The Children Are Hunted

The Barriers Pt. Two: The Rising Tides.

(OOC: Something big is about to come soon, maybe even after is arc.)

"It's getting smaller!" Arlanda screamed, her face turning bright red. She began pushing her arms against the walls, trying to escape. Mark watched as the clear world around them began to darken. He had seen this before. A panic attack. Even if it was true that the box was getting smaller, her mind would exaggerate the change.

"Calm down! Close your eyes and count to ten." he tried to reason with her, but she only grew more terrified. Then, he saw it, the glint in her eyes. He also realized what that was. Another storm. But, would it be able to escape the box?

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

"Alakazam, do something!" Tony yelled as his friends were slowly squished to death. Alakazam looked at him disdainfully and went back to her tree. She only got up once she felt another voice. The voice of the Espeon. Strong power. She thought of something.

"Esper. I will help you. But, there is something I want in return. I will reveal it later, but for now, the box. It is strong magic, made to torture others." she told the Espeon through her mind. The screams began escaping. They could hear the voices of the souls trapped inside the box, but there was nothing in front of them.

"Here that? It's lightning! She's gonna kill them both!" Clair yelled hysterically. "Mark! Arlanda! Mark!"

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

The storm around them began to strengthen. Arlanda's eyes were a bright blue. Her arms were covered in blue aura, as if she herself, was the storm. Mark tried to stop her but fell back. His eyes glowed a bright yellow as he tried to reach her. It was as if his arms were being torn off through the sharp winds. He was so close to her hands. As he moved his hands through the blue mist, he failed to notice the trickle of yellow move through them. Caught off guard, he shrieked in pain at the shock of lightning. He fell back, eyes closed. At the sight of Mark, Arlanda began to scream louder. The top of the box began to drip water, and soon it grew into a downpour.

"There's nothing I can do!" she yeled as her powers began to overwhelm her and she fell back, her eyes closed as well. Without any help from the outside, they would drown.​
 
"If you are trying to blackmail me, or if you hurt Thomas in any way, I will kill you. Now, let's open this box," Esper said. Whatever she was planning to do, Esper was there to help. But, because he was still recovering, he couldn't scan the box to find a weak point to pry it open. He would have to rely on her to find one, then direct his power there to assist her in opening it.

Thomas tried to enter the trap again. But, whenever he would match the light so he could pass through to grag them and get out, it would change colors! And unless he was the same, then he would get blasted back. He simply was not fast enough to react in time when it changed. He glanced at Esper, who had locked him out of his head.
"Esper, whatever you're doing, please make it fast! They're dying in there!" Thomas pleaded. He could feel Arlanda blasting the inside with her power. He couldn't do a thing out here! He swore angrily and and blasted the box with his light, but nothing happened.

Marcus turned away from the box. He couldn't do anything to help them anyway. Something didn't feel right.
"Clair, I'm going to keep going to the Forever Ocean. Something isn't right here. What if this is just a trick? you know, to slow us down? So... Someone should get there as fast as they can," Marcus said. Without waiting for an answer he ran toward the ocean, with Robby watching him go with a baffled expression on his face. Marcus put his hand on Clefairy's pokeball. He wasn't the strongest one, but he was the strngest one that could afford to leave right now. He had to get there first!
 
The Barriers Pt. Three: Escape.

"I assure you, it has nothing to do with the boy." the Alakazam whispered to Esper. She looked at the box. She could see the children, so obviously this was done by some kind of Abra evolution. She scanned the Box. Nothing. She looked at its format. Strange. It was as if there were several boxes layered on top of each other. Whenever one grew to small, the other would take its place. "As soon as I blast it, you have to blast it with pure Psychic energy. Then, one of these kids will have to go in there and grab the two. The box can't be destroyed. The person will only have one chance to grab them both."

"I'll go." Tony looked at the Alakazam who showed indifference to her master stepping up.

"Very well. Are you ready, Esper? One, two, three." she blasted the box with a Psywave The box presented itself to the group of kids. A rectangular prism. As the colors vibrated against each other, they could see what lookjed like Mark and Arlanda covered in water. "Now, blast it now!" she yelled as Tony waited for the attack. He was prepared to grab them both.

