the building.

 

[LaurenLOVESTONED]

Charlie pressed her pale, sweaty cheek onto the rough material of the potato sack and sighed a long, sad sigh. She was moping; she knew it and she wasn't about to deny it.
Arlene has returned from her shopping expedition hours before, but Charlie still hadn't eaten. She wasn't used to pining like this, it was all too familiar. After her mother died she had sunken into a pit of despair, sinking deeper every day, sinking alone. But when she moved to Snowpoint she was able to pull herself out of her misery.

'When will I be able to escape here again?' She asked herself, whilst looking out the window onto the barren fields.
Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit her violently, and she quickly found a bucket to throw up in.
Arlene was soon there, having heard her retch; she patted Charlie's back comfortingly.

"Are you okay," Arlene asked, as Fate, Kismet and Vulpix joined them in the room.
Charlie shrugged and looked away, trying to hide her oncoming tears.

'Why am I crying?' She asked herself angrily, I haven't been wearing the stupid ring.
Vulpix ran to Charlie's side and placed her head lovingly on her trainers lap, Charlie absentmindedly scratched at Vulpix's ears, still staring out the window, as if it held answers to all of her questions.

"You should probably eat something now, if the nausea's passed, I don't want you getting…" she trailed off and then looked up suddenly, her ears pricked and nostrils flared.

"What?" Charlie asked, her mood shifted quickly from upset to worried.

"Shh… Hide the ring," Arlene hissed, her voice low and quiet, reaching for her rifle. Charlie nodded and picked the ring on its cord up from the floor and put it on, slipping it under her plain grey t-shirt, pressing it against her pale skin. Instantly, she felt the rings great burden, as if she had never taken it off. It pulled on her neck, on her chest, her head, her heart, but it was a burden she liked. She felt weary and drained, but happy that she was connected with the ring once more.

Arlene skulked out of the room with a passing glance at Fate which said 'protect them with your life'
Charlie's heart began to beat, rapidly, she was so tempted to slip the ring on, so that if the assassins had returned, she could at least die in a drunken stupor, the way she almost had before.

Don't be silly, she told herself, Arlene is more than capable of protecting me.
She listened, her ears trained for the sound of conflict, for the scuffling of feet, grunting, the sounds of weapons being fired.
Nothing. Silence. And then…

"Malic?!" Charlie heard a muffled voice cry. Charlie was immediately puzzled, Malic was one of the trainers she had travelled with in Sinnoh. What would he be doing here, last time Charlie had heard the trainer had used his impressive dragon Pokemon to take over Blackthorn City Gym.
Charlie stood up and made her way to the door, swaying slightly, exhausted from the nausea and ring, closely followed by Fate.

In the front room of the old, decrepit house Arlene stood with Snake and a tall, built man with brown hair, a Bagon at his side. She wrinkled her forehead in frustration, trying to remember.
His face was a collection of scars and bruises, 'were they there last time I saw him,' Charlie asked herself, truly puzzled.
She tilted her blonde haired head and looked at him, inspecting him, trying to recall anything about him. She stopped as the pair and their Pokemon turned to look at her, their faces both filled with concern and confusion, for different reasons.

"Malic?" Charlie asked, her voice tentative "What are you doing here? How did you find us?"


OOC= I apologise for the lack of italics for Charlie's thoughts. My computer isn't working >.<

 

[Stantler]

The Dream

A dream was bestowed upon Jay the night he left Celadon City. A dream that he may never forget. A dream of a old relic house under a blood shot sky. A girl that he felt he met before screaming for him, demanding help. Asking for him to come to Fuschia City. And there a ring that seemed so dark yet beautiful was placed in front of his eyes with the name "Maledict." burned within his mind.

"Maledict."

That is the name the voice gave itself. ​

Jay traveled the Kanto region far and wide. Winning badges from Cerulean all the way to Celadon City where he traveled down to Fuschia City using Cycle Road, from his recently acquired blue sport bike he received back in Cerulean.

Cycle Road was a pleasant trip and it felt good being smacked by the ocean breeze as he cycled down. Kanto is a beautiful region, though Jay couldn't shake off the feeling that loomed over him. Something was making him go to Kanto, though he couldn't put his finger on it, but the dream feels like it has something to do with it. Jay then started to think of the girl in his dream. She seemed so familiar and felt as if she played a large role within the memories of Sinnoh that he could not remember well.

