The Children Are Hunted

(OOC: No problem! Thomas can't just breeze through every gym he meets!)

"I'm guessing he thought you were just trying to soften the blow for him. He always tries to be strong for everyone else. But it's more than that. He wouldn't be able to stand the thought of being so helpless. And he also probably thought that he would get in the way of everyone, and that he would bring danger to Zoran and me. He'd be really easy to use against us in his condition. I know how he felt, because I've felt a bit useless since we started this quest. I just wish the way I got over it hadn't come at such a great cost. But I don't know why he attacked us," Marcus said. Vulpix sighed.
"It's cause he sucks at controlling his power! If he felt all that, he probably lost control. He doesn't know how to deal with losing things. He just throws a temper tantrum! The worse things are for him, the bigger the tantrum. He's like a pup that way. And now that he has these powers... Well, I'll be blunt, if he can't get control, things will be worse than we just saw," Vulpix said.
"He probably feels like he's alone right now. I wish I could do something, but all I can do is let Esper handle it. He knows how to get into Thomas's head better than any of us!" Marcus said. He put his hand on Clefairy's pokeball.

Thomas woke up slowly. He was aware of the fact that he was now laying on the floor somewhere. He felt pokemon all around him, but could see nothing. He knew that they were his pokemon. Esper joined his mind.
"Esper... I'm sorry," Thomas said.
"So you're just going to give up? That's not like you,"
"What? Was that you. Esper?" Thomas asked.
"Of course it was! I may not be able to speak through my mouth anymore, but my mind works just fine!" Esper said in his mind.
"I thought your voice would be a bit lower..." Thomas said. Esper chuckled, which sounded more like a high pitched giggle.
"Hehehe! Well, now you know the truth! But you still haven't answered my question!" Esper said. Thomas sighed.
"Esper... I'm useless! I can't even take care of myself anymore! The others would be forced to take risks just because I can't do anything!"
"You didn't even listen to that human did you. She said she'd teach you how to do things without your eyes!" Esper told him.
"Even if that's true, how can I battle! If I can't see what's going on, then I can't direct you properly!" Thomas said sadly.
"You have such little faith in us that we can't pick up the slack in a battle? I'm hurt," Esper said. He sounded pathectic.
"But..." Thomas said.
"It's your choice... But the rest of us have agreed. We're with you no matter what you decide!" Esper told him. The rest of the pokemon chimed in their agreement. Thomas sighed.
"I guess your right," Thomas said.
"You don't sound like your convinced," Esper said.
"I am. You know me, I love battling too much to quit," Thomas said. Esper rurred at him. Thomas felt something get lifted off of him. He sat up, and listened as hard as he could. He only heard normal sounds. Esper sent a brief recollection of what just happened to Zaria, trusting her to let everyone know that Thomas was alright for now. Thomas rubbed his eyes and felt for the power in him. It was still there, and still wild. He clamped down on it losely. It writhed under his grasp and protested.
 
(ooh this should be fun. Planned out already. XD)

Ash nodded. "You guys are just kids and he is new at this sort of stuff." She sighed. "Looks like controlling his power comes first. If by the end of the week his eyesight isn't back, then I'll see if I can help him any. It's up to him in the end, what he really wants to do."

Zaria paused. "Esper says Thomas is okay right now."

Down below, Zoran was quietly laying near the stairs. His mind was vaguely aware of what was happening around him. Kira glanced down at him and nodded. He had felt Thomas' power go off earlier and could vaguely sense it struggling now. He tentatively poked Thomas' mind. "You aren't feeling good buddy."
 
The Tournament. The Badges are Worth More.

Karen flipped her hair so she could see what was going on in front of her. The plane was just landing in the RDM base near RISE Island. She had gotten a special message from another Deviser, Malekai. It was a sort of advertisement, held by the AAPM. It was for a tournament of sorts. There were more than just 5 CT's. But those were the ones they were searching for. She took a look at the advertisement. She was sure that the gym leaders weren't in agreement with the next part.