Clair looked at the boy, Marcus. "Fine, take this mirror then. I will see you there!" the boy took off running.​
 
Esper didn't need to be told when to blast it. At the right moment, he shot it with all of his power. As soon as he did that, a small window opened up.
"Hurry! If you don't then we may not have another chance! And remember if you take to long the box will trap you inside too!" Esper told Tony. Mia gasped. She didn't want Tony to go. It was very dangerous, and she didn't want to lose him again after they had found each other. But she didn't move to stop him. If he said he could do this, then he surely could.
"Good luck!" she called, reverting to her native lanuage because of her nerves. Sparkles looked at her, then began to sniff around. Something didn't smell right. She didn't know whatit was though.

Marcus ran as fast as he could. He looked at the mirror in his hands. He sent out Poochyena.
"Poochyena, run to the beach as fast as you can and see if there is anybody there. If there is, come back to me. If not, stay there and stay out of sight!" Marcus said as he ran. Poocyena barked at him and took off as fast as he could toward the beach. That was that.
 
A Race, Is It?

Garet got both messages from Merin and Trigger. Two humans they wouldn't have to deal with, then. Unless they were hiding somewhere. "Leo, Merin wants to know where the Gabite is," he relayed to the Lucario. "He's thought of getting to the Forever Ocean before the humans do. I'm gonna run ahead and get there, so you're gonna have to go on your own. If you find any of the CTs' friends headed there, do what you can to stop them or slow them down."

Leo nodded. "I'll tell Merin once I've located the Gabite," he replied, then slowed to a stop so he could concentrate on his Aura-sense. He searched for the Gabite's Aura, finally finding it lurking among the trees nearest the humans. Leo extended a telepathic-link to the Gabite and relayed, "If I got the message right, Merin wants to know if you can get to the Forever Ocean before the humans."

"Can't you people make up your freakin' minds?!" was the Gabite's immediate and explosive thought. "Dig a hole! No, wait, we're not digging! Hang around the humans and trip them up- no, wait, we want you to get to the Forever Ocean!" She was being sarcastic, Leo could tell. "I'll do it, but next time,--" The Gabite continued on with her sharp retorts, including a few words that weren't fit for the ears of human children.

Leo withdrew from the telepathic-link. There was probably some truth in what she said, but situations change. He contacted Merin via telepathy and said, "The Gabite will get to the Forever Ocean, Merin. On the side, I'd suggest not changing her orders."
As he withdrew his Aura-sense, Leo came across two other Auras, both of which were...not with the main group of humans. Was it a coincidence that Garet's order coincided with the fact that one or two of the humans were now getting closer to the Forever Ocean? The Lucario finally withdrew to himself and started running again, this time to cut off whoever or whatever was closest to the Forever Ocean [which happened to be Marcus' Poochyena]. The whole objective was to keep the CTs and their friends from reaching the Forever Ocean, after all.

Garet had been running even faster once he'd left Leo. "Merin, I'm running ahead to the Forever Ocean," he thought, hoping that the Deviser would hear. "I left Leo with orders to stop any of the CTs' friends who's still going."
The whole situation was beginning to remind him of a few races he'd seen or been in before. Garet grinned to himself. Many of the Pokemon, and most of the humans, he'd met before hadn't been able to outrun him in the end. As far as he knew, he was one of the fastest Pokemon around. So, it was to be a race, was it? Let's race, Garet thought happily. It had been a while.
 
The Barriers Pt. Four: The Race of Reflection.

As the Espeon blasted the second hole into the final box Tony rushed in. Once in the box he found it closing fast. He looked for any human hand. Arlanda's cold hand was the first to be found. They were both submerged in cold water. Suddenly, he felt the box expand. It became a huge ocean, with Mark floating away. Merin's work. He began to swim, with Arlanda on his shoulder. There was rain pelting his back, and the pain made his spine throb. He finally found Mark's hand as he dove into the deep. Arlanda was still in his grasp, but as there was more water, the storm intensified. It was Mark. He began glowing a bright yellow. The storm began to swirl around. Tony looked around for the exit, but his vision was clouded by giant waves. He focused and tried to separate the water but it was too much. He would have to leave Arlanda in order to get Mark. One-Two-Three! He dove down into the depths of the dark ocean. He began losing breath as soon as he went under. It was an illusion. He looked at his skin peeling back as he burrowed through the water. He was all bones when he got to Mark. At once, he felt his power return to him. The water around him began to part. It created a small trail through the waves and he began to run. He looked for Arlanda, who was on a near wave. The portal back to the outside world was a few yards in front but he could reach it. It was then that he felt the Psychic power trip him up, The water began to rush in. As he forced his body to the top, he realized where Merin had taken him. That portal was some sort of teleporting device.