As Jay came to Fuschia, he found it to be a large city but it was also very rural, it was an interesting combination for a city. There was much open land and the buildings were spread out giving a good view of Kanto country-side. It reminded him of Northern Sinnoh and how the towns there were more of villages and how beautiful they were.

Jay then heard of the safari-zone, a place to find many Kanto Pokémon, the perfect opportunity to discover more of what this region has to offer. He became excited and decided to go there right away. He didn't have much luck as Jay found catching Pokémon without weakening it to be very difficult. Though he did manage to catch a Nidorina all by luck. Unfortunately this was the only Pokémon he was able to capture, but he did not leave angry, he was happy. Whatever happened to him in Sinnoh has left our trainer here to be a more and happier person, and this only made him want to capture more Pokémon.

As he left the safari-zone he saw an old farm across from him, its fences were broken and rotten and the clouds started to gather, the day became gray. It was then that Jay realized that this house looks just like the one he dreamed of, and suddenly he felt as if he had to investigate. At first he thought it was pure curiosity but now it was as if there was some sort of force taking him there, luring him to the house. He slowly opened the door and looked around,

"H-hello?" Jay asked as he entered the house, seeing if there were anyone inside...

 

[Legend]

"Hello there." Malic stated directed towards the two women who looked shocked, confused...mostly confused. "Surprised you recognized me. I thought the long hair and painful scar would throw you people off. But it brings such a smile on my face that you actually saw threw my guise," Malic said pointing at his solitary facial hair on his face that streaked down the left side of his face. He had hoped to make a new first impression, one of a more mature and controlled man. In the past, his childish behavior was not very popular and no one from the team bothered to visit him. He felt insulted, but it didn't take long to figure out why. He was annoying. "I have to say, I have seen you two look better. I hope these looks are temporary. Can I come in?" he asked with a slight laugh at the end. At the moment, it seemed only Malic was in a good mood as everyone else seemed on edge, angry, but mostly scared. The two didn't really move so Malic shoved himself through their "wall" and attempted to make himself comfortable. To do that, he forced Bagon to hold the torch for a moment while he took of his jacket and placed it on his heavy backpack, to prevent a meger amount of dirt from collecting on his custom belonging. The jacket was well expensive and its various symbols of dragons and Blackthorn displayed his hometown pride. His built arms, no uncovered, were covered in scars, many of them old, but plenty of fresh ones. At first glance, it appeared he had more scar tissue then regular undamaged skin and even with closer examination, it would be a difficult claim to disprove. His tight-fitting shirt revealed a well-toned torso, a reward for countless hours of hard work. He fixed his necklace to make sure it was laying properly before beginning to check out the pad that Charlie and Arlene dubbed "home". "Not a great place to hang out. You two must be in big trouble," he analyzed after a quick tour of the old farmhouse. After settling down and finishing his scouting for anything redeeming, he recalled the question asked earlier.

"I almost forgot, you guys are probably wondering how I got here. Well it all started in Blackthorn. You probably don't know, since it is mostly Johto news not exactly worldwide, as much I wish it was, but I became the new Gym Leader of Blackthorn City. Clair retired and after much debating and a long series of contests, I won the honor of becoming it. But the life of a Gym Leader got incredibly boring since few notable challenges rose to the occasion. Even with training by Pokemon and body, traveling Johto as a celebrity and working my business as a teacher, I got bored." He paused to lightly cough, smack his chest a bit to clear up his system. "So I tried more extreme stuff. I camped in the wild for days, climbing Mt. Silver and even attempted to tame the Dragons of the den. Still nothing. So I finally was set on traveling. But, I already been to Hoenn and there was no way I was going back to Sinnoh, after what had happened there. You don't need to guess why now do you? The other smaller regions have no competitive base, so it left Kanto." Malic got up from the cold wooden floor and walked over to one of the windows and stared at it before continuing with his slightly egotistical story. "So I flew over to Goldenrod and took the Light rail service to Saffron. There I fell asleep and experienced something that resembled the events that occurred during Sinnoh. A dream, one more frightening that anything I have had the displeasure of having to go through. It began with an ancient farm much like this one, expect an empty red sky overlooked it. There, a singular figure screamed in agony for help, demanding that I come to Fuchsia." He swallowed a bit dramatically, but it seemed to be a necessity at the time. "It faded to black, only for menacing red eyes to appear screaming something with 'Maledict' in it." He turned around to face the pair again.