8 Badges from the Gyms. Then, you can come face off against 5 strong opponents. Beat them all for a special prize.
Click to expand...

She was so sure that Regis, the leader of the AAPM, had planned it so that all 5 of the CT's will have a challenge,. He knew that they would win every battle until it came to the final. She wondered who those five will be. She had been told that the trainers had been picked because of their own special qualities, but that some had been...kidnapped. She had also been told that at this very moment, AAPM agents were hanging them up, putting them on the web, and any other methods targetting children themselves. The AAPM must have grown restless in their search for the Children Trainers. They were getting sloppy. It was obvious this had to be put to rest. She would enter the tournament.
 
"Oh yeah? Well you look like crap!" Thomas said with a sad smile. Esper purred loudly, happy that things were getting better.
"So, any idea where we are? I kinda blacked out after all that," Thomas said finally. Thomas continued trying to get his power to listen, and it kept fighting him. Raw power was handy for some things, like blasting the hell out of anything in your way, but he needed to get a better grip on it, or he'd end up killing everyone he cared about. He'd already gone through that once, and didn't care to repeat the expierence. If it was his own fault, that would make it worse.
"You're trying to hard. Let it come naturally, don't force it. It's kind of like you are, the more you try to force it to do something, the more it will fight you," Esper said gently. Thomas relaxed a little. The power was easier to deal with, but not much. Thomas hadn't relaxed that much.
"I've been thinking. You have a power nothing like Zoran's. Maybe it affects you in different ways. His power seems to tire him, as well as attack his mind. Yours seems to attack your body and your senses. Especially vision, because that is the main way to sense light. Maybe you control it in different ways," Esper said calmly. That made sense. Thomas let the power fade. At least it hadn't spoken to him. He didn't want to hear what it had to say.
"I thought you liked hearing my voice!" Esper said in that oddly high pitched voice.
"You're voice is fine. Zaria too. But that's about all I can stand," Thomas said.
"Hehehe, that's fine with me! The Words are making me sleepy. It's hard to think now," Esper said, then his presence faded.
 
Zoran gave a weak chuckle."I don't think I'm as god-awful as you yet so..." He mentally frowned. "By the sound of things, Esper's giving you a hand. Good. But it only works if you chill out. And... this could be me hallucinating but... are you afraid of your power Thomas?" He snorted at the idea of Thomas' power talking to him. He'd probably scream at it to shut up. The shadows hissed at him, muttering derisively. Zoran ignored them, sensing Zaria swirling around upstairs in a slight panic. Why would she... oh. Ash was about to fly off the handle. Great. He could feel something against his chest. Why is there a Pokemon laying on me?

Kira replied. "She likes you."

"Eh, good enough." Zoran returned his attention to Thomas, expecting an answer. "You can tell me Thomas. I can't really laugh about it."
 
"If I said I wasn't afraid of it I'd be lying. But I was given the power for some purpose. I can learn to control it. I must! It's just... So hard to get from where I am now to having control! And I don't know if I'll ever be able to see again. So I'll ask you, can you put up with taking me around with you? I'm going to continue my journey, whether you want to keep traveling with me or not. I'd just prefer to be around friends, that's all!" Thomas said. Esper purred at him. Volt growled affectionately at him. Amber squealed at him happily. As long as he had his pokemon, it would be just fine.
"Still, what's going on around here!? Where is everyone else! Until I can adjust to using my other senses, I'm pretty much useless!" Thomas said. He wished someone would tell him what was going on. He hated being in the dark.
 
Zoran paused and thought for a second. Then he sighed. "My god, you still don't get it... you're trying to do much way too fast. You have to take this stuff in steps. Saying you must do this is pretty, but unless you mean to say you won't lose to yourself, good luck. And another thing," He gave the boy a mental slap. He wondered if Thomas could imagine him looking down at him. "What kind of friend do you think I am: leaving someone behind because they can't see? Do you trust me or not? Ash is blind too and I didn't leave her when I met her! Honestly Thomas, for all the way you care about your friends, you sure have a funny way of showing you actually trust them. Worse, what kind of leader doesn't believe in his comrades?"