"We've been teleported! Forever Ocean!" he yelled hoping the others would hear him. He pushed forward and threw Mark and Arlanda out. As he was about to crawl out, he felt a wave crush him. Clair could see it all happen. She ran forward to the portal only to be hit by Arlanda and Mark. She watched Tony be hit by another wave as the portal closed.

"See you...For-Ocean!" were the final words and then he was gone from view. Clair looked over at everyone, and managed to catch a glimpse of Garet.

"The RDM is here! We'll find Tony, we have to stop them!" Clair felt a hole in her stomach as she looked at Mia. "I bet he's at the Forever Ocean, we just have to get there first."

The race was on and there was so much at stake.​
 
"Tony!" Mia shouted when the box closed and disappeared. She turned around with a look of burning rage. She grabbed Ursaring's pokeball. They were going to pay for that!
"Sparkles, we're going to teach them what happens when they mess with me and my family!" she said angrily. Thomas nodded and walked over to her.
"We'll find him. Heck, he'll probably be waiting for us to get there! I'm going to fly on ahead on Razor. This has turned into a race, and she's the fastest thing in the sky. If anyone else wants to come, there is room on her back for more two or three people," Thomas said quietly. He hoped Marcus was ok.
"Um guys? Where did Van go?" Winny asked as she brought up the rear. Thomas whirled around, but Van was nowhere in sight.

Poochyena stopped. He had smelled someone coming. He tried to hide, but they seemed to know exactly where he was, so he started running as fast as he could. Master had asked him to get there first!

Marcus kept running. He suddenly stopped and fell to the ground as a vision hit him.
"God, why now!?" he yelled out. This vision, he saw someone looking up at the Arcanine that was called Garet. He felt severe pain in his right arm, but ignored it. He could feel fear, anger, and even a little resentment. Things suddenly got a lot hotter, and the vision ended. Marcus got to his feet, dazed and confused. He looked to see that the mirror had not been broken, thankfully. He got to his feet and tried to collect his thoughts. The only thought in his mind was that he had to get there first. He started walking, and then running again as he ignored the backlash he was feeling.

Trigger drifted lazily in the sky. He was glad he wasn't a higher rank. If he had gotten even one more promotion, he would have to help lead this debacle. But... As he hadn't, the biggest concern was to follow orders. Of course, he didn't want to fight these people. Anyone that could convince Van and Winny to help them was special, and Trigger wanted to find out what it was about them that had done it. So he drifted along.
"Hawkeyes! When do we strike?" a Pidove asked as she flapped her way next to him.
"When they call for us. Fall back in line and stop straining your wings," Trigger replied. No, he definately didn't want to fight them. But when Garet and Merin remembered he was up here, they would finally tell him to strike. Trigger watched as the young Pidove fell back. Ah, the joy of following orders to the letter. It let you get away with so much, and yet so little.
 
The Barriers Pt. Five: Growing Pains.

Karen arrived at the RDM base, her right sleeve torn. She tossed her hair and continued to comb its endless loose hairs. She had been trained to endure pain, but nothing like this. The bruises on her left arm were throbbing with every step, and she had blisters all over her toes. After everything, she still didn't know what Agatha wanted with the small orb. She gripped it, making sure she wouldn't lose it, and limped towards the office. As she walked, she managed to catch a notice on the right. It was Agatha with a ghost Deviser. Under it, it read:

"Plan RISE has been completed. Feel free to relax in the first All-Pokemon island."

In her absence, the island had finally been finished. So why was this orb necessary. She found Agatha in her room. She looked at her, orb in hand, and watched as she shooed away a Gengar.

"I'm back. What's with the orb?" she looked at Agatha.

