Pokemon Odyssey 2: The Dark Tournament [Most Missed Aug/Sep '11]

[Roserade]

Ambrosia Dusklore.

As she continued her walk around the town she managed to help a gold-eyed woman control her children. She carried the groceries and entertained the youngsters. The mother obviously did not have her wits about her at the moment. Ambrosia looked at the children, spitting images of their mother. Small horns extruding from their heads, two stripes cleverly placed on their arms, and eyes as golden as sunset. It hurt her eyes to stare into the bright element, but she shook it off. She walked them past a few corners and away from the market and near a group of houses. It wasn't as nicely made as the other houses near the market, but a fine abode for a family. The woman looked at her with kind eyes as the youngest pulled at her chain. It suited the Miltank but, it was her most treasured possession.

"Sorry young one, that is my most treasured possession." she said, tugging at it playfully while the young cow danced around her pink skin.

She helped the woman into the door and after exchanging names and addresses she was on her way, walking along the cobblestone path. She was stopped by the youngest cow. She looked so much like Matilda, her mother. She spun in a circle and handed back her chain. Ambrosia turned to her tail; it was gone? What a trickster. She chuckled as she accepted the gift and slid on, stopping to wink at the young girl.

"Bye, young one."

"Bye, Sarinda. Sarinda."

Her name was Sarinda. It suited her perfectly. A joyful name. Ambrosia watched as Matilda ushered her into the house, smiled, and closed the door. It didn't take long for her to see the old woman crossing the road. Another person to help. She smiled at the chance to prove herself and grabbed her hand. The Jynx thanked her and went on her way. Ambrosia was able to see a tag on her neck that read Miranda. What a nice woman and a perfect name to go with it.

It began getting dark. The sun was slowly heading for the hills and she knew it was time to head back. She walked along the cobblestone path to the market. All the vendors had retreated into their home for the night and she couldn't blame them. Then she saw the shadow. The shadow without a body. It raced across the walkway and through her. As it crossed paths with her she felt cold. The ghost-like presence left her stunned and she stood there for a moment, facing the Spike. It was as if it spoke to her, giving her a nightmare she could never escape from. She kept moving forward, now quickening her pace. The fear in her hear began to grow and suddenly it was all gone. She was staring into a stranger's face, yet, she could not see anything. The person in front of her looked at the gem on her chain and darted away. It took her a second to realize that the chain had been stolen. Uncertain of what she would find, she followed the stranger to a nearby alley way. Mysteriously, the same alley way where she gave the fruit to the Herdiers and the Lillipup. Once she reached the end, the stranger was nowhere to be seen. The gem, the one splash of color in the alley, was on the ground. She scooped up her chain, and ran. She wanted to leave. The city was so terrifying at night. Then, she realized she hadn't only picked up the chain. There was a letter attached.

It was a rather large envelope, as envelopes go. Around it was a gold ribbon, tied in a beautiful bow. She opened it slowly and removed the paper inside.

Thank you.

That's it? That was all inside the envelope. She ran to where she was staying. There, on the small desk, was a similar envelope. It was in a perfect duplicate of the envelope in her hand, laced with a gold ribbon. It had a golden insignia in the middle, a symbol she recognized. This was not on the other envelope. But from where was this symbol? She was sure she had seen it before. It was pasted hastily, she could tell by the slightly ruffled corner. After all, why would they have gotten so careless after wrapping the ribbon. She ripped off the ribbon, she had never been good in slowing her haste. She just wanted to see what was inside.

Stay away from the Tournament. Gold doesn't gleam in darkne​

ss.​

 

[-Nocturnal]

(sorry for short post)

Dylan smiled, looking at his new friend, as she was having progress already. I mean, she isn't looking away that frequently anymore. She's getting used to it! Dylan told himself cheerfully, happiness clearly visible in his glimmering eyes. Well, at first she DID look away once in a few minutes, but now, at least she was trying not to, and Dylan could see it. Another improvement - She was still holding his hand, without wriggling about. Apparently she didn't mind anymore, as she knew that they were going to be friends after all. Dylan blushed every time their glances met, and Anna did the same. What's with all the blushing?! Dylan thought, his eyes meeting hers again, forcing him to blush softly once again.


Sitting on the couch together, holding hands, Anna seemed to feel more comfortable now. "Oh no. I couldn't possibly have you and your mom do that. You two already done a lot for me. Thank you." She spoke, their hands holding each other's gently but firmly, and Dylan frowned. What was she afraid of anyway? Afraid of being a burden? Afraid of the bandits? Afraid of the bandits! Maybe the bandits were about to attack Anna instead of Dylan a few hours ago, and maybe Dylan was just standing in the middle of them, blocking their way. Maybe that was the case. Anna was scared of the bandits...wreaking havoc around Dylan's place. But that was just an absolute maybe. Someone Anna didn't want to stay. Why not? Was his house not good enough? Dylan glanced around to see if there was something out of place. But there wasn't. What was she hiding? Dylan wasn't angry about it. He was worried. Very worried. Was she in trouble?


"But you should stay a little longer." Dylan told her, holding her hand a little tighter, blushing when their eyes met again, "I need a friend with me...and everything will be okay here. I have my mom protecting me. And I'll protect you, Anna!"

-Dylan Demetrius

 

[angel]

Anna was tired of lying and hiding this from Dylan. He's been sweet to me and all I've done is lie. Anna thought sadly. But I can't tell him. He's sweet and all , but he won't be when he finds out. I can't let him find out. He'd push me away and never want to see me again.

Anna met his eyes, she blushed deeply. Why? Why did he want me to stay longer? Anna thought, confused. When he tightened his grip, Anna gasped softly and pulled her hand away. She scooted away from him a little bit, tears in her eyes. "You can't protect me and you don't want to." She whispered softly.

Anna still didn't understand why he wanted to be friends. Sure they both were different then normal Buizel, but that wasn't much to build a friendship on. Dylan hardly even knows me and I want to keep it that way. Anna was terrified that he'll find her weird, or evil. All she wanted was a true friend. Someone who wouldn't get scared by her past. After all, you can't change the past.

 

[-Nocturnal]

Their eyes met again, and the two Buizel blushed at the same time. Her eyes were full of confusion and fear, but Dylan had a feeling that she wasn't scared of him. She was scared of something else. But what? Dylan looked deeper into her eyes as if he wanted to know more about her, but alas, they were just eyes, and they couldn't tell Dylan more than her expressions. When Dylan tightened his grip, Anna gasped softly then pulled away, moving a little father away from him, tears in her eyes. She was Dylan's true friend, and Dylan wasn't going to stand there and watch her cry.