"Now normally, I ignore these kind of things. I shrug them off as bad memories or something like that," Malic stated scratching his head. "But, this one was different. The figure was you," he solemnly said pointing at Charlie. She seem unstirred and more worried and weak than anything else. "And you were holding a ring. Not the kind of ring that some boyfriend or husband would give to their significant other. It's general look and feel screamed evil." Clearly his statement was a stab at the relationship between Volkner and Charlie, one he assumed was conceived due to her obsessive nature about Sinnoh's electric Gym Leader. "The fact it was you forced me to come here, even it was just some messed up dream. Once I arrived some outside force pulled me to this farm. Past that I cannot explain it." Malic ended his verbose speech.

Then the door opened, revealing an unsure statement. The individual was slow and careful yet tall and curious. Malic assumed it was an enemy and prepared Bagon for an attack. "Looks like we have another visitor."

 

[Yrie]

"Chansey Chansey!" A Chansey suddenly seemed to appear at Reily's sleeve, "Chansey Chansey!" Reily looked down at the Egg pokemon, who seemed to be very pleased about something. She gave the Chansey a questioning glance, and the Chansey nodded. Just then, the sliding doors leading to another part of the building opened with a sound similar to that of a puff of air. Another Chansey appeared, pushing a gurney, on it lay the Absol, only it looked much better now, much less helpless. Its legs were bandaged more professionally, and it gave a small growl of recognition as it spotted Reily.

"Sol…" The Absol leaped down gingerly, limping towards Reily. "Absol…"

"He should be fine now, his wounds, however, seemed to have been caused by something like a knife or blade rather than by tooth and claw. He may have been attacked, and its no surprise, who wouldn't want to capture a pokemon as rare as an Absol?" Nurse Joy said, approaching them.

"Do you think that he might have been here to warn Hearthome of a coming natural disaster?" Reily asked, voicing what she had been thinking.

"No…I don't think so…" Nurse Joy mused, "well, anyways, your Absol's fine now, or, he should be, make sure to give him plenty of food and water, oh, and a lot of rest, he'll need it. Now I've got to get to another trainer, my goodness, his Prinplup looks like its in bad condition." She walked off after giving Reily a small smile.

Absol seemed to have developed a trust in Reily, as it did as she told it to do, which wasn't a lot, but Reily had to admit the Pokemon had begun to grow on her, and in such a short period of time too. Only a couple of hours had passed between the time she and Raichu had found Absol lying on the road and the time that Absol was taken out of…one of the other rooms.

"I guess you'll want to return to wherever you came from…" Reily began to say, and was surprised when Absol shook its head with a small growl.

"Sol…."

"You don't want to return? Why not?"

"Absol, sol." Absol said, almost sadly. (Cast out of my old home, I can't return now.)

Reily didn't understand, surely anyone would be glad to return to their old home? Well, with a few exceptions, but most would like to return, wouldn't they? However, Raichu nodded understandingly, and Reily looked questioningly. Raichu tried to mime Absol being driven out, though it still took many long minutes for Reily to understand.

"Oh…" She didn't know what to say, she had no clue what Absol was feeling, did he do something to get himself driven out? Did he want to be or not? Most likely he didn't want to have been cast out of his old home. She had no idea what she should do, but a moment later Raichu tugged at her sleeve, pointing to her belt where she clipped her pokeballs.

"You want Absol to come with us? But…surely he'd rather have freedom?" She started to say, when Absol nodded in agreement with Raichu. Reily stared for a moment, before a smile started to cross her face. "If you want to come with us, you'd be more than welcome…" My own words make me sound and feel stupid. "Raichu would make sure you're accepted. But are you sure about this?"

Absol nodded seriously, it was beginning to dawn on Reily that Absol was an awfully serious Pokemon, she had yet to see the slightest suggestion of a smile or happiness from Absol.

"Well then," She unhooked a Pokeball from her belt slowly, feeling as if she were performing a ceremony of some sort, and opened it. Absol glowed red before going inside without a struggle. "Poor thing," Reily whispered softly, "cast out of his home." Raichu nodded.

"Chu…"

"Now all that remains is to find some way to get to Fuchsia City, which is…a long way away."

"I know of a ferry that is headed to the Seafoam Islands, part of the Kanto Region in which Fuchsia City is located." A gravelly voice said from behind Reily. Reily whipped around, a toothless old man stood behind her, a smile crinkling the corners of his eyes, as well as the skin around it, which was already crinkled to begin with.

