The Children are Hunted. (M)

[Nideous]

Van

Van just gave Ash a piercing stare. Hm... Seems she had been found out. Well, better to come clean now. That way they couldn't get mad at her later for lying to them. But still, WHY did she even care what they thought? They were only humans after all.

"Alright fine! For Arceus sake, stop LOOKING at me like that you batty old blind moron! God, it's worse than Trigger! I am a member of the RDM, sent here to follow and moniter some stupid boy. I just happened to find Zoran here. My orders don't include capturing her, or even him. Just to make sure you guys are the real deal. There, I told you, now stop staring, god, you're making my fur itch!" she said, complaining vehemently at Ash as she sat down and began to scratch her neck in true canine fashion. "I mean, seriously, I already said I wasn't going to try to hurt either of you, what more do you want from me? Sheesh, you humans always give me a headache."

She continued in that vein for a time before sighing and shaking her head. "... And if it's not too much to ask I have to go check in now. Humph, can I trust you two not to blow my cover to the rest of the bloody boat? Damn human things, too small..." she said, walking away, her tails drooping as she rambled on about boats now, muttering angrily to herself.

"Hello sweety!" was the excited cry, and Van was suddenly flattened, hugged by the ever present Winny.

"Get offa me you great fool! God, you're almost as bad as she is!" the startled vulpix cried, barking at her in a very uncharacteristic manner. This confused Winny. Van was usually so calm on a mission.

"What happened darling?" Winny asked, pulling Van to her paws and petting her, eliciting a growl from the vulpix.

"I am not your darling! but we have problems. I think Red is more than a stupid Knight... and there is more. another one of them appeared on the boat. i'm following her too. and the one I was supposed to follow just threw himself overboard. but I know he'll be fine. He's out there, I felt him. But that's not the concern. a lot of powrs have gathered here... makes my fur itch." Van said, still scratching her neck. Winny nodded gravely. What Van did not know was that this inherent ability to sense poers was precisely why she had been chosen for this mission. Poor Van was being used, and in the end when she was no longer needed she would be abandoned. and then who knew what she would do. Winny already knew that the stress from being betrayed by the RDM would snap her mind pretty badly. She hadn't quite been stable, not since that fire had killed her old trainer and the rest of her friends. Hm...

"Hey Vanny, you want my help on this?" Winny offered concernedly.

"Oh NO! I do not want some psycho stalker following me around! Arceus above, I can do this on my own! I'm not a kit anymore damn it!" Van said with annoyance.

"I never said that, but this is your first solo mission, I don't want you to mess up..." Winny said. Van huffed softly, knowing she already had.

"I gotta go." was all she said, walking back towards the two human girls she was traveling with.

Thomas Elias Brown
Trista Mermayin

"Finaly! Land!" Thomas said, collapsing on the beach, smiling happily. His two pokemon looked at him curiously, and Esper nuzzled his hand.

"A boat a boat!" Trista cried, pointing at the boat, were people were aready disembarking. Thomas just kept laying in the sand, relaxing.

"Hey, get up! You gotta show me around! Come on Great One, we gotta go see stuff!" Trista said, tugging on his arm like a child.

"Trista, this is a vacation city, the important thing is to relax!" Thomas said, "We'll have plenty of time for that later!" he said. After a while, he slowly got up, yawning and drifting over to the boat. He waved at Quin, who grinned and waved back.

"Capital place, the big blue, is it not my friend?" Quin said, clapping a hand down on Thomas's shoulder.

"Eh, it was alright." Thomas said, laughing. Quin looked at Trista, who raised her hands and hid behind Thomas.

"Well, i'll leave you to it then my friend. Make sure to retrieve your bag from another friend of mine. I shall see you when I see you!" Quin said jovially. With that he walked away.

"I don't like him Great One! He stinks of human lies!" Trista said. Thomas sighed.

"For the last time, call me Thomas!" he said exasperatedly.

 

[Fuyu]

Ash

Ash chuckled, watching Zoran's expression twist from irritated back to that playfully innocent thing it tended to be. What a silly Vulpix was trailing her important person. It just didn't understand. Maybe once it stayed with them a while, she would. Oh well, it wasn't important right now, what that fox was thinking. She would be Zoran's new friend, and that was that.

"I wonder how I can stare at something I can't see," she commented to Zoran with a smirk as Van left them. Zoran giggled and Ash felt her heart lift. She would protect that expression, that look of genuine joy, from anyone, even...