"You can't protect me and you don't want to." Anna spoke sadly, tears rolling down her cheeks. Reaching for a tissue, Dylan pressed it against her eyes, absorbing her little teardrops. He didn't know what was going on, and that was making him worry even more. Something was bothering her but he didn't know what, and apparently she didn't want to him to know, which hurt Dylan even more. Why couldn't she tell him? What was causing her so much pain? Dylan wanted to help so badly, and she wasn't even trying to co-operate! To make it even worse, she wasn't holding his hand anymore.


"A-Anna, please tell me what's going on." Dylan told her, moving closer to her again, holding both her hands gently, not letting them go this time, "I promise I won't hate you or run away from you if I know. I promise. We're friends and we'll still be friends even if I know. So please..." Dylan begged, holding her little paws, "Tell me what's wrong."

 

[angel]

Anna jumped when Dylan went to wipe her eyea. His hand felt nice on her cheek, making her blush once again. After all her tears stopped he got closer to her again. Anna was still shaking when Dylan took both of her hands this time, not just one hand, but both. Anna looked up at him, speechless. He was being so nice and Anna hated just not telling him. He wanted to know and promised he wouldn't run away. Even so, Anna couldn't tell him.

"I can't." Anna said looking away from him. "What I can tell you is that the bandits were coming for me, so thank you Dylan. Really."

 

[Silver Rogue]

Silver, once again, found himself on the street. Mohinder, the Alakazam, had been almost no help at all, and only had confused him even further about his past. Silver could tell that the Alakazam had known him from before, and he was confused why the old pokemon would not give the absol a straight answer for once. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind of these thoughts, and turned his mind towards more important things, food and a place to sleep.

Gold Tribe had not agreed on a place to stay, so Silver assumed that they were to find their own place. That was fine with Silver. He started walking down the street towards the market. First food, he thought, then a place to sleep. As he walked, he kept an eye out for any inns he could possibly stay at for the night, but the three that he saw already had signs on th edoor saying they were already full. A place to sleep may be harder than I thought...

He finally got to the market and bought some berries from a vender, then ate as he walked, still vigilant for any inns that might still be open. He had walked out of the market into a less crowded area, when there was suddenly a blur and he got knocked down. He quickly lept to his feet and used a quick Dark Pulse, throwing the sneasel that had just stolen his food into a nearby wall. Then he got a good look at it, skinny and filthy, and very hungry looking. He could tell it was afraid of him by the sneasel's eyes. Silver shook his head and sighed, then said, "Keep them" motioning towards the berries, then he took off once again to find and inn.

Silver continued walking for another hour, and just as it was starting to get dark, he found a small but neat inn on the outskirts of the city. Exausted, he pushed open the door and walked up to the bar and asked if there were any rooms left.

"Of course!" the bartender replied, "We are a little out of the way of anything, so we dont get too many customers, but everyone has been getting more customers lately because of that Tournament. Are you a competitor in the tournament?"

"Yeah" Silver said, "just got here this morning."

The bartender nodded, "Well, good luck, and be careful in that Dark Tournament! Now, your room is room 8, you can pay in the morning. Also, breakfast is from 7:30 to 9."

Silver thanked him and went up to his room, quickly collapsing on the bed. Just one day left until the Tournament. The question is, will I be ready?

 

[SV]

Gold Tribe

Kent walked down to the inn he had payed for. None of the other Gold Tribe members were there. Kent suddenly realized something.

Oh, damn! I forgot to tell them the inn we would be staying at... he thought to himself. Kent sighed, looking outside. The night was beautiful. The moon was out, shining bright. The shops and stores slowly began to close and Argos soon began to become more silent. Only a few bars remained opened, while the rest of Abel went to sleep...

Kent woke up in his bed. He looked outside. The sun was shining brightly. It was the next day, and the day before the Dark Tournament would begin. Kent looked over the other beds next to him. None of the others came back to this inn last night. He sighed, and shook his head. This time, he would make sure to tell them where they were staying, so they could all sleep comfortably the day before the Tournament. After all, Kent had no idea what could happen there.

Kent decided to go to Dylan's house. If he was truly to keep his word to Neptune, he had to teach the boy some things, especially if he'd be fighting in the Tournament. Kent proceeded to walk there, taking in the cool morning breeze. There was already a few people around Argos who were up, but for the most part, a lot of the streets were empty.

Kent arrived in front of Dylan's house. He thought about waking the Buizel up, but instead, decided to let him sleep peacefully. He sat down on a bench in front of his house and waited, observing the area around, his demeanor totally relaxed.

***********************************************

Kingdom of Tollen

After parting ways with the rest of the company, Zachary decided to make his way to the inn they were staying at. It was dark, and they needed to keep their strength up. Zachary didn't bother to see if they other rooms were empty, or if the Emissaries were already asleep in them. He decided to turn in early, and begin his training session in the crack of dawn.

Zachary woke up a few hours later. He had a pleasant dream about his family and life back in Tollen. Zachary got up and stretched his enormous wings, spreading them out as he approached the large window. He began flapping them and took off, beginning his training with a morning flight. He stayed low as to avoid the higher elevation and lower temperatures. Zachary took his time to sharpen his wings, and perfect his flying form. Their King was ill, and Zachary, as a knight of Tollen, would do what he must to protect and cure his king.

*************************************************************

Region of Argos

Derrick had fallen asleep in the bar. When the bartender walked up to him and woke him up, he shot up.

"Hey, sir, we're closing for the day. Pay your fee and get going, please." Derrick looked at the Pokemon, being able to tell he was a little nervous. He dropped a few gold coins on the table, and left.

He walked down the empty streets of Abel, no real destination in mind.

 

[-Nocturnal]

Anna was shaking a little when Dylan reached for her hands, holding them gently, looking into her eyes. His eyes were full of concern, and her eyes were full of fear. Fear of telling him, which annoyed Dylan even more. No matter how he tried, she wasn't going to tell him anything. Anything at all. Why can't you tell me? Why can't you tell me?! Dylan thought, sadness in his eyes. Was he not trustworthy enough? Did Anna feel unsafe when she was with him? Maybe that's why she wasn't telling him a thing. But Dylan wasn't going to give up just like that. He was going to keep asking until she's gonna tell him the truth. Frowning as she looked away from him, Dylan placed his paw on her cheek, turning her face around ever so gently so she was looking at him again.


"Please Anna." Dylan begged in a sad tone, moving even closer to her, "Tell me what's going on. I've promised that I won't go away or hate you if I know, and I promise that I'll still be your friend...your best friend even..." Dylan blushed, "I don't know about you, but we've just met, and you're like a best friend to me already..." He blushed more, "I-I don't know why...but I want you to stay with me..."