"Oh, really? Leaving from Hearthome, though?" She looked doubtful.

"Oh, no, from Pastoria, you can get a bus to there. Of course, it will still take quite a while to get to Fuchsia City, but…"

"Oh, thank you sir!" Reily cried, "thanks so much!" She rushed out of the Pokemon center, and found a bus schedule in the busy city of Hearthome. It wasn't hard to find the bus that would be leaving soon for Pastoria, and she went to the Bus Terminal as soon as she had found out everything she needed to know. Lucky break, she arrived just in time to catch the bus. Funnily enough, there weren't many people on it, but all of the people on it save for one woman were taking the ferry to the Seafoam Islands.

The ride on the bus was smooth in some parts, bumpy in others, though soon enough they pulled into the Pastoria City Bus Terminal, and the people on the bus filled out quietly. After that, Reily spent some time going to the shops to buy Pokemon Food, she would be able to get a meal on the ferry. Afterward, she traveled to the port from which the ferry would depart, and managed to buy a ticket, even though the person selling them commented that she was extremely lucky, as it was rather late to buy tickets for the ferry.

The loud horn of the ferry greeted Reily as she stood with about one hundred other people who were waiting to board the large boat. People filed in through the two doors, and all of them had settled down when the boat began moving. Immediately, Reily headed up to the upper deck, and let her Pokemon out of their pokeballs, in the designated area (some people who weren't exactly fond of Pokemon didn't like trainers letting them move around the upper deck, so there was an area where letting your Pokemon out was allowed, and another where it wasn't.)

Buizel ran to Reily as soon as it was let out of its pokeball. Reily hugged it, knowing that it was insecure around all the other Pokemon here.

Lucario crossed her arms and stared out over the seemingly endless ocean, not making a sound, and Reily watched it for a moment, before looking over to the other Pokemon.

Raichu, being rather more friendly than some of the other Pokemon on Reily's team, went and began talking to two smaller Pikachu's, of which there was one female and one male.

Absol stayed by Reily's side, as some other trainers spotted it, and stared at the rare Pokemon. He was getting rather annoyed at the unwanted attention, though, as always, he didn't show it. Or refused to, rather.

Dragonair leaped into the ocean upon being let out of the confinements of its pokeball, and it called out happily to Reily as it swam alongside the boat, keeping up very well due to its heightened speed in water.

Meanwhile, Reily kept in eye on all her Pokemon, though she knew that Raichu would assist her in the task, it had always been a job for the two of them, she looked out over the edge of the boat, waved to Dragonair, which was swimming a hundred or so feet away, and wondered how long it would take them to get to the Seafoam Islands. Forever, probably, they were an awfully long way away, and the ferry would make stops at various destinations to allow some people to get off and others to get on.

 

[Midnight Jasper]

This way.

I was in a dark cave. Some sticky, transparent substance covered every stalactite and dripped off them unappetizingly. It was pitch-black, but somehow I knew exactly where to go and exactly where to turn. It was like something was calling to me, beckoning me, showing me a map so I never tripped over or brushed unpleasantly against a slimy surface.

And, suddenly, I was at my journey's end. I looked around, expecting some movement. Something stirred and rose in the darkness. It was a girl, a fragile-looking, pale girl with dark, blonde hair. Her clothes were dark, but now that I thought about it, I wasn't actually focusing on the girl or her hair or her pale, unnatural skin. The cave had disappeared, to be replaced with a corral that looked like it had been unattended for many years. Ivy crawled up the fences and dragged them down; worms burrowed through the wood; the smell of raw, rotting materials was heavy in the air. It was like the scene from a horror movie: the ground was dusty and barren, the sky a pool of blood; there was no comforting orb of light in the sky.

But I focused on none of this. Because then, I saw the ring.

The band was pure black and glowed with a mysterious aura. It was set with a sapphire-blue stone, shining brightly and completely opaque. I looked into it and saw swirling figures, mouths open, eyes full of fear. I heard screams, trapped forever in the crystal. And I heard a scream, a real, piercing shriek, cutting through the air.

The girl was screaming for help. Fuschia City, she said, Fuschia City...come, please, help me, help me, Kotara, help, help, help... I could no longer hear her words. I was staring, once more, at the ring. It seemed to look back at me with its strange blue stone. It, too, was calling to me: Fuschia, Fuschia, Fuschia...

