The Children Are Hunted

"I am a hunter," Mickey commented good-naturedly. "I hunt powerful children and make them my blood slaves." His friend chuckled softly. "I only have the one right now though. Soon I'll make my powerful army, one sap at a time."

Zoran gave a dazed, meek sort of smile. "It'll be all right," he said in that soft, distant voice. "I'm the only one who can really. Ash is in okay shape but if anything else happens she's the only one I'd trust to drive this monster out of here. Robby and Alyss are out cold and I doubt Marcus or Thomas would consent." He turned the smile to Vulpix now as he turned the fox over lightly to finish drying him off. "So there's only me. And I want to help Mickey in any way possible." He quietly dried the other side and went to help Amber. He left her leaves alone. They could dry themselves.

Mickey snorted. "Give up man. Zoran gets really stubborn about this sort of thing." It was getting hard to rein in but he had managed to on worse.

"Won't waste my powers on them," his friend replied finishing and draping the towel over the sink. With a shrug, Zoran quietly took off his shirt and threw it in a nearby basket. He had more. Before he could get one, Mickey commented.

"Dude, the illusion's off," Zoran glanced at his scarred torso and grinned. He quietly went and grabbed another now, quickly pulling it over his head.

"Yeah, I told Zaria to stop. It takes up too much energy." He glanced at Vulpix. "If you don't wanna watch, Dora can take you and Amber into the other room when she comes back." The aforementioned Kirlia was taking Marcus to join the other two.
 
Garet had reached the edge of Venice before he started running for the base. The lightning was on its way, and he didn't want to be fried. It would be a very bad way to go.

As he was running and watching for any obstacles, he was thinking some things through. Clair, who was supposed to be part of the AAPM, had stepped in front of his fire to protect her Dragonair. So had the boy with his Cyndaquil. They'd somehow stopped Garet's Flamethrower. What was more prominent than that, though, was that they'd protected a Pokemon from something that might have put it out of commission. Not a trait of the typical AAPM agent.

Then, there was today's battle by the RV. As Trigger had said, they'd been protecting something or someone in the RV. For whatever reason, the Lucario hadn't actually stepped in to fight until Garet had turned to bite at the human Aura-user. Not a normal trait of the Pokemon of some AAPM agents. Whatever Pokemon had thrown him away from the RV was loyal to Thomas, whoever this Thomas was. Looking up at the sky, Garet wondered if that boy with the Alakazam was with the others he'd fought.

Garet looked back down and saw the base. He ran up to it and made his way in. All this needed a little more thinking, but first, he needed to see if the plane had been fixed before the storm.
 
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(OOC: Did Tony follow our characters in the RV? Or did he not? Unitl I know for sure I'll assume that everyone forgot about him.)

"It doesn't bother me. I've seen way worse things in my career as an RDM agent," Vulpix said. That was certainly true. In fact, he had caused worse, but he didn't want to tell them that. They knew he used to be a Devisor, but they didn't know what he had done to get there. Amber looked up at Zoran and meowed brightly. As soon as he was done, she got to her feet carefully, as though she thought the movement would hurt. When it didn't, she jumped to the ground and shook herself off, and walked back to find Thomas and Esper.

"Hey, Mia. What's wrong?" Thomas asked. Esper had climbed into his lap and was purring.
"Nothing! Nothings wrong!" Mia said.
"Don't lie to me! I can see your light. It's purple with worry. I thought you trusted us Mia," Thomas said. Marcus entered the room and sat down. He sighed.
"Robby is back in his trance thing," Marcus informed the others.
"Well, that's just his backlash. Be glad his isn't like Alyss's or Mickey's!" Thomas said.
"I guess that's true," Marcus said.
"You want to know what's bothering me? I just thought I saw a ghost! I saw a boy out there earlier that looked a lot like my father. It was so strange! He even sounded a little like him when he talked. I think I know him too, but now I can't remember!" Mia said.
"Well, you've been through a lot today. Don't worry too much about it. You'll figure it out some time," Thomas said. Mia nodded, and her light turned a little bright, meaning it didn't bother her too much. Great. Now that he could control his light, for the most part, he could sense the light in others. He wondered how to be able to do this without being under heavy backlash. Maybe Ash could teach him. He doubted that. Her power of Arua Sensing was not like his light sensing. The only ones he couldn't sense were Zoran and Zaria, but that was fine, because of their own powers. The two of them just showed up as big dark spots in his otherwise bright vision.