"It'll help with our next plan. You see, this is a Water Gem."

"Water gem?" Karen looked confused.

"We are going to send RISE Island far into the Forever Ocean, untouched by man, with this orb. There is even a plus. You see, there are Pokemon named Lugia, deep in this ocean. They can help us with this task, but only one person knows where they are." she looked at a picture on her desk. Next to Agatha was a young girl, purple hair, grey eyes. Shauntal.

"Shauntal? Your old assistant?"

"No. Dust, new member of the Black Ones."

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

Regis looked at the fliers going out for the tournament. There had been a change in schedule. Now, only six badges were required to enter. But, eight badges would get you a secret prize. He rubbed his head and tossed some aspirin into his mouth. This meant more horrible kids. He put down the glass of water he had used to wash down the tablets and grabbed his lemonade. But, who cares? He had come to Venice to relax. It wasn't too soon before he heard the commotion coming far from the city. Perfect. His one vacation was being ruined by a storm. He got up and left the hotel. That wasn't an ordinary storm. It was being morphed into some sort of super storm. A CT. He grabbed his newly acquired phone and began to race through the contacts.

"Yes, 911, there are some kids I saw on a wanted poster near Venice. Hurry, I'm soo worried." he mused. Then, he headed there. Not short after dropping the phone into a nearby lake. Samuel Oak's phone sunk as low as those kids' chances of surviving.

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

Merin looked around. "Now, everybody strike! It's now or never people!" He looked around as Pokemon flooded from the scene. They reached down or the CT's. Arlanda and Mark seemed to be lying there, without motion. His plan had worked. Tony was nowhere to be seen. But, Merin though he realized where he had sent him. Garet was getting close to a Poocheyena. Through all this commotion, he tried to figure out what the mirror would reveal. He had no idea. The Gabite was so close to the water. Everything was falling into place. That's when he spotted Regis Ronimoba, and accompanying him was Clay, the AAPM executive.

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

"We're fighting back." Clair yelled as she took Mark's Pokeballs. Out came all of their Pokemon and they began combat against the other Pokemon. RDM members began to take over the scene. Everything was whirling around her. She looked at the other kids, who seemed prepared to fight back. Then, she saw them. The three hooded figures in the west forest. The Black Ones. But, she couldn't get to them right now. They hadn't spotted her yet, so maybe, if she could finish this battle up, she could learn more. Mark and Arlanda seemed to be done for this battle. They would need medical attention. But, they couldn't go to a hospital without being recognized. The RDM and the Black Ones were each represented in this battle. She suspected it wouldn't be long before the AAPM caught wind. The All Out Battle Had Begun.​
 
(Where oh where could Van Flaresoul have gone?)

It was a bit of time before Leo spotted something running. It had the same Aura as one of the two that had left the main group. He pushed himself to run just a bit faster. Leo could tell that it was dark-colored and looked like it had four legs. Which was making it a bit hard for Leo to catch up.
This isn't gonna work, he finally thought, skidding to a halt. Leo formed a Sphere of Aura between his paws, then sent it flying at the canine Pokemon [Marcus' Poochyena]. He didn't know of all that many Pokemon that could dodge an Aura Sphere. Leo then ran again, aiming to pin the Poochyena if the Aura Sphere hit.


The Sableye, whose name was Karib, had been watching the whole situation with the Psychic barrier from the safety of the shadow of the tree closest to the humans. He wasn't called ShadowHider for nothing. Karib didn't hear everything that was said, but with the Psychic barrier gone, there didn't seem to be much of anything to keep them from going on to the Forever Ocean. And he'd been told to trip them up as much as he could.

Karib spotted the Wynaut that was with the humans. That was Winny Shieldmaker, wasn't it? The one who'd been in charge for a short time at the Venice base? And had a part in capturing one of the CTs and the Espeon? (Or was that a rumor?) Traitor, Karib thought. That was his way of thinking when it came to anyone who left the RDM.
Karib's shadow extended along the ground, making its way up to the spot behind Winny. The shadow then sprung up and aimed a punch at the Wynaut's backside before retreating back to its owner. The Sableye then turned and made his way to another tree's shadow, hiding himself there.
Karib kept himself hidden as the scene was flooded with more Pokemon, and a battle began. That's what he did best: striking from the shadows.