All went black. Two red, bloodthirsty, Pokemon eyes stared at me in the darkness. A low, demonic voice started to speak, sending a chill down my spine. I burst out in a cold sweat and started to shiver. The voice seemed to be talking gibberish, but every syllable vibrated with raw, awesome power. And then, so clearly, so strangely...

"I am Maledict."

I awoke, panting, shivering, the cold dancing across my skin and sapping the warmth away. I could barely feel the hard ground through the chilling numbness of my body. A dark beat pulsed through my head.

I am Maledict...

It was Stelli who brought me out of my waking slumber. She pecked angrily at my arm, opening up a fresh wound. The pain cut through the drowsiness, causing me to cry out. I glared angrily at the Pidgeotto, who glared angrily back. I would have won, but Pokemon have no need to blink.

Irritated, I cast off the tattered blanket that I had slept in and shook out my hair: sometimes bugs crawled into it while I slept. Fuschia...I was there. But where was she? She wasn't in the Safari Zone, for sure. Or at least, not by this pond, where I had been fishing for at least five hours now.

Maybe it was just a dream.

No, not possible. How dark would you have to be to dream about something like that?

Either way, I couldn't ignore it. Something called to me again, like at the beginning of my dream. I wished it had been the screaming girl. I told myself that it was because of the girl, begging for help.

But it wasn't. I knew exactly what I wanted.

The ring.

 

[LaurenLOVESTONED]

"Hello there," Malic said towards Charlie and Arlene, Charlie smiled a puzzled smile, furrowing her brow delicately. Vulpix peered around the corner and surprisingly recognized Malic, moving silently through the room the red fox Pokemon approached the trainers Bagon and sniffed the dragon Pokemon calmly.
She and Arlene exchanged amused looks, and Charlie felt lighter than she had in days, despite the burden of the ring.

"Can I come in?" Malic asked, laughing slightly, gesturing to the broken down home.

"Of course," Charlie replied, her voice still tired and drained. Arlene however was still tense, and she looked through the murky windows, her ears still pricked, her stance still alert. Charlie found this curious, but her focus was interrupted by Malic launching into a story about his experiences since Mount Coronet.

"I had heard about you becoming a gym leader," Charlie gave Malic a wan smile "Congrats." Volkner had told Charlie about his promotion one day over dinner. Charlie had wrinkled her brow, and told Volkner the name seemed familiar, and then shrugged and the two had continued to eat.

Malic continued with his story, explaining his dream. Charlie listened, becoming more and more interested and also more confused. And then Malic mentioned the ring.

"What?!" Charlie cried, snapping her head up to shoot a panicked look at Arlene.
Charlie slipped her hand into her shirt and felt for the ring dangling between her breasts, causing Malic to raise his eyebrows in interest and amusement.
Arlene was still quiet, and Charlie began to pull on the ring through her layers of clothing and then she felt a paw clamp down on her arm.

"Stop it," Arlene hissed "We can't trust anyone with this." She stood in front of Charlie, Arlene's furry frame blocking Malic from Charlie's view.

"But he dreamt about it," Charlie protested, her voice panicked and low "He knows about it, we can't lie. He's come all this way." Vulpix had returned to Charlie's side, feeling her trainers sudden anxiety, she pressed her face comfortingly against Charlie's leg.

Arlene seized Charlie's upper arms in both her paws and looked into Charlie's eyes, her own emerald green eyes blazing intently "We can lie," she whispered, her voice only audible to her friend. Charlie nodded, she trusted Arlene. She didn't distrust Malic, not at all, but at the same time she barely knew him.
Arlene turned back to Malic, as if the private encounter hadn't taken place.

"We don't know what you're talking about," she told Malic, her voice even and level.

"But thanks for coming all this way," Charlie said to Malic with a smile "It was kind of you to worry. You're welcome to stay for dinner if you like," she offered kindly.
Arlene shrugged; she was so distracted it worried Charlie. She wondered what Arlene could hear with her keen, canine senses.

"Volkner told me about your promotion," Charlie said to Malic, desperate to make him feel comfortable "I live with him in Sunnyshore City," she explained with a smile.

Before Malic could reply she heard footsteps on the worn, creaky wooden stairs which led to the front door. Before Charlie could even take a breath, Arlene launched into her action, her rifle raised, ready to shoot the intruder, and then slipped out the side door.
Charlie immediately began to panic in her mind, she looked at Malic, her eyes wide and fearful, trying to shoot looks that would ensure protection from him if she needed it. Charlie had never needed protection before, but something about the ring made her feel so vulnerable and fragile. She hated it, but she couldn't bear to part from the ring.