At that time, the Zangoose Kent Reed was waiting outside...


-Dylan Demetrius

 

[angel]

Annabel Grace​

Anna jumped feeling his paw on her cheek. She looked in his eyes, still fearful. "P-Please don't...do-don't hit me..." She whispered tears in her eyes. Anna hated it, but anytime anyone touched her that's what she thought. That she was going to get hit, it happened with the bandits. Why wouldn't it happen here? Anna didn't know any better. And she hadn't socialized with many other Pokemon.

Anna stared at him in disbelief, tears rolled down her cheeks. How could he say that? We'd just met and he couldn't be certain that he would be. And she wouldn't blame him if he did hate her. It would be normal, any normal Pokemon would. Why would he be any different? Anna blushed deeply when he said he wanted her to stay with him.

"Fine. But you won't like it." Anna said softly as she looked away from him. "I ran away from my home at an early age, I wanted to see the world. I was on my own for awhile, until I was found by the bandits. They forced me to join them and it was going good...until they started to beat me..." At this point Anna's voice was breaking and she crying harder. "At first I'd fight back. But that just made the beatings worse. And I've wanted to leave them, but I'm too much of a coward. So I've just sat there and took it."

With that Anna stood up, still crying heavily. "I'll be going now. It was nice meeting you." Anna said and walked to the door. She quickly opened it and took a step outside. Anna noticed the Zangoose from yesterday sitting on a bench outside. She quickly looked away. Anna knew she must be a sight. She was crying and shaking a lot.

********************************************

Genevieve Demetrius
Gold Tribe​

Genevieve looked at the heart shapped leaf and had to smile. That surprised her, she hadn't smiled in awhile. Genevieve looked around the capital, it was peaceful. Except for a couple Pokemon shouting orders. It had been two years since the war with the Order of Neoverse. And the Alpha Aliance was just now getting back to normalcy. Though, everybody was a little on edge because some members of the Gold Tribe had left for a region named Agros. Genevieve hoped they were doing ok. She silently watched as two Machops carried a massive heap of bricks over to a half rebuilt house.

Genevieve hated feeling useless, thinking she should have went with them. She had been there when the invitation had came. Kent had been excited about this ultimate power, thinking the Gold Tribe could use this power to defend the Alpha Aliance from danger. And if the Order of Neoverse decided to try again. But there couldn't be too many of them left anymore, the Gold Tribe had taken out a lot of their soldiers during the war.

Genevieve realized that she needed to go to Agros. She wasn't just going to sit back and wait and hope everything turned out ok. No. She knew that she should at least go and see if she could help. Even if it was only a little bit, a little bit was better then doing nothing. Genevieve quickly ran to her house, went to her room and pulled out a red bandana. Genevieve started putting a couple things in it. She put the leaf on top and tied the bandana together. Genevieve stood up and picked it up with her mouth. There was one stop she needed to do. Others probably would have called it pathetic, but she had to do it. Genevieve wouldn't feel right about not doing it. She walked out of her house and out of the city.

It took a little bit to get where she wanted to go. Genevieve walked up a hill and sat down by a grave, though she knew Neptune wasn't there. He's ashes had been scattered into the river. Genevieve just sat there for a couple minutes, silently thinking about everything. "I hope you're doing well up there, Neptune." Genevieve said as she stood up. She looked at the grave for another minute and then walked away.

Her next stop would be where she planned to take a boat to Agros. It would take an hour or so to get to the city, but it was worth it. The walk was a quiet one and she seen a couple other Pokemon, a Gloom and then a Cubone. They nodded to each other and continued to walk. Genevieve also seen a few Budews playing in the grass along the road. She was glad that everything had gone back to normal. Where everybody was happy and not worried. But the Gold Tribe hadn't given up, they had prepared, just in case the Order came back. Or another treat that threatened the Alpha Aliance. Genevieve walked into the city. Its surrounded by water on one side, the other sides were surrounded by ground. The town was filled with Pokemon, talking to each other and little kids running around. Genevieve looked around at the buildings, searching for one. She needed to talk to the Pokemon in charge of water travel. Genevieve stopped at a little building that was by the dock and walked in. There was only a couple Pokemon in there and they were talking. One of them, a Gallade, looked over at her as she walked in. There was no expression on his face as he walked over to her.

"How can I help you?" He asked.

"Is there a boat going to Agros today?" Genevieve asked after putting the tied bandana on the floor in front of her.

"There's one leaving in less then an hour. What purpose do you have in Agros?" The Gallade asked. Then when he seen her insigna, he added. "Members of the Gold Tribe already left a couple days ago."

"I know. I need to go meet them, please?" Genevieve asked, hoping the Gallade would help her. If he didn't, then she'd find another way to get to Argos. Nothing was going to stop her.

The Gallade sighed as he stared intently at her. "Fine. The boat leaving is a cargo ship. There'll be a few other passengers on board. But stay out of the saliors way. If not the cargo ship, there's another boat leaving for Agros in a week."

"Oh no. The cargo ship is fine. Thank you." Genevieve replied.

"The ship's docked in dock four. Now, excuse me." The Gallade said and then walked back over to the Pokemon he'd been talking to, a Blastoise that had a frown on its face.

Genevieve picked up the tied bandana, this time with one of her tails. She walked out of the building and walked towards the dock. Once there Genevieve just stood there, staring at the sea. It was so beautiful, a clear blue and the sea was calm. The only sounds were the crashing of the small waves hitting the docks and the shouts of the saliors. Genevieve tore herself away from the sea and started to walk along the dock, looking for her boat. She seen a Wigglytuff and a Vileplum talking in front of a ship. Genevieve walked over to them. "Excuse me. Which one of these is dock four?" She asked.

Both the Wigglytuff and Vileplum looked over at her. But it was the Wigglytuff that spoke. "This ship is on dock four. What's someone like you doing here?" It said pointing to the ship behind it.

"I was told I could take this ship to Agros." Genevieve explained as she looked up at the ship. It was big for a cargo ship.

By the time the ship was ready to leave, Genevieve was already on board, under the deck. The trip took a couple hours and as the Gallade had said, she stayed out of the saliors's way. Genevieve learnt that she gets seasick easily. She didn't know if it had to do with being a fire type and she didn't plan on finding out. So she stayed under the deck for the trip. Genevieve befriended a family that was traveling as well. The mother was an Amphroas and the three kids were Mareeps. Once at Agros they went their seperate ways. Genevieve walked into the city, looking around. She shook her head softly, to get out of her thoughts. She needed to find Kaiser. So Genevieve started to walk around, looking for him.