Her fists clenched.Stupid old man...

"Ash?" Zoran was standing by what she guessed was the way downstairs. Zaria floated beside her, arms around her neck. She could tell that much, always.

"I will let you see the ones you love, someday."

"Ash~" Zoran called again. "If you don't get over here, I'll jump you!"

Ash grinned. "Not if I get you first!" She lunged and Zoran bolted. Doom barked from up ahead, making Ash grin wider. Found her! "You can't escape!"

"Already did~"

Zoran

Sparx pawed at her leg as she hid, making the girl put a finger to her lips. Her Shinx gave a snort and plopped the bag at her feet. Doom whuffed softly, Edmund still fast asleep on his back. Zoran smiled again and crept into the crowd of people exiting the ship.

Ash needed to stop worrying about her, honestly. Her fingers tightened on the bag's strap. She would be okay, perfectly okay.

"Oh... it's hot." She dropped the other person's bag and disappeared into a bathroom. "Too hot to wear any of this... at all!" Zoran rummaged for lighter clothes in her own satchel and came up with a tank top and black shorts. She rolled her eyes at her reflection. "White looks ugly on me."

"Nothing looks ugly on you." Ash grabbed Zoran by the waist and dragged her into the crowd. She didn't flail until they met fresh air, and only when the flying Charizard touched gently down on the sand. Ash set her down gently to face the large creature. Carrie tried to smile, but ended up wincing as Zoran's eyes followed her flaming tail.

Zoran glanced back at her, unsettled, then swallowed. It wasn't Carrie's fault. She wouldn't do anything. She was a good girl, who only fought for Ash. Zoran took one step forward, then another. Zaria was already sitting lazily on the Pokemon's back, waving at her. Zoran placed a tan hand on Carrie's bowed head and relaxed. "... Hi Carrie."

Her hands shook, but she didn't let them go even when Carrie exhaled hot air from her snout.

Ash sighed in relief.

Lucian

He touched down in a world that was cold and sterile.

In it, a small girl slept, her white hair fluttering to invisible wind. She did not move, her chest barely rose and fell. Around her, Pokeballs spun.

Lucian smiled at the little girl. "Alyssa," he intoned softly. "Alyssa Meridian. The world is waiting for you to wake."

She did not stir and he pushed his glasses on his nose. "Alyssa," he repeated, and his eyes glowed pink. He reached out a hand to her head, only to find it pushed away. He tutted. "Come now, Zephyr, sealing her in this manner is so crude of you. She is needed, Zephyr. And now that we have her, we will continue to do so... neh, Brie?"

There was a soft, single footstep and Lucian grinned. "You aren't going to make it easy are you? Good... I need someone to rip apart.

He turned and lunged forward, meeting an invisible attacker with a blast of white.

???

She was scared.

 

[Nideous]

Thomas Elias Brown
Trista Mermayin
Chapter 2: Back on track!

Thomas smiled and looked around. He wasn't interested in this resort town, as he had told everyone trying to get him to try the food, seel him some over priced tourist junk, anything and everything they could think of to pawn off on the dumb American tourists. Not that Trista was helping matters. She would oooh and awe over everything, and pick it up and show Thomas. Then there was Esper, who helpfully meowed at anything she happened to miss. The ONLY one that was behaving was Volt! And Volt was the one that he had expected the MOST trouble out of. The electrike was huddled against his leg, actually, growling at anyone that got too close.

"Trista, TRISTA! For Arceus sakes, stop gawking at everything! We gotta get to the boat!" he said, shaking his head. Why oh why was the fish girl so trying? He felt Esper in his mind, soothing him and calming him.

"Patience Thomas. She's ----- ---- a human ---- before. ---- concentrate -- our ------- right now. We ----- have to find D-----." Esper said in his mind, etting out a cat like giggle as Trista brought him a piece of coral,

"Oh, lookit lookit! Isn't it pretty? I made this! Oooh, here, it's mine, so i'ma give it to you!" she said, dumping the coral into his hands

"Hey! You gotta pay for that!" the shop keeper said, running over and snatching it from Thomas;s hands.

"HEY! No stealing mister! Or i'll have to-" Trista shouted back, prompting a shouting match between her and the man. Thomas sighed and shook his head as Volt growled and began to bark.

"Oh god..." he said softly as a police man on a horse approached.

"What's going on here?" the officer said.

"These Americans were stealing ym merchandise!" the shop keeper said angrily.