Kira stood up and went up to Zoran's limp form. He picked him up, sensing the boy's hurt emotions. Figuring it was best to separate the pair before they fought, he went upstairs with him, Ralts and Cody following. Ralts paused and sent Thomas a soft thought. "All they're doing is waiting upstairs and trying to understand. And you shouldn't lie; you won't be happy with just Pokemon and you know it. Nobody is except us wild Pokemon. And even we aren't sometimes."
 
"Wait! I'm sorry! Of course I trust you! I just don't want you to have any trouble because of me! You've saved my life! Twice! How could I not trust you after that! You're my friend. And I'm terrified of this. I don't know if I'll be able to handle it! And... I need help. There, I said it. I need help, and I don't like it!" Thomas shouted when he heard Kira picking up Zoran. His power began stirring, and he relaxed. He allowed the power to come to the surface, and then let it settle itself again. He felt a bit of joy at that, because he had let it calm down. He felt like he had just used the power that came to him. Maybe it wasn't using the power that effected him. Maybe it was calling it out of him. He'd either have to learn to control his emotions better, or control when his powers came better. Preferably both.
"Well, I'm probably my own worst enemy, huh Esper," Thomas said as Esper purred away at him. Thomas lay back down, feeling more alone than ever.
 
Zaria felt her brother's agitation and sighed, heading downstairs and making Kira drag him back down. "This sort of thing always gets on his nerves," she told Thomas with a little grin. "Nothing personal." She sat down next to him, by Esper's side. She scratched the Pokemon's head. "You'll get it soon Thomas. Like you tried to tell Zora, friends work together and you can't shut yourself away. Friends bring good and bad things to the table. You have to accept that you bring troubles like the rest of us do. We do get it." She reached out to pat Thomas' head.

"It's okay to be scared Thomas," Zoran told him. "And you don't have to take everything on by yourself. You need us and we need you. It's okay to be that way."
 
"Well, it's not something I'm used to. I suppose I'll get over it. I guess I should take my own advice, huh?" Thomas said. He sighed and stood up. With Esper guiding him, he walked uncertainly toward Zoran. He sat down near him and grinned. He was feeling a little better than before. Amber ran over to Zoran, making her little squeaking noises at him. Esper and Volt came ove and settled themselves next to Thomas. Deluge hadn't seemed to have moved anywhere. Razor trilled happily, and flew about the room.
 
Zaria grinned at him for her brother. "It takes a lot of getting used to," she admitted. "Right Zora?"

Her brother gave a mental nod as the Ralts curled up against his chest. "She's warm..."

"Cause you're happy," his sister chirped. "And be nice Amber. Zora can't talk or pet you right now. He does say hi though!" She turned back to Thomas. "It'll be better eventually."
 
Amber huffed a little and lay down between Thomas and Zoran. Thomas leaned back, and tried to follow Razor's flight pattern with his ears. All he could hear was that she was wushing back and forth. He sighed.
"Heh, I'm guessing they put me down here so that if I lose control, I won't blow anything up. I can't blame them for that. My level of control is rudimentery at best. But at least I have company. And who knows, I may be dead wrong. Maybe it's safer down here than it is up there. If we are back in Ash's place, then I would imagine everything is all burned up from that fire. It was still going when Volt got me out of there," Thomas said. His mind was racing, and he was bored. He didn't want to do anything that might make him upset and lose the precarious control he had on his powers, but he didn't want to sit around and do nothing either! He sighed and stood up.
"Dang it! I'm so bored! Esper, Amber, let's train!" Thomas said. He strode out to where he thought was a good place to stand.
"Esper, you get on the opposing side, Amber, you get on my side!" Thomas said. Amber sqeaked when Thomas assumed she was there. Esper showed Thomas right where he was standing in his mind.
"All right, Esper! You know enough on your own. I'm not going to tell you what to do. But go easy! Amber is half your level, so treat her as such," Thomas said.
 