 

[-Nocturnal]

Anna jumped when Dylan placed his paw on her cheek, then she trembled, looking into Dylan's eyes, scared to death, "P-Please don't...do-don't hit me..." she whispered, sobbing once again, tears rolling down her cheeks like two mini waterfalls. Dylan was a little surprised, his eyes widening. She thought he was going to hit her? Somebody was probably bullying her too much, making her think this way. Then, Anna looked at him and blushed deeply when Dylan said he wanted her to be with him. When she blushed, he blushed as well, looking back at her.


"Fine. But you won't like it." Anna said softly as she looked away from him. "I ran away from my home at an early age, I wanted to see the world. I was on my own for awhile, until I was found by the bandits. They forced me to join them and it was going good...until they started to beat me..." At this point Anna's voice was breaking and she crying harder. "At first I'd fight back. But that just made the beatings worse. And I've wanted to leave them, but I'm too much of a coward. So I've just sat there and took it."


After listening, Dylan understood, and he could see why Anna was so miserable now. The bandits were treating her poorly and she couldn't even fight back. She was having a hard time getting along with the other bandits, which were all stronger and larger than she was. A little innocent Buizel like her didn't deserve this kind of treatment, and Dylan was afraid that the shadows of the bandits would scar her for life. After explaining, Anna stood up, crying heavily, "I'll be going now. It was nice meeting you.". Then she headed towards the door, opening it, and stepped outside. Calling her name, Dylan got up as well, running after her, then when he was at the door, the Buizel reached for her hand once again, pulling her back gently, both of them standing on the doormat. Once Anna was facing him once again, Dylan reached for her other hand, blushing as he spoke.


"Please stay Anna," Dylan pleaded, looking at her in the eyes, their eyes locking on each other's, their hands tightening against each other's, "Who cares about your past? You can stay at my place! Oceania will take care of you! I will take care of you! We'll protect you from the bandits...you'll have a place to stay...and we can have fun together..." looking at her, Dylan blushed and tilted his head forward, then kissed the Buizel on the cheek ever so gently, which made him blush twice as hard after the little peck.


"Please...stay with me." Dylan spoke softly, letting go of her hands, then wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him, hugging her tightly as they rested their heads on each other's shoulders. When Dylan was hugging her, he looked upwards and saw the Zangoose looking at them. Uh oh.


-Dylan Demetrius

 

[Aura Rift]

Lorenzo "The Speedster" Aria
Kingdom of Tollen​

Lorenzo and the others arrived at their inn just as night was about to fall.

"I would suggest we relax now while we can..." Lorenzo mentioned gingerly.

"After all... pretty soon we won't have time to relax."

Lorenzo quickly flew towards the nearest room, it had a humble single bed and a small dresser to its side with a teapot sitting on top.

"Excellent, nothing like a bit of tea to lighten the mood..." Lorenzo said, lifting the teapot from its holster.

He went outside with it and asked the togekiss working at reception where he could get some boiling water. The white pokemon took the teapot and returned with it full to the brim with boiling hot water. Lorenzo returned to the small lobby where the rooms were and saw som of his fellow Emmisarys there along with various other pokemon. he quickly took out the cups from his satchel and found some extra cups in his room. He returned to the lobby and set the teapot on the table offering a cup to everyone who would take one, his fellow Emisarys and other pokmon alike.

Once a few people were sitting down drinking tea Lorenzo began to recite tails from the kingdom of Tollen, Legends and true events alike. Some of the storys were his own, telling of the daysof his childhood.

He recited the story of how he had recieved his nickname, of how he had saved the kings life and of how he had trained for many years to become an Emmisary. He told of how he was originally not meant to join the mission to take part in the dark tournament, but under special request of the king he was allowed to come.

Talk of the Dark Tournament had people talking about what exactly the grand prize of ultimate power was...

One pokemon, a Loudred, mentioned how he thought it was one of the legendary Enigma berries, said to cure any illness.

"No way!" butted in a rather rude pidgey.

"Its obviously the legendary Macho Brace! Said to grant extreme power to whoever holds it!"

"Nu-uh!" A flareon mentioned.

"Its definetely got to be the Jewel of Life! An orb said to contain the power of Arceus himself!"

The pokemon in the lobby began to argue about what exactly the prize was, they were getting quite loud.

"Quiet!" Lorenzo shouted.

The pokemon in the room stopped talking and looked at Lorenzo.

"My friends! The only way we can truly know what the ultimate power is is by winning the Dark tournament! So you should take all your anger and release it then."

A grunt of agreement resonated across the room.

"Now come... let us enjoy each others company a little longer, for after today we only have one more day to prepare.

So the festivities continued, Lorenzo had to make three more pots of tea before everyone finished, slowly one by one everyone began to leave for bed, Lorenzo was one of the last to leave.

"Good night my friends." he said.

"I hope to see you again tommorow!" Lorenzo finished with a slight smile.

He left the teapot there for whoever wanted to polish it off and went to bed.

Lorenzo shut the door behind him and glided into his bed, it was very snug and warm, the pillow was stuffed with ducklet feathers and the blanket was made from finely woven mareep wool and so Lorenzo quickly fell asleep.

*****************
Loren....pl......lp.......e.....br.....i....don....ve.....mu....im.....le....ple.....
*******************

Lorenzo awoke the next morning with a start, he was in a cold sweat, he had that nightmare again.... he couldn't think about it. It would only upset him if he thought about it, he had to help the king that was why he was there, he couldn't..... no, he just can't think about it.

Lorenzo flew out of bed, he hadn't taken off his gauntlet last night, not that he ever did anyway, he ran his other hand down the cold sleek metal and across the kingdom of Tollens insignia. Sometimes its better to forget.

He flew out the door of his room and told the togekiss at reception to tell his fellow Emmisaries that he has gone out for a look around town.

Without another word Lorenzo flew out the door and towards the beach, he smelt the sea breeze and listened to the ocean waves. He turned quickly and headed back into town, he saw a restraunt serving fresh berry soup and sandwiches Lorenzo decided he would stop in for some breakfast.

"I'll take one bowl of oran soup and a toasted chesto sandwhich please" he said to the munchlax behind the counter.

"Yes sir, coming right up!" The munchlax said.

"Please take a seat anywhere you like, we'll bring you your food in a moment."

"Such fine service! Thank you good sir!" Lorenzo said with a smile, he sat down at a nearby table and waited for his food.

A few moments later a Levanny waiter came out and presented Lorenzo his food on a well organised tray, it looked and smelt delicious.

"Here you go hun, now don't eat it all at once." The Levanny said with a smile and a wink.