Outside Charlie could hear stammering and Arlene's puzzled voice, the door creaked upon and Arlene appeared with a tall stranger in blue, rubbing his head.

"Ow-ow," he murmured, fiddling with his long blue striped scarf.

This was an intruder who Charlie recognized. It was Jay, from their adventure through Sinnoh. They're met in Eterna City, but technically knew each other from before, having gone to the same school in Snowpoint City, they'd just never talked.
During their journey they were both transpored to Lake Valor together, where Charlie had badly injured herself. Jay had taken her to a doctor and then travelled to Sunnyshore City, bringing Volkner back with him for Charlie to meet. The two had been together ever since and Charlie would've been eternally grateful to Jay if he had not of disappeared that day, leaving Charlie abandoned in a strange hotel.
Charlie was absolutely furious.

But her anger was forgotten as she leapt across the room and threw her arms around Jay, hugging him tight.
She let him go from her strong embrace and looked at him fondly, finally speaking
"Jay!" she cried, a broad grin stretched across her face "How did you get here?"

 

[Stantler]

The House

Jay crept in the house, leaving his bike outside. He looked around, it seemed deserted. He kept on looking around, moving slowly until he made a creaking noise with his feet as he stepped on a loose wooden board of the floor. He looked up and saw what looked to be an orange Lucario smack him right over the head. Jay was dragged up the stairs, stubbing his feet along the steps as he finally was led to a room with two other trainers.

"Ow-ow" Jay muttered as he rubbed his head and looked around, they all seemed happy to see him and they all looked very familiar, as if he saw them in another life time. Just then one of the trainers rushed off from her bed and hurried over to him, giving him a nice tight hug. Jay blushed and wrapped a single arm around her lightly,

"Jay!" she cried out for him happily, "How did you get here?" Jay's eye twitched for a moment,

Jay.....

..................Jay.....

JAY........

"Hey, Hey you! Jay"

Jay?​

Jay!​

"I'm sorry that I left you alone."

All of you....

...Jay..... Jay.... Jay....Jay...Jay

And in this brief second, Jay seemed to remember things, things that his mind kept deep within his soul, hidden because it hurt so much. But the truth now made him happy. The whole Sinnoh adventure. He looked at everyone as he released himself from Charlie and narrowed his eyes and then smiled,

"Hello... Charlie." He smiled, a trait he never used to show, "Glad to see you all also. Happy to see my friends again." He cheerfully said and then looked around, inspecting the room.

"Yes, we are friends... this I do believe." He said, at this moment his voice seemed distant, and yet brand new. It was the same Jay from before, but something about him seemed more human. He turned and watched how everyone looked at him in awe, how he changed drastically, "So... why are we in a broken down house again?" he asked looking around still, getting familiar with his new surroundings.

 

[CTFx]

Jack woke up. He didnt recognize where he was, it was an old dusty plain.

"Wheres Makuhita, Vigoroth, and that Charmander?" He looked around, it was odd. Where was his bed? Where was...anything. He spun around completely. There was a house in the distance. Not a house...but a ranch.

He began to run towards it, it was the only building that stretched on for miles. Maybe he could see whats going on. He could see the House now, it was old, obviously abandoned.

A broken fence of barbed wire encircled the entire ranch, and wooden fences created a maze to the porch of the house. He hopped the barbed wire, and began walking up to the steps of the house. The blue sky began to change. It was...odd. He sat there waiting, there was nobody.

"Hello?" He cried into nowhere, "Is anyone there!?"

No response. He turned around, looking at the barbed wire he just hopped, and millions of stretching nowhere.

He fell to his knees. His heart raced like never before. What was this...madness? Was this a mind trance? WHERE WAS HE!?

He felt a cold hand of air, reach and choke his neck. Someone was behind him. Hid heart skipped a beat. He thought of the house being...haunted.

He turned around, and there was a girl. A pale girl, with blonde hair. She showed a hand, it wasn't human. It looked dead, black and withered. But there was a ring. An odd ring, and it glowed with a peculiar aura.

"W-What do you want, who are you?" Jack cried. This is the most frightening thing he has ever encountered.

She answered. But not with words, but a piercing scream. Jack covered his ears, as the screams faded to a sob. A violent sob, almost as if she was possessed.