Time to End the Chase!

Garet had been staring at the virtual map again, making sure he still remembered all the details and names, when a somewhat-dull collision echoed throughout the area. In roughly the same second, the signal from Clair's tracker flickered in and out of sight like a crazed bird in a storm.

"She's definitely in there," the Arcanine muttered to himself, moving around to get a good look at the Gym. No obvious difference on the outside. Glancing at the map, he noticed that the signal had stopped wavering and was now blinking normally. It hadn't been destroyed, then. Still, Garet wondered. Just because the tracker still worked didn't mean that Clair was just as well. That...sound, whatever it had come from, could've been anything. Could've meant anything. He knew that explosions and such made that sort of sound. Whatever had happened, he had to make sure Clair was alive enough for Agatha to get the information she needed. Even if his own tracker wouldn't begin signalling until next morning.

Garet turned off the virtual map before standing and stretching his muscles. He then made his way toward the Gym, slowly increasing his speed. In minutes, he'd stopped some yards before the front entrance of the building. Webs, tombstones, fog?, and the appearance that the Gym was floating. Unless it really did float.

Time to end the chase.
 
Confrontations.

(Updating Gyms with Difficulty)

Mark stared in awe at his second badge. He was beginning to wonder what he would do once he, if he, gained all eight badges. Would he just return home? Yes. That was always an option. Thank goodness his father would be there. His father. He wished he could see him again and this time around, learn as much as he could. Mark was sure his father would be proud of his accomplishments. The Shadow Badge and the Fissure Badge. He would return home, also with a treasure of stories. Meeting Clair, Merin, Shauntal, Minerva, Darrell, Aaron, Jasmine. Gligar, Fighter, Ducky, Volcan, Fright, Buggy. He would show his father all of his Pokemon. They would live together in comfort. Clair stood by his side.

"Darrell was just telling me that there was a gym in Venice. How about that? We could see the sinking city and all its beauty. Oh, the culture, the landmarks. How could we not go? And then, there's one in the Amazon Jungle." Clair rambled on about the adventures they've yet to have.

"I'm going home." Mark whispered yet Clair immediately stopped talking. She stared at him with some anger in her eyes.

"Going home? Going, Home? How? You've just started your adventure!" She loosened and put her arm on his shoulder, "There's so much left to see in the world. You have so much potential and...and..."

"And... I knew you had been keeping a secret from me! Tell me...tell me and I won't go."

"Oh, well... I can't."

"It's about the AAPM. Well, at least at my house, my father tells me everything. I'll tell him everything we've done and we'll have a new connection. That's what I'll do."

"You can't!"

"What do you mean, I can't? I can do whatever I want. It's my life."

Clair rolled her eyes at his newly found arrogance. "You can't!"

"Yes I can. My father will be waiting for me there."

"No, he won't!" "Yes, he will!" "No, he won't!" "Yes" "No!"

"Yes, he will. I don't need you. My father has told me everything."

"Well, did you know he is the leader of the AAPM?!" Mark became instantly quiet. He grew pale and his eyes began to blink. "Yes, did you know that your father is the tyrant of the AAPM? He led you onto this journey and when you get back, all he's going to do is take your Pokemon, your power, and use you! Yes, use you. Now, stop acting like a child."

"I...I am a child." Mark ran off, out of the gym. Clair trailed after him at top speed.

"Wait Mark I...." she turned to look at what Mark was staring at. It was an orange beast. It seemed as if a heat wave was emanating off his chest.

"What's that, Clair?"

"I don't know, Mark. I...don't know."
 
Zoran chuckled. "You think Ash is that crazy? Nah, her Pokemon put it out while she was gone. She has more than the six and Deena. She's probably getting that done now. But good guess, we are back at her house. What got all burned up she can replace."

"Yes, they did put you down here, more in case of your outbursts than anything," Zaria added. "Meditation helps." Kira hopped down to watch as the boy trained.
 
We Meet At Last!