Trigger landed on a branch near the RV. They had created some kind of barrier around it, and Trigger didn't think he could get through with out making himself weaker. He would need all his strength for the next time he met them. After all, he would be own his own. Or would he? Garet would not be helping him, but maybe he could recruit others to assist him. He didn't want to do that. That would end in a fight. He started making a plan. Yes, maybe that would work. He set off back toward the base. Nothing would be accomplished by sitting out here getting wet.
 
Mickey shrugged as Zoran sat back against him. "Your choice mate," he replied, quietly sinking his fangs in the boy's shoulder. Zoran barely even twitched but his eyes seemed to glaze over and he slumped after a moment. Mickey grumbled something unintelligible. He stayed like that a moment before letting go, looking better. "God... glad that's over."

"Sure you are," Zoran slurred, standing up dizzily. Mickey caught him and helped him sit. Then the boy got him an apple, which Zoran ate gratefully. His hazy eyes locked on Vulpix and away again. Something had been outside earlier. Oh well.

Ash went to join the other three, figuring Mickey and Zoran needed a few minutes. She sat down, glancing at the curtains. "Anythin' interestin' going on?" she asked.
 
Alakazam Won't Listen.

(That's fine. ^^ I'll think of a clever excuse for his disappearance.)

Those kids...that Arcanine. Were they being chased as well? If so...maybe they weren't the best kids to talk about helping them. Or maybe they were. Tony wandered into the forest. Using Alakazam always tired him out. He didn't know why. Alakazam was sitting peacefully by a tree. She hadn't listened to him, but she had been able to get a few hits, even uif they were not the ones he had ordered. He looked at her disdainful look; she missed her home. If only he knew where that was from. The only reason he knew his hometown was because that's what was tagged on his shirt. He remembered Ms. Karen's scream as he ran out of the building. He had been caught that time...then the second attempt. Again, another failure. The third time, he had succeeded...but in what? Leaving the only place he knew as home..safety? He had failed, and now his only lead was his so-called brother, the one person he could remember. Those kids could help too. He watched them climb into an RV.

"Alakazam, come along." she sat against the tree without moving an inch. "C'mon. Let's go. If you do, we'll be one step closer to getting you home."
Alakazam managed to budge. She walked slowly next to Tony. That girl. Maybe...no, that's impossible. Alakazam extended her arm and used her Psychic to hold it in place.

"Wait! I need to talk to you...Mia?" Alakazam paused her Psychic and went to lie down, now wasn't the best time to not listen.

"Stop the RV! I need to talk to you!" Tony's attempt to get their attention seemed futile.

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

Agatha took a sip of her coffee before looking back on the computer screen. There were five kids she had been keeping an eye on. Ever since the boy had escaped the factory, more security had been placed there. She had to find a way of keeping Tony away from his siblings. She had to kill him. At all costs. Her plans for the CT capturing project would have to be on hold. That meant less info on how they have a Pokemon's power. That also mean less time on the RISE project. They had finished Pacifidlog Town on schedule and began on Dewford Town. The bitter taste of her coffee left her mouth as she noticed something else. Mark had been taken...the AAPM had him. That dumb Clay. Dumb as dirt and always would be. She remembered going to school with the young man; he was the kind with the pranks and the low grades. She of course finished top of her class. Then, the injured Rattata came to her and she knew all humanity was hopeless. The CT's have infinite power, power that could be used to rebel against the humans...but she had to catch them first. The one they had wasn't good enough...it was time she found Shauntal again.

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

Regis was tired of Mark's chasing. Finally, that boy had been found! The AAPM must really have gotten weak if they couldn't catch a boy with two measly badges. He would finish the release forms and then have clearance to him...as long as there isn't interference, though there always was. What would it be this time? Maybe rockets would fall in exactly the right place due to Club Rocket's misfire. That small group of the AAPM was losing viability. The only one he trusted was Giovanni, and he was only 13. A boy genius. Samuel Oak called on the phone...here came the conversation he had been dreading.

"Hello. Oak."

"Regis, you sound as scummy as you did 14 years ago. Where is my boy?"

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

Mark's eyes widened as he scanned his surroundings. The factory made it difficult to sleep. The constant shhhhhh of the gears slamming against each other was irritating. They had put him in a cell with nothing to aggrandize, rendering his power useless. The only thing he could intensify was the noise. He had managed to keep his Pokemon with him. But, the AAPM must have put some kind of lock on the Pokeballs. His father was on the phone, or at least it appeared so from a crack in the prison. This is how it would end. His father would take him home. What was he saying, his father was a monster? That's when he noticed a small shadowy creature shift from the right wall to the left. Like a ninja, it crawled through the slightest holes in the titanium cell.