"Nononono! He stole my coral! I made it myself!" she said.

"Trista..." Thomas said softly. Volt yapped and barked angrily, growling, sparks running down his fur.

"See? This ***** is crazy! Get them out of here!" the shop keeper said angrily.

"*****? Stupid land dweller, I am the Princess of the sea! I will not tolerate an attitude from a lowly worm like you!" she said angrily, her eyes flashing. Thomas shivered, watching as she summoned a terrible wave, smashing it down on the man. The cold water smothering him again, and he coughed and squirmed hard unable to breath.

"Thomas? Did you hear me?"

Hey, you gotta pay for that!" the shop keeper said. Thomas blinked and looked down, seeing the coral. Trista looked angry, but Thomas hurried and moved in front of her.

"Y-yeah, of course. One second." he said, fumbling in his pocket for some change. His heart was pounding, and he could barely see straight as he paid for the coral.

"H-hey! You don't have to pay for that! I made it myself!" Trista said, stomping her foot.

"Yeah, but it's easuier this way." Thomas said softly. Volt growled and barked loudly. Thomas had a splitting head ache now, and the world was spinning around him. He looked up, feeling a spike in his neck, very clearly spotting a charizard with two people riding it. Was that the future or the present? Why was it important? He had no clue, but it felt so very similar to him. He wobbled a bit, Volt barking and yapping incessantly. He felt Esper rub against his leg suddenly, and Volt bounding around him. Trista and the shop keeper were bickering about the orgins of coral, and she was telling him about being the Princess of the sea. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see the officer, giving him a worried look.

"You ok son?"

"Thomas?"

"Hey, kid, you alright?"

"Yeah... I got a headache... I need somewhere to rest... This is too much." he said.

"I can tell. but a trainer's gotta get used to all this. Why don't you and your girl friend come with me?" the man said in a friendly voice, putting a hand on Trista. MAN that girl had lungs. Clearly she was startled, and she let out an ear piercing shriek.

 

[Fuyu]

Zoran

There was an ear-piercing shriek not too far away and Zoran, who was in deep concentration in examining Carrie's claws, jumped away. She turned toward the noise, expecting a fight or a possible chance to torture someone. Instead, Carrie's claws reflexively wrapped themselves around her in an embrace, pulling her away from potential danger. She giggled. "Are you worried about me?" The Pokemon snorted, then nuzzled her hair. Sparx laughed at this from where she lay in the sand. "You aren't helping, silly cat."

"I'm not sorry." Sparx yawned, rolling onto her back. Doom barked at her, placing his nose on her stomach. She yelped and rolled over, glowering hotly at him.

Ash chuckled at them both. "Carrie's always been a bit jumpy you know?" Ash stretched. "Where's that pretty fox of yours?"

"I'll find her," Zaria volunteered, swooping off to go hunt down the Vulpix. Granted, she probably couldn't be seen by the critter, but it would be nice to know where she was so Zoran knew and could go find her. She couldn't really get why her sister was already fond of such a nasty creature, especially since it kind of made her skin crawl to be near her. However, Zoran was usually okay with this stuff, for an idiot.

Zoran waved at her and looked at Ash. "Are you going to abandon me now?"

Ash rolled her eyes. "Hardly. I'm going to protect you and see what made that ridiculous noise. I'll be back, all right?" Zoran nodded and Ash walked away, cheerfully whistling a tune of her own.

Ash

Man there was quite a ruckus over here. What, did someone tick off the gods or something? The wet sand squished under her feet and she sighed. Opening her eyes, they quickly shined bright blue and examined the area.

Woah. Hello there. Potential all up the wazoo. That guy, he was a guy right? He was all over the place with whatever was wrong with him. Geezum gosh. Zoran's power controlled her and it wasn't this unnoticed. The thing would practically lash out at anyone, the kid included. It had no focus, no... purpose. Geez...

The girl was much more controlled... even if her emotions were what it was latched to. It looked like the ocean. She supposed they were lucky the island hadn't been sunk by now. She could get away of course, but why bother?

Ash let out a chuckle. Seemed like fun... or at least fun to destroy. Zoran would have a field day. She walked over to the boy, Thomas, and winked at the nearby Espeon. "Kiddo, is that your girl making all that racket? She's bein' a right pain in the rear end. Mind if I shut her up a little?" Her grin was growing wider and wider, almost enough to make Riley poke her little furry head out.