Garet cocked his head. This was definitely the boy he'd chased from Shanghai to Tokyo. He had that same smell. And, going by what the two had just said, the boy was named Mark, and the girl was Clair.

Garet hadn't been expecting them to be together. Or had Clair been chasing the boy just now?

He grinned anyways (as best as an Arcanine could). "Never seen a white Arcanine before, boy?" Garet said. "Don't expect to see another one. I didn't come here to show off, though." His grin disappeared as he looked between the two humans. "I'll say this now, for whatever good it'll do. If you both come quietly, then we shouldn't have too much trouble. Both of you." He waited for their answers, ready to jump in whichever way he'd need to.
 
Something Long Overdue.

"Clair. Run, and run fast."

"I'm not going anywhere." Clair whispered to the boy. Mark seemed rather anxious and frightened. The Arcanine seemed smug with his retort to Mark's remark. Clair herself was nervous in front of the beast. This Pokemon seemed stronger than any other. It was as if, it had control over its own self, as if nothing could ever tame it.

Mark stared into the eyes of the Arcanine, yes, that was his name. RDM or AAPM? That was the only thing in his mind.

"What do you want?" Mark questioned the Arcanine and then dropped a small red and white capsule onto the ground.

"Go, Volcan!"

(Volcan - Cyndaquil)
 
"To complete my mission," Garet growled, keeping an eye on Clair and the Pokeball that had just dropped to release a Cyndaquil. "And I'll do what I can to complete it." He breathed in before letting loose with a controlled Flamethrower directed completely at the Cyndaquil.

Weird how, once he'd evolved with that Fire Stone, Garet hadn't learned much else to use in battle. At least he'd taken the time to train with the things he had learned as a Growlithe.
 
Dancing Over Fire.

The Arcanine let loose a Flamethrower which Cyndaquil tried to counter with his own Flamethrower. But the Arcanine was so much larger that Volcan ultimately failed. He was covered in an Inferno from which he could not escape. Volcan seemed okay once the embers faded. Cyndaquil stared at the large beast and used Quick Attack. With that, he jumped onto Arcanine's back, where he started using a Flame Wheel.

Clair looked at Mark hopelessly. They had left all their other Pokemon inside and couldn't retrieve them. Arcanine could run much faster than them. Volcan was the only one they had. It was then that Dratini wiggled out of the floating gym. It squealed when it noticed its master was in danger. It used a Dragonbreath. But Volcan and Dratini seemed to be having little success.
 
Thomas heard a soft noise. Esper was probably attacking with his favorite attack, Psybeam. Thomas knew how to deal with it.
"Amber, jump to the right and use Tackle!" Thomas said. He heard a scuffling of paws, and the responging yowl that came when Esper got hit. Was he acting slowly to keep up with the fact that Amber was a lot weaker than him. or was she actually quicker on her feet than Thomas had hoped.
"Sand Attack!" Thomas yelled. Amber, from the sounds of it, was blasting sand toward Esper. Thomas had the feeling that Esper had dodged it, and when he hissed at Amber, he knew it was true. Thomas heard an odd sound, like something being charged up.
"Dodge it!" he said, knowing it was Shadow Ball. Amber tried, and failed to dodge it. She got up and screeched at Esper. Thomas told her to use Tackle, and she was running toward him, only to get picked up in midair by Psychic.
"Now! Use Sand Attack! Then Tackle him!" Thomas shouted. Esper would be more focused on his attack than what she was doing. Amber blasted sand right in his eyes, and he growled and dropped her. The resounding noise that echoed through the room told him that Amber had hit a very solid blow.
"Great job! You want to keep going?" Thomas said. Esper walked over, and clearly didn't want to. Amber, the triumphant pokemon ran over as well.
"A few more training sessions like that, and you'll be good to go!" Thomas said. He laughed with his pokemon. This was good. Maybe it wasn't as hopeless as he had thought. But it would be a long way from a brief training session with his pokemon, to battles with others. But he might be able to get there again.
 
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