"Thank you m'lady, I will be sure to head your advice.! Lorenzo said.

"Oh my, such a gentleman!" The levanny said.

"Oh my I almsot forgot, all of our customers get a complimentary read of the Abel times, our citys top selling newspaper. Enjoy!" and with that the Levanny was off to serve more customers.

"Thank you!" Lorenzo said to the Levanny as she left.

Lorenzo decided to take a browse of the Abel times, while he had a chance. He decided he would just have a quick read of the headline while he ate his food.

**********************
The Able times issue 297​

The Dark Tournament!​

Many of you citizens of Able have probably seen the increased number of pokemon around town lately, and are probably wondering what is going on. Well you see readers, this year the dark tournament is taking place in the spire! The new faces you may be seeing around town are most likely the contestants of this grand event! Many different kinds of pokemon have come from far and wide to attempt to win the grand prize of ultimate power! However the true nature of this prize is unknown...
Pokemon from all across the world have come to Abel to take part, from the gold tribe to the kingdom of Tollen, every kind of pokemon out there has come to take part!
You may be asking, who is organizing such an event? Well the thing is nobody knows for sure. A group of strange hooded pokemon called the keepers seem to be in control of the whole shabang but how can we really be sure theres nobody else behind the scenes?
Another guy who seems to know the ropes is Rector the Aerodactyl, the host of the dark tournament, who appeared to the contestants at the spire and showed them the rules and regulations of the dark tournament.
So many unanswered questions lie hidden around the dark tournament... What is this "ultimate power"?... Who is really the mastermind behind the dark tournament? Well readers we'll make sure that when we know you'll know, so make sure to read the next issue of the Able times where we'll have more info on the dark tournament!​

**********************​

Lorenzo finished reading the article just as he polished off his soup and sandwich, he flew over to the counter and thanked the munchlax there leaving the payment for the food and a large tip.​

Lorenzo flew up into the sky and looked at the spire in the distance, soon the dark tournament would begin...​

 

[angel]

Annabel Grace​

Anna was glad she had told him. It actually helped for someone to know. Even if she wasn't going to see Dylan again because of it. She'd miss him though. They'd became friends quickly, after he rescued her from the bandits. He was a nice person, would have made a good friend. But Anna figured she wasn't suppose to have friends.

Anna didn't turn around or turn her head when she heard her name being called. She couldn't. If she looked back, she knew she wouldn't be able to go. Seeing his face would stop her from leaving. And Anna believed her leaving was the best thing. Anna couldn't help the gasp that came when her hand was grabbed and she was turned around. Anna fearfully looked into Dylan's eyes, blushing as he took her other hand too. She didn't know what he wanted. Why he had stopped her. And Anna was a little afraid to hear what he was going to say. "That's really sweet, but I can't let you do that. It shouldn't be your job, or your mom's job to protect me. I should be able to protect myself. And I'd like to be friends with you, my past doesn't seem to upset you..." Anna said softly, still looking in his eyes. She blushed a lot when he kissed her cheek. It was like it numbed her and all she could do was just stare at Dylan, dumbfounded. Anna blushed deeply when Dylan put his arms around her waist and pulled her into a hug. She wiggled uncomfortably for a minute or two, but then she hugged him back.

 

[Roserade]

When Ambrosia awoke, the letter was gone. She realized she had checked into some random inn. Not one person from the Gold Tribe was here. Which was fine. There's nothing wrong with being alone, she personally liked the solitude. She ate breakfast after taking a shower and headed out the inn. She decided to revisit the market. But, she found that the vendor who had been there yesterday was nowhere to be seen. She walked up to a nearby stand.

"Do you know where the man who managed the stand next to you lives?"

"Well, darling, I can't usually follow the spots in this lane. But, I'm sure that there hasn't been a stand there for years due to the bad luck." the woman laughed.

"Bad luck?"

"Yes, it is said to produce bad luck for whoever works there. Why, deary?" she looked at her with kind eyes.

"No reason. Thanks though." Ambrosia walked away from the stand confused. After checking the house where Matilda lived, she realized that the neighborhood never existed. They were building houses there. What was going on? She looked over at the construction workers and decided to ask them if they had recently started building.

"Yeah, last night, how come?" the annoyed Machamp asked.

"Did anyone used to live in this house?" she pointed to the one at the end of the road.

"Yeah, if you're talkin' about Ms. Matilda."

"Yeah, finally someone understands."

"Uhhh, I was kiddin'. Ms. Matilda's been dead for ten years now, along with the poor youngsters. It's said she still haunts this here place."​

 

[SV]

Gold Tribe

Kent was admiring the view of the sun rise upon Argos, when one of the Buizel from yesterday that he saw came out, tears in her eyes. Kent looked her over, wondering if she was alright. He was about to say something, when Dylan came out, stopping the other Buizel. Kent looked at them, curiously. He spoke nothing, but merely observed, as Dylan kissed her on the cheek, and then hugged her. He looked at Kent as he did this, a slight look of embarrassment as he realized Kent was there. Kent smiled.

Kent decided to give them their privacy, so he climbed over the hill, and walked a bit away, before laying on the soft grass, looking up at the morning sky. When Dylan was ready, he would go find him.

********************************************************

Region of Argos

Derrick Onkai walked down the empty street. He was still drowsy from being woken up from his half-drunk state from last night, and he was developing a minor headache. For now, as he walked, he attempted to tune out all other things that happened around him, in no mood for any of their bullsh*t.

As he walked, he accidentally bumped into a Ninetales with a red ribbon on her tail. Derrick barely lifted his head, but he knew right away that she wasn't from Argos. He spoke harshly at her.

"Ugh...Watch where you walk, foreigner." He said, a look of disgust on his face. He had realized something ever since arriving in Abel. He hated foreigners. Up until now, he didn't know much about them because not many even visited the Region of Argos, but now that the Tournament was here, they were all around.

Derrick kept walking, pushing the Ninetales aside as he tried to shake off his head pain.

 

[Karma Police]

Replicus Decendas
2 Days Before the Tournament​

"Hehe, Give up? Never," Replicus said to Kaiser, just before leaving. For the past hour and a half, he had been roaming around the markets of the city, trying to find some Pokemon he could transform into.

He was roaming around the marketplace, taking note of strong looking Pokemon, but none of them caught his attention. He was extremely annoyed by the fact that almost no strong Pokemon existed in the Region of Argos. He was walking down the street when he noticed a lone Grovyle standing, leaning against a wall.

As soon as the Grovyle saw Replicus, he walked up to him, and started talking.

"Hey kid, you got any money?"

"Who you callin' a kid?" Replicus shot back.