Jack thought about running far away, but his legs were paralyzed. Why couldn't he move?

He closed his eyes, as he was sobbing, because he was so scared. He looked at the sobbing figure in horror.

"Please help me," She mumbled, "JACK, please help me."

That scared him most, she had learned his name and was now pleading him, groveling him, to come help her.

Jack's voice quivered, through terror and tears. "Leave me alone! I'm just a KID!"

She totally ignored his plea. She stilled moaned and cried.

"Please help me, in Fuschia"

Then everything melted. It melted away into a black abyss. Eyes, three times the size of the whole ranch stared at him.

It began to talk in a deep, demonic tone. Jack sat there, struck petrified.

It said three words that burned into Jack's mind. Three words. The voice, it growled.

"I AM MALEDICT"

Jack sat up in bed, his Pokemon staring over him. They were half-snickering, half worried. He felt the most fear he had ever felt, and they were snickering?

He became enraged, then noticed it.

Obviously he had wet his pants.

OOC: I hope I didnt overdo the dream. I am kinda off of the story line. I will make my way to Fuschia in my next post.
​

 

[Legend]

Jay's slow, careful entrance was expected of him, at least from Malic remembered from Sinnoh. Jay always came off as unsure and wary, scared and nervous. Charlie's overjoyed hug of Jay shocked him at first but then remembered he was not very popular whereas Jay's "demonic" problems and odd fashion sense probably got him some awesome popularity points. Jay's disturbed Malic's eventual response to Charlie's "yeah, I heard about that," statement concerning his Gym promotion. He was going to act all surprised she heard and ask how as--Volkner was doing. In reality, he doubted Charlie heard, simply because he knew it wasn't international for long, even though Clair's retirement was a big deal. Malic was admittedly jealous thinking Why didn't I get a hug? I got yelled at instead, totally unfair. Malic went back to his body thinking that possibly his unkempt hair and scarred exterior caused a freak-out factor. Was it possible that Arlene's fur was easier to accept that a weathered body? It wouldn't surprise him as Arlene had a certain respectable strength about her while Malic's loss of sanity and maturity caused him to be nothing more than a childish plague.

Malic pushed his bangs out of his face with some force and proudly walked over to Jay, offering his hand for a handshake. "Nice to see ya, scarf boy," he sneered before finishing up his greeting, "I am going out on a limb here and assume you were pulled here by some strange mystical force." Malic attempted to display his growing intelligence and lack of childish tendencies. No one would notice of course. That was the story of his life, being overlooked despite some talent or skill. He was a Gym Leader, but nobody cared. He was a celebrity, but only Johto male teenagers gave him a second glare because he was "the cool guy with the dragons". Girls tended to lean towards Volkner of Sinnoh despite being in well, another damn region. Malic eventually got used to the feeling, but worked day and night to overcome it. The constant training to become stronger and stand out, the rush to become a Gym Leader, the dedication to become a member of the Elite Four or even Champion. Working towards goals keeps him moving and his army of scars that cover his body became a symbol for him, a sign of his work. His Blackthorn pride on all his clothing became a symbol of his pride and history. Walking with the symbols give him inspiration, however the constant signs probably made him look like a walking Billboard, so he always gave the wrong impression. Malic felt awkward in the room, dressed his in overdone clothes, styling unkempt hair and taking pride in his battle scars. Everyone was different. Charlie was scared and staying close to her body as if she was protecting something. Arlene was silent and composed, ready to pounce. Jay was confused and looked around at the ancient house. "Well Jay, I can safely tell you we aren't partying here. Personally, I think they are hiding from something. Some dream told me to come here and it had images of peril and pain. A better question would be: Why are you here?" Malic said bluntly.

 

[Stantler]

The Reason

Jay turned around, facing the trainers within the room. Malic looked rough and tough and different than their time at Sinnoh, but he still seemed friendly enough. Jay took his hand, giving a light handshake, however Malic took it in firmly. It seemed Malic was trying to compete with Jay for something but this was unknown to Jay. He smiled instead, "Hi Malic, long time no see. Nice Hair." Jay laughed, joking playfully, however the dragon trainer did not seem amused. Arlene was silent, observing him carefully, Charlie next to her with something clutched within her hands.