"Psst. I'm here for Mark."

"I-I'm Mark." he whispered.

"Then why didn't you just break outta here, intensify your strength."

"H-how did you know? And after that what would I do anyways. Get caught again. I think I'm in the center of this place..plus, my Pokeballs have some kind of lock."

"I can fix that. But you have to tell me your name...the whole one."

"Mark Lawrence Ronimoba."

"Shame you don't even know your name. Come, Mark. Mark Oak."
 
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(OOC: Who is Tony talking to? Mia's already in the RV.)

"Well, instead of seeing all white, I can now kind of see everyone as colors. For example, Mia is a kind of purple. I'm guessing she's worried. Marcus is a little green," Thomas said. Mia perked her head up. She had thought she heard someone saying her name. But, she couldn't be sure. She felt that she needed to go outside, though she could not explain why. Amber walked in the room and lay down next to Thomas.
"Um... Do you think you could let me out for a moment. I can't really explain it, but it felt like someone was calling me. I'm sorry, but I can't put it any better than that," she said.

Vulpix looked at Mickey.
"Not that I blame you, but Zoran's lost a lot of blood because of you. I know it's your backlash and you can't do anything about it. But for a while, at any rate, you should get it from someone else. Any more, and Zor won't have enough blood left for himself. Just saying, be careful with your power, or don't use it for awhile. But I'm sure I don't need to tell you that," Vulpix said. He didn't care if either of them got mad at him for saying it. Zoran was his friend, and he hadn't stood up for himself before now, so why would he start now?
 
Ash looked at her, saw Mia was serious, and nodded, closing her eyes a second. "Let Esper or Dora know when you want to come back in. Warn of extra passengers." She held up a Pokeball and inside, Ness briefly glowed pink, teleporting Mia outside. She then seemed to stare at Thomas. "It seems like an empathic power then. You use your emotions to control it and its helping you see everyone else's now. That's my guess but it sounds right."

~~

Mickey nodded quietly, not losing his temper. "I know. I don't like to use it at all but recent circumstances..."

"Mickey..." Zaria mumbled. "Why are you here?" She had been quiet this whole time, laying on the floor. "You're supposed to be in Idaho. Did your mother finally kick you out?"

Mickey snorted. "Worse. She tried to kill me."

The siblings shared something for a moment. "I told you she was crazy," Zoran commented after a moment, voice still slurred. Mickey snorted, going into the freezer and putting some frozen chicken on a plate. He put it in the microwave.

"Yeah I knew but Dad was cheerfully oblivious."

"Was?"

"Sword."

Zaria groaned. "What is with your family and hanging the sharp objects on the mantle?"

"Not the issue," Mickey quipped irritably. "The issue is dear old Mom is supplying money to the AAPM while under Theo's thumb. Not to mention she's been supposedly sending Pokemon to the RDM. I don't wanna know how she does it. I really don't." Zoran swore in in Hindi, causing Zaria to wince.

"Zora I understood that..."

(And there's how Theo's been doing so well at staying hidden. XD)
 
(OOC: Just so you know, the RV isn't going anywhere. Not with the flat tire it has.)

Mia was abruptly out in the rain. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. She felt Esper touch her mind.
"Don't worry. I'm here," the cat said. Mia felt a little better knowing they were keeping an eye on her, but was still scared. What if those RDM agents came back? What would she do? Her pokemon weren't that strong, and she had no powers to defend herself. She walked into the woods, very aware of how cold the rain was. She felt cold and alone. Esper purred in her mind. He would not let her feel like she was alone. She spotted an Alakazam lying down, and the boy that she could barely remember.
"Hello? I thought I heard someone calling me," Mia said uncertainly.

"Hmm... You're probably right. I just wish I knew how to do it without having backlash. I can see Alys and Robby in that room there, and Zoran, Mickey and the others out there, even through the walls. It's like living things are colors, and everything else is white," Thomas said. He decided to call this new aspect of his power light vision. He wans't seeing the amotions of people, not directly. He was seeing there light. He worked that out, becasue Zoran was darkness in his vision. Something he couldn't penatrate. And the less light people seemed to have, the harder it was to see them. He was very bright in this vision. Marcus was a little harder to see, and Vulpix was a little dim. How strange.
 