The Grovyle gritted his teeth. "You're a little punk," He said. "If you don't wanna get hurt, you better hand over yer money....."

Replicus stood his ground, giving the Grovyle a defiant look. The Grovyle growled, and then attacked him with a Leaf Blade.

Replicus easily dodged sideways, and yelled, "You don't know who you're messing with! I'm Fallax, of the Gold Tribe! Remember that name!"

"Yeah, I'll remember you as my enemy!" The Grovyle said.

Replicus flashed a grin. "The only enemy here......" He transformed into a Grovyle, "Is You Yourself."

The Grovyle looked at the Ditto with awe. He had completely copied him, even the little scar above his eye. Who the heck was that guy?

The Grovyle tried to Tackle Replicus, but he swiftly dodged to the right. Replicus punched the Grovyle in the face. He stumbled back, and managed to regain his footing.

Replicus started to charge a Solarbeam, and meanwhile used Leaf Blade. The Grovyle deflected the leaves with his hands, slowly being pushed towards the wall. As soon as the Grovyle was against the wall, Replicus blasted the Grass Pokemon's head with his Solarbeam. The Pokemon collapsed onto the ground, knocked out.

"Never mess with Fallax again," Replicus said, before he walked over to a shop.

He bought a few delicacies of the Argos Region, and a hood similar to the the Keepers. it was quite late now, and then Replicus remembered something.

"Dammit, Kent didn't tell us the inn!" He thought. He transformed into a Pidgeot, and flew and settled into a tree nearby, peacefully sleeping there.

One Day Before the Tournament​

He woke up the next day, and decided to find the Zangoose. He flew around the town, and finally saw the Zangoose leaving from near a house, and settling down in a field. Replicus dived, and transformed back into his Shiny Ditto form, and went up to Kaiser and said, "Kaiser, you forgot to tell us the Inn! I had to sleep in a tree! Tonight, I'm gonna take your room, and you sleep in the tree!" Replicus laughed.

He then showed the hood he had bought the previous day. "By the way, Kaiser, if you need any recon, I can get some info for you." Fallax smiled, and transformed into the Keeper Kabutops, and wore the hood. Then, perfectly mimicking the Kabutops, he said, "Your wish is my command,"

 

[Xilfer]

Hydra​

Pokemon were scurrying away and to the Spire as Hydra and his followers walked away. "Go do what you like," Hydra told them. "I have some things I need to be doing."
Everybody scurried away, including Zion, who seemed like he wanted some alone time. Hydra walked in his own direction, for he had some of his own things to do.

Before Hydra left the Alcantus homeland, he ordered a group of engineers to come down a different path and bring with them various parts. Hydra wanted to use up this day to amplify the power his mechanical head, Which had now come to be named "MechHead", to allow it to launch moves like the rest of his heads. His moves had always been very powerful until he lost his right head in the battle against the Alpha Alliance. The MechHead was one of the best things that had happened to Hydra, it's only downside was it could not launch moves. Hydra had been bent on changing this for two years, and his team of mechanics had finally made a breakthrough. However, with the tournament coming up, Hydra had been forced to do his work here, in Argos.

The address for the meeting place was 666 Poorway street. Poorway looked more like a dark alleyway than a street. There were beggars everywhere. A Deino, one of Hydra's own species came up to him and asked for some money. Hydra looked at him for a moment. The Deino was limping, and had scratches everywhere. Hydra simply kept on walking, and eventually the Deino gave up and asked another passerby for money. Hydra sighed at the state of the place.

Finally, he came across what looked like 666 Poorway Street. It was the largest house in the street, but it looked more abandoned. Perfect for the experiments they were about to try. Hydra entered the house, and suddenly a large plank of wood came falling down toward him. He stopped it as it was about to hit him, and threw it aside.
There were sounds coming from the kitchen, Hydra went over to see his team of mechanics setting up computers and other equipment. They did not notice him entering until he cleared his throat, making them all turn their heads to him. "Sir, we are ready." said one of the mechanics, an Electabuzz. "Good." Hydra said, as he sat down on the only chair in the room.

"Begin program reformatting." a Raichu said, as two Electabuzz started placing pads on Hydra's MechHead. "Please deposit your head onto the table." one of the Electabuzz said, Hydra did so, and he suddenly lost all sensation in the head. After a few seconds, it started to hurt him, and blood began dripping out of the MechHead. "Begin..now." The Raichu said, causing a few Weavile to start tapping things into the computer. The sting was agonizing, but Hydra stood his ground. Then, the Mechhead received an electric shock, causing it to bounce up once or twice. "Reflex" the Raichu said, as the Weavile kept working.

Suddenly, the pain was too much to bear. Hydra could feel himself becoming unconscious. His vision became blurry, his hearing weakened. But just then, he heard the Raichu say "Now!". This made him faint.

A while later, Hydra awoke to find the Raichu looking at him. "Sir, we've finished." he said. He looked around to see the computers, and his team. It was night now. Hydra got up, and looked at his MechHead. The pain had gone, as if it had never existed. Hydra pointed his head at the fridge, and used DragonBreath. Almost instantly, the head launched a blaze of purple fire, melting the Fridge to a pile of goo. "Perfect." he said.

He ventured out into he night. Leaving his workers to do what they pleased. Most of the beggars were asleep now, including the Deino from before. He walked away, unable to look at the puss coming from its leg. He looked over at another beggar, an Alakazam. This Pokemon, however, didn't look like much of a beggar. He had his belly stuffed. Hydra guessed he was a thief. He pointed his metal head at him, and launched DragonBreath. The Alakazam woke up on fire. He screamed, waking everyone in the so-called "street" up. Hydra just floated away, into the mist ahead.

For the rest of that night, Hydra remained at a hotel, he would need rest for the days ahead. He did, however, have the strangest dream.
Hydra had once killed a member of the Gold Tribe back when the Neoverse was all powerful. He was a very powerful Sceptile. He had a dream about him, being ripped to shreds by the former emperor of Neoverse, Emperor Galleon.

Hydra awoke the next morning. Disturbed by the dream. He looked around to see the hotel room he'd rented. It was of the top acquisition. Decorated in gold and silver. The gold only reminded Hydra more of the Gold Tribe, and how he would enjoy ripping them apart in the tournament. From the moment where he almost lost to the Sceptile, Hydra had grown, much. He was now much more powerful, much smarter, much more tactical, and much more evil.

He made his way out of the hotel, and shaded his eyes with his left head as the sun pierced them. Since the incident two years ago, his left head did almost anything he wanted it to, and acted as a sort of arm for him. The MechHead was programmed to react to Hydra's muscles, so it naturally did anything he wanted. In essence, his whole body was under his whole control. This was a phenomenon that had never happened to any Hydreigon before. And Hydra was quite thankful toward the Gold Tribe for only furthering his power.