"I had another dream...a vision." Jay explained carefully, taking his time. He hid his face under his scarf thinking, "I saw Charlie crying out for me with a bloody sky over her." Jay said grimly, "Then I heard the name "Maledict". For some reason, after I had this dream, I just knew that I had to come to Fuschia." Jay lifted his head up and gave a soft smile.

"Though, I figured it wouldn't be such a bad idea anyway.. I've never been to Kanto before. I caught myself a Nidorina at the Safari Zone here, cool huh?" Jay asked, however everyone continued to look at him when he explained the dream, "I guess it's not much of an excuse but that's it." Jay assured everyone.

 

[Darkhaven3]

"I'm not much for excuses, personally. I don't care how you got here. It's just good to see you again, Jay."

Arlene spoke quite calmly despite her ruffled fur and tossed hair, indicative of the stress she's experienced having two unexpected guests show up. Generally, people did not calm so quickly after fright as such that Charlie and Arlene had been followed by leading up to this point; as the ring dulled Charlie's emotions and pulled her into oblivious condescension of emotion, it was starting to have the same effect on the vixen, though she was totally unaware.

Footsteps interrupted their reunion, as a new figure approached. From the clouds of inky shadow that loomed invisibly outside, a tall, fairly muscular man entered, his fists clenched. He had dark, chocolate-brown hair that followed the current of the air even in the dead of the night, and sharp green eyes that pierced the darkness like daggers, despite that they emitted no visible light. Arlene's eyes, on the other hand, had turned a strange lighter green and let forth a strange luminescence of the same; she could tell who the individual was before he revealed himself to the light. In her excitement, the vixen ran full-speed at the intruder, but did not strike him - quite the contrary. She gripped him in a tight hug, clenching tightly at the formfitting jet-colored suit he wore. The human winced slightly at this discomfort, before wrapping his arms similarly around the fox.

The unspoken bond ended, and with her hands on the male's sides, she looked up tentatively at him, as if he knew the question she was going to ask. Implicitly he responded, "The authorities know you all are here. You're all in serious danger, I'm sure you've collected; you need to get out soon."

Arlene stared quizzically at the boy, until he continued, "I know of a place that you can all hide until your situation improves. My name is Elric - I'm sure you don't remember me from the Sinnoh Incident..."

Arlene, flustered by Elric's appearance, worriedly asked, "Will you come with us?" Her shaky voice was very characteristic, as it was not a tone she usually took - obviously Elric meant something to her. Which was inversely non-characteristic of her generally strong attitude lately. Arlene felt good, however, to release that strain for a moment and be in the arms of someone who loved her; it was something she felt so rarely that it hurt to see the boy come and have to depart so promptly.

"Yes. I'll be with you all. Senior Master Sergeant Sullivan of the 101st Covert Ops Fireteam Alpha, at your service."

Something that nobody had seen over the course of the past Sinnoh Incident and their current situation occurred that moment - Arlene was overwhelmed with tears and a big, happy smile.

 

[Stantler]

The Unknown

Jay became confused by the sudden appearance of this bulky man named Elric, just who is he and why he is here and what's this ring he and Arlene were talking about. Were they speaking of the ring he saw in his dream?

As Jay heard more, it seems that everyone else had the same dream too, how interesting. This is exactly what happened back Sinnoh.

"So everyone had the same ring?" Jay asked, everyone turned to see him. Jay placed a finger on his chin and began to think, "This is what happened in Sinnoh... you guys think Missingno is behind this again?"

He asked with his eyes up as he thought. He then shook his head, "No I remember hearing Maledict... and seeing a ring." Just then Jay's eyes widen.

"Yeah... so who are you Elric and what's this talk about a ring. Do you know who this Maledict is? I mean.. what are we hiding of?" Jay asked, trying to find a point to all of this.

Jay started to study everyone, expecting answers. "And why did Charlie hold the ring in our dreams?" Jay asked, assuming that everyone did have the same dream, explaining why they are here.Jay then went back thinking, his face sinking under his large scarf, he wondered why all of this was taking place and feared that if anything like what happened in Sinnoh would come to pass again. The mark is gone, but Jay couldn't help but still feel fearful now that he remembers what happened that day at Mount Coronet. He shook his head and looked at Elric again, seeing how he is dressed. There was something about him, that reminded him of a trainer he saw in metal back in Sinnoh. But they weren't the same person. Jay wasn't sure who to trust exactly, just how did this Elric fellow reach us so quickly, then he began to wonder the same for himself. Whatever this Maledict is, sounds like it's very powerful and something to watch out for.