Ash managed a smile. "I bet Zora's a dark thing," she stated cheerily. She sobered instantly and muttered something. Dora, who had been in the room, caught it and disappeared. She appeared silently next to Mia.

"I hope you don't mind my assistance," she stated softly.

Meanwhile Ash was thinking quietly. "Aura only lets me see creatures and their outlines in blue," she mumbled. "I wonder what would happen if we combined those powers... let's not do that here. We might blow something up." But she grinned at the thought of an explosion.
 
"Interestingly enough, he's actually very bright. His light is darkness, but it's still bright. Does that make sense? And I don't know what would happen if we tried to combine your Aura Senses and my Light Vision. But I think we'd both better be well rested before we try. Cause I'm curious to see what would happen," Thomas said. He didn't think an explosion would be that funny, but she did, apparently.
"Hm... I hope Robby's ok... He seemed a little different when he and Mickey came back," Marcus said. Esper said nothing, but continued purring loudly. Thomas reached down and began petting Esper and Amber.

Vulpix digested what he had heard. He didn't quite get the point. Why would that women help both sides? It was as if she wanted them both to be well armed. They would begin to fight each other after a while. What was the point? Did she actually want them to have a war? That was crazy! He said nothing, but he could tell Zoran was angry. He was too.
 
"Makes sense and yeah... that would be good." Ash was feeling a vindictive sort of pleasure at the thought of blowing up her aunt's RV. Naturally, she'd get everything important off first but when everyone was safe... she laughed at the thought. Kira rolled his eyes. His trainer had to have a love of explosions didn't she? Ash eventually calmed down and glanced at Marcus. "I think he's starting to recover a little bit," she said cheerfully. "I'm pretty sure he's a-ok."

"Okay, Mickey," Zoran began, sounding a little less dizzy. "I know your mom's a manipulative-" He cut himself off before continuing. "But she seriously can't be considering turning everybody against one another. It takes too much time."

"It's probably Theo's idea. Arm both forces enough so when they go to war it's difficult to imagine them not destroying each other," Mickey mused. "From the way you talk about him... it sounds like one of his thoughts. Then they would run out of resources quickly and no one would notice the underground situation."

Zoran winced. "God that woman-"

Mickey snorted. "Yeah, she lost my supposed affection when she tried to cut my head open. I should have let you strangle her way back when." Zoran snorted. Oh it was tempting now.
 
Vulpix lay his head down. He was a little surprised that Mickey's mother had tried to kill him, but not really that surprised. He had escaped death before, but that was neither here nor there. His thoughts returned to what had happened earlier. Garet and Trigger hadn't known about the map. They knew he had taken something. But not what. Why would they have a map and not even know it was there? And who was that woman they had with them? He hated questions he couldn't answer.

"Ash, remind me not to loan you my car," Thomas said with a laugh. It was easy enough to tell what was on her mind.
"But, you don't have a car," Marcus said. He shook his head.
"Yes I do! It's just wrapped around a tree back in New York!" Thomas said gleefully. It had been very fun when he took it from Morgan.
"That's not your car! You stole it!" Marcus accused.
"So? Morgan didn't need it!" Thomas said. He vaguely wondered what happened to Morgan. He hadn't been killed yet. Neither had Carlson. Those two bastards were responible for a lot of his problems.
 
Zoran stretched. "Okay y'know what? We are chasing questions in our heads, none of which we can understand or answer. So~ let's leave the topics alone for a while." He pulled out a sketchbook. "I dunno about the rest of you but until I feel like I have blood again, I'm doodling."

Mickey snorted. "Your doodles look like art. Remind me never to let you draw seriously." But he pulled the food from the microwave, setting it on the floor. He grabbed a cushion and rested his head on it, instantly asleep.

Ash grinned. "As long as I like you, you're fine Thomas. The second I begin to hate you... well, you better hope to god I'm in a forgiving mood."
 
"If he wasn't going to eat that, why did he cook it?" Vulpix asked looking at the food that was on the ground. He shifted his position and curled up into a ball. He didn't go to sleep. Instead he thought about the future. He wanted to explore RISE island. He wanted to see it for himself.

"I don't intend to let that happen. I don't like fighting friends," Thomas said cryptically. Marcus rolled his eyes.
"What about this afternoon?" Marcus asked.
"That was sparring. At least it was until I lost it. And that won't happen again, you can count on that!" Thomas said. He leaned his head back. He still wanted to sleep. His struggle with the darker side of his light had left him drained, and he still hadn't recovered yet. But he was one of the few that were actually in some kind of fighting shape. And Mia was out there on her own. He wanted to be able to go and help her if she needed it.
 