____________________________________​

Stingfist​

Stingfist walked with the others towards the Spire. When they got there, a huge Aerodactyl came flying down and spoke.

Stingfist listened intently. He was bent on wining this tournament for his friend. So there was no turning back now. When the Aerodactyl flew to the top of the clouds, Stingfist knew he had to train. A friend of Stingfists's, a Scizor by the name of Nox, had shown Stingfist a map of the area around the Spire. There was the town, and then a huge field. The field's size could apparently rival the size of the town. Which was pretty big. This was where Stingfist wanted to train. He went to a local dojo and borrowed some of the punching bags to train with. One would usually train IN the dojo, but Stingfist preferred to train alone.

On his way out of town and into the field, Stingfist had to pass a sad little street. As he entered it, the sign read "Poorway street." and it was poor alright. It was filled with beggars, abandoned houses and...injured children. Stingfist saw a young Zangoose. Much like the Kaiser. limping across the street, looking left and right to make sure no cars were passing. Stingfist couldn't help it, he walked over to the young thing, only about as tall as his leg, crouched down, and said "Young one. Where is your mother?"
This caused the Zangoose to jump and hide from the Toxicroak. "You have no need to be afraid, I am here to help." he said to him. The youngling came out from the pile of rubble he was hiding behind and said "I don't have a mother."
His voice was decently mature, he was maybe about nine years old, eleven tops. "Let me take you to the hospital." he said. The Zangoose replied "I been to da hospital. They said no."
This came as a shock to Stingfist. Were they really that heartless around here? "Don't worry about that. My name is Vincent, and I can make them say yes." Stingfist told the little Zangoose. Apparently, it was not this that made the Zangoose jump into his arms, it was his shoulder-plate. "Shiny!" the Zangoose replied, as he took it off of the Toxicroak's shoulder. Stingfist picked him up and carried him off, away from Poorway.

When Poorway was behind them, the little Zangoose buried its head under its chest fur. The street outside of Poorway was bustling as ever. The Zngoose had probably never left Poorway, so it must've been scared. The Pokemon Center was in sight, and some people backed away as they noticed Stingfist's golden shoulder-plate.
He entered the center, everyone who saw him pretended not to notice him and look somewhere else. When the counter was available. Stingfist walked to it and deposited the young Zangoose in front of the nurse. "This youngling needs medical attention, now. He has an infected injury." Stingfist said, indicating the Zangoose's knee, which puss was coming out of. "I'm sorry, sir. I'll need to see some identification for the Zangoose. If he has no passport, he doesn't-" but before the nurse, a Jynx, could finish, Stingfist clenched his fist and banged the counter, causing everyone to start staring. "Don't give me any of that Tauross***! This boy needs medical attention, now!" he exclaimed. The Jynx did not seem disturbed, she only looked at his golden shoulder plate. "And may I ask who you are?" she asked. "My name is Vincent Paine, I am of the Alpha Alliance and I come here with my group to participate in the Dark Tournament. That is of no importance, this boy-" explained Stingfist, but before he could finish, he was interrupted by the Jynx. "I'm sorry, sir. Without an Argos citizenship, you have no right to even be in here. Security!" she shouted. "Argh! I'l escort myself out!" Stingfist shouted at her, heading for the door, Zangoose in hand.

"This place is ridiculous!" Stingfist said to himself. "Back home, we are honourable, we help the weak. Here they need Arceus-damn identification!" he thought to himself again. The only way to help this youngling was to find some medical supplies. Maybe if Stingfist found another Gold Tribe member, they could help. So he searched for one, through the night. The Zangoose had fallen asleep in his arms. Puss was pushing itself out of the wound, which looked fresh.

Stingfist awoke on a bed. He got up and saw that he was at an inn. He'd probably checked into it last night. He realized he'd been so busy trying to find help for the Zangoose, that he'd completely forgotten about training for the tournament. The Zangoose was sleeping in a little bed nearby.

No time for breakfast, Stingfist walked out of the inn. He picked up his search for a fellow Gold Tribe member, finally, he thought he spotted someone familiar.
There was a construction site nearby, Stingfist looked at it and saw various Machamp working on building new houses. One of the Machamp was speaking to a Dragonair, whom Stingfist distinctly recognised from yesterday. She was one of the Gold Tribe. He sighed and walked over to his fellow member. The young Zangoose was still asleep in Singfist's arms, he looked at him and put him under the shade of a tree. "Be right back" he whispered, and walked off to talk to the Dragonair.

When he got close, he watched the Machamp leave and said "Hey, Ambrosia, is it? I'm Stingfist, a fellow Gold Tribe member. I need your help. Follow me." he said.

(OOC: I know I've said this, like, a million times, but LONGEST POST EVAR!!!)

(OOC: YES! FIRST POST ON NEW PAGE, SUCKERZ!)

 

[-Nocturnal]

Anna gasped when Dylan reached for her other hand, blushing as she looked into his eyes. Dylan couldn't help smiling. She looks cute when she blushes/gasps, and this was no exception. "That's really sweet, but I can't let you do that. It shouldn't be your job, or your mom's job to protect me. I should be able to protect myself. And I'd like to be friends with you, my past doesn't seem to upset you..." She spoke softly, looking into his blue eyes with her gray ones. When Dylan kissed her on the cheek, she seemed to be a little dumbfounded, their eyes locked onto each other's for a few minutes, not saying a word for a while.


Then she blushed deeply when Dylan pulled her towards him, hugging her gently. At first, Dylan could feel some struggling and wriggling, but after a short while, she hugged him back tight, which made Dylan sigh in relief. Looking at the Zangoose and blushing in embarrassment once again, Dylan smiled a little and nodded slightly as a gesture of gratitude, as Kent walked away for now, giving them some privacy.


Hugging Anna even tighter, his arms around her back, Dylan closed his eyes, relaxing in the hug, but holding her gently and firmly as well. Dylan had never been this close before, and at this range, their bodies were pressed onto each other's, their soft fur rubbing against each other. Dylan could even sniff out her scent. It was a rather good one - she smelled like blooming flowers. Smiling with the thought, Dylan continued to hug her, his head resting on her shoulder as hers rested on his, enjoying the gentle hug with his new friend.


"Your past didn't upset me at all..." Dylan spoke gently, Anna's scent calming him down, soothing him, "You can start over...at my place...live a better life with us...that's the least I can do...as your friend...please...stay..."


"Man he's a lot like me," Neptune chuckled, looking at the sweet scene, "Love over everything else."


"Maybe soon the Trident will knock some fighting sense into the lil guy." Triton spoke from behind.


"Maybe......"

-Dylan Demetrius

 

[SV]

Gold Tribe

Kent lay in the bed of grass, looking up in the sky. The sky wasn't clear, as it wasn't yesterday when he arrived. It was covered with clouds. The Spire was clearly visible as it extended beyond the clouds. Kent wondered what the top looks like. Was it some sort of circular shape? Perhaps it was a simple spike. Or maybe...

His thoughts were interrupted as a Ditto, Replicus of the Gold Tribe came to him.

"Kaiser, you forgot to tell us the Inn! I had to sleep in a tree! Tonight, I'm gonna take your room, and you sleep in the tree!" Replicus laughed.

Kent laughed with him.

"I am sorry, Fallax. I'll show you the inn this night around."

He then showed the hood he had bought the previous day. "By the way, Kaiser, if you need any recon, I can get some info for you." Fallax smiled, and transformed into the Keeper Kabutops, and wore the hood. Then, mimicking the Kabutops, he said, "Your wish is my command,"

Kent looked at him, impressed. He looked exactly like him. But then he remembered one of the rules he heard from Rector.

Rule 5: Do not cross the Keepers, or you shall receive a very dreadful death. The words of Rector echoed in his mind. Although he did want to learn more about the Keepers and who really was behind this Tournament, he decided against putting his members in danger.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Fallax. They warned against us getting too nosy. If they have something to hide, we probably will figure it out eventually, but not like this. I don't want to put you in danger." Kent smiled at him. "Besides, we have training we should do. I met this young Buizel who has a lot of promise. I've taken him under my wing as a pupil."

***************************************************************

Kingdom of Tollen

Zachary was flying relatively low, mostly next to the higher buildings, although there really wasn't anything high in this city. All the buildings were no more than a few stories high.

All except one. The Spire. It could easily be seen from miles away, a symbol of the many hardships to come. Zachary decided to take a closer look, flying towards its direction. He looked up, trying to see if he could see a top, but couldn't. He decided to see what was up there. Zachary spread his massive wings and flapped them hardly as he turned his head up and flew directly parallel to the Spire, similarly to the way the Aerodactyl Rector did. He kept going up and up, until something blocked him. He collided, head first, into what appeared to be nothing at first. The hit sent him back a little, and he struggled to regain his composure in mid-air. He flew towards the top area again, but was again blocked off by some kind of invisible force. Zachary understood now. The top of the Spire, the area above the clouds, was unreachable by some kind of strange power.

Disappointed, Zachary flew down to the city of Abel below.

 

[Stingray]

The night before was uneventful for the most part for Shiro. He took the group to a nice restaurant which had satisfactory food. He paid for the two commoners since he guessed the very expensive meal was way out of their means. It wasn't a too unpleasant night until some rich local merchants came over and tried to beg Shiro into playing his Biwa for them. He refused stating he wasn't a traveling musician and he only played it when alone to relax (mostly due to the fact he doesn't think he is a great player.). They of coarse refused to take no as an answer and finally Shiro just left the restaurant right after paying. When he went to the inn they had assigned for the Trollen fighters Shiro wasn't pleased they were small rooms for commoners, and he wouldn't have it. Instead he gracefully refused the room and went to find a more fitting Inn. He had offered to help find the others a better place as well (well it was directed at the Duchess, but he decided if Nova wanted a nice room as well he had the extra money so might as well). He found a very nice Inn in the richest part of town and found the commendations satisfactory.

The rooms were fit for any noble, and it did not take long for Shiro to carefully remove and fold his armor and go to bed. When he woke the next morning he decided for most of the day to just sit in his room and relax. Softly playing his Biwa after a good breakfast (not as good at the food back home), Shiro thought of the tournament ahead and wondered what trials awaited him. 'Which of his fellow Trollen companions would he be forced to fight? Would they all survive? Why did something seem off about this tournament?' He thought as he carefully played his instrument.


(( I'm sorry this post sucks I was rushed and will not be able to post tomorrow most likely ))

 

[angel]

Annabell Grace​

Anna blushed, a little embraced at the hug. She had never been this close to someone before. And she rather liked it. Anna could feel his arms around her protectively. Its odd. How we just met and he already cares about me enough to bring me to his home. And then invite me to stay with his family a couple times. Anna thought, enjoying the hug. It was nice being close to someone without being afraid of being hit. In all truth she seemed to know a lot about this Buizel and they had just met last night. Anna could say that Dylan felt like a brother, the sibling she always wanted. Because she had never gotten to know her sister very well. Everything she knew about her was stuff her mother told her. And as her mother told her such things Anna could always hear sadness. Anna knew Ryce's running away devastated her parents. But did they care about Anna? Did they care about her running away? Anna didn't believe they did. If they cared they wouldn't have locked me in the house. Where I had to make my own friends. Anna thought. She had always thought she was a mistake, something to hide away so nobody knew about her. So she wouldn't bring shame to their family's name.

Anna pulled herself out of her thoughts at Dylan's words. He still wants me to live with him. Him and his mom. Anna thought. Why? What did I do deserve a friend like him? I've coned Pokemon out of their hard earned money. I've been a coward practically my whole life. What does he see that I don't? What's so special about me? She thought sadly. "Dylan, that's sweet, but I don't know about that. A-Are you sure it would be ok? And why would you want me to anyways?" She asked softly, looking away from him. I'm surpeised he hasn't asked about my eyes. Its the first thing everybody else askes. Anna thought.

**********************************

Genevieve Demetrius
Gold Tribe​

Genevieve was walking around the city, looking for Kent. How can he be so hard to find? She asked herself. I found him easily in Eternity, but he was in the Gold Tribe headquarters then. Genevieve sighed and glanced up at the early morning sky. It looked like it was going to be a nice day that day. As she looked back down at the city, Genevieve noticed a drunken Lucario coming her way. Genevieve didn't have time to step out of the way before he ran into her.

With disgust on his face he called her a foreigner and told her to watch where she was going. For the most part she was a foreigner, but he was the one to bump into her. Genevieve didn't care for being pushed out of his way, either. Clearly, he needs to lay off the booze. Genevieve thought and she said outloud. "Drunken idiot."

Genevieve continued to walk, she needed to forget the drunken Lucario and remember she needed to find Kent. Finally she found him laying on a hill, there was a Kabutops with him. This Kabutops was wearing a hood. Genevieve gave the Kabutops a warm smile and walked over to Kent. "Hello Kaiser. I came to see if you needed some help." She said smiling down at him.