Zoran took a piece. "For me when I get the energy," he replied quietly, taking a couple of bites and putting it back down again. He wasn't tired, okay he was still dizzy, but he could feel... something at the edge of his mind. It was a memory... there were too many spots in his head. He wasn't as bad as Robby... but the answers just kept escaping. Sighing, he concentrated on the shadows, spreading them out. They turned into a wide circle, merging with the aura barrier. His body flickered with violet flame as he concentrated. Then Zoran relaxed and it eased.

Zaria groaned. "Really bad time to do that..."

Ash jumped before she could answer Thomas, looking around. Then she recognized it and scowled. "Think Zora just took years off my life," she grumbled. "Anyway, dude, how many times do we have to say chill out? I can assure you, trouble hits, you'll be able to do something. Just go to sleep. You may be able to fight but that doesn't mean you have to."
 
Thomas felt the barrier around him spark into life. He had just about fallen asleep. He traced the cause of it back to Zoran.
"Damn fool!" he said, but he relaxed a little. He turned to Ash.
"Yeah, you really expect me to sleep with that going on. Hah! I'm kidding. But if trouble does hit, wake me up. You may need my help," Thomas said. He leaned back and tried to relax. It wasn't easy. He was worried about Mia, and he didn't know why.

"You alright?" Vulpix asked Zoran after a moment. He had gotten scared when he burst into flame like that. Vulpix got to his feet and walked over to Zoran.
 
Ash groaned. "Not the only one thinking that. Gonna kill him later." She nodded to herself. "I'll wake you up don't worry. Unless it suits my interests for me not to." She smirked at that, Doom padding over to her and licking her face. She loved that dog sometimes, even when he was weird. Doom gave Esper a soft bark of greeting before chasing his tail three times and laying down, sniffing mindlessly a few times.

Zoran nodded dazedly. "It doesn't hurt," he replied. "It's just the shadows expending Esper's psychic energy. It accidently got caught so I figured I should release it." Mickey snoozed quietly and Zoran lazily reached over to pet Vulpix. "You won't get hrt by it," Zoran added quietly, staring blankly up past the barrier.
 
Vulpix bit Zoran's hand.
"There! That was for nearly giving me and your two friends back in the back room a heart attack! Warn someone before doing things like that!" Vulpix said. He then lay down next to Zoran and curled himself into a ball.

"Hello there. Of the few canines I've met, I must say you are my favorite," Esper said to Doom. He didn't seem at all perturbed by what had just happened.
"Just how many canines do you know?" Thomas mumbled queitly.
"Two and a half. Vulpix and Doom are both canines. Volt is kind of a cross between a dog and a cat," Esper said. Marcus laughed at Esper's findings.
"You forgot about my Poochyena!" Marcus said.
"I don't know your Poochyena," Esper pointed out. Marcus thought about it for a moment. Esper was right, but he didn't want to cramp the place even more than it was already.
 
Zoran grinned weakly. "I am not shouting across a trailer," he replied, ignoring the bite.He settled back. He didn't sleep but he was listening through the barrier. He didn't worry about Mia, Thomas could do that, but he near Bryan was waiting somewhere. The guy couldn't get far in a storm. So Zoran let the shadows listen and swirl, figuring it was something to do. The backlash wouldn't kill him anyway.

Doom grinned at Esper. "Cool to know." He was much calmer than in battle, but he was still silly. "Have you and your partner become less serious yet? It will be no fun if you keep losing to us no it will not. My alpha will get bored and so will I."
 
"I am hardly ever serious. Thomas is only serious when he battles, and even then he has a lot of fun! And god forbid that you get bored! We'll just have to find a way to keep you entertained!" Esper said to Doom playfully. Thomas had finally fallen asleep. Esper still had a psychic ear on Mia and Dora. He wondered if Mia was even aware of Dora. Probably. She had said something to Mia when she joined her. He had been serious this afternoon. His mental shout had nearly reduced Garet to a mental wreck, in addition to everyone else. If he had focused it, it would have left the Arcanine brain dead. He grinned. No one was going to get their hands, paws, or talons on Thomas while he was around. He sensed that Vulpix had fallen asleep. That was good. They all needed to rest. He would keep an eye out for all of them. If any of them got hurt, Thomas would be sad. Esper didn't want that to happen, so he would protect them all.

(OOC: Isn't it interesting the way Esper's mind works?)
 
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