The Gabite, whose name was Carrie QuickDigger, was running along on her way towards the Forever Ocean, still grumbling to herself. "How'd they become such high-ranking Devisers if they're so fickle?" Carrie muttered, avoiding a rock that was in the way. She probably wasn't as fast as TruthSeeker, but she'd beaten several other humans and Pokemon in footraces.

Carrie skidded to a halt as a thought dawned on her. If she was faster than these humans, then why not take the time to dig a pitfall or two? Wait, how would I hide it? she thought. There goes that idea. As she began running again, working to pick up speed, she idly wondered why a Deviser, like this Flaresoul she'd heard about, would abandon the RDM to hang around with a bunch of humans.
 
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Van blasted Carrie with a powerful Flamthrower from behind. He then used Flash on her when she turned around and blasted her again. They weren't going to take this beach from him!
"Get lost! You can't beat me!" he snarled at her, not really sure if she had fainted or not. This was his beach now, and they would have to kill him to take it back. He thanked the stars that Ky had taught him how to mask his Aura. He didn't like doing it. It made him feel like he wasn't real. But he knew that would be the only way he could make it in time. Now that he was here, things were in his favor.

Winny was hit from behind by a very powerful attack. She ignored it and used Mirror Coat again, reflecting several attacks back to their owners, knocking a few of them out. She wasn't sure how long she could keep going. But she couldn't give up. She had to fight.

Thomas blasted some more light at the RDM people. His pokemon had already been released. Volt was happily blasting everything in sight, growling and raoring furiously. The only thing that would have made him happier would be if a certain Luxray had been present. Razor was out in the air somewhere. Deluge was around blasting Ice Beam and Water Pulse to help out as best he could. Amber was running aroung being fickle, and shooting everything she could with her attacks. Draco was... Draco was glowing! He soon stopped glowing and was revealed as a Shellgon! Thomas was thrilled, but now was not the time to celebrate. Thomas couldn't afford to leave now. Arlanda and Mark were in desperate need of help. He saw Robby throwing all kinds of debris at the RDM people.
"Sparkles! Hyper Fang! Delcatty! Thunderbolt! Glameow! Shadow Ball! Ursaring... Keep doing that!" Mia shouted. She was sitting near Mark and Arlanda, protecting them from harm.

Trigger wheeled around and was about to dive again when something collided with him, opening a small gash on his back. He looked around and saw a Skarmory. He instantly recognized her.
"Razor Wingedge. It's been too long," Trigger said as the two of them circled each other.
"It's just Razor now Trigger. Still doing the grunt work I see. An old bird like you? You should have retired by now," she said back. Trigger shook his head.
"My, what's it been. Nine years? What have you been doing since you left the RDM training program?" he asked as he blasted a Twister at her. She backwinged and it flew right in front of her. So, she had finally figured out how to stop in her tracks after flying fast.
"Eight years, actually. You're getting senile if you can't remember that you shared a nest with me for that first year before I got sick of the stupidity of them. I've been hanging around, waiting for a good trainer to come along. And here I am now. Working with one of your precious CTs. Things are looking up. Now, I get to pay you back for what you did!" she said fiercely and flew at him with Brave Bird. When had she perfected that? Bah, there's nothing worse than a woman scorned! But Trigger had to protest one detail.
"As I remember that was entirely your doing!" he said as he rolled in midair and dodged the attack.

Esper knew he had felt it right. He had found Merin. Good to know his senses weren't completely dead.
"You. I will kill you. I hope you realize that," Esper said to his foe with venom. He charged up a Shadow Ball and fired it at Merin, and then began to dodge the attack he knew was coming.

Poochyena leapt into the air when he smelled something flying at him, barely dodging the Aura Sphere. He whirled around. Damn! He hadn't been fast enough! Master would be disappointed.
"Get out of here!" he yelled at the Lucario behind him. Master had told him to get to the beach. But what if he was attacked? Master hadn't covered that. His fangs began to flame, and he charged at Leo with Fire Fang.

Marcus made his way through the woods. He soon heard growling. He burst through and froze at what he saw. Poochyena was facing off against that Lucario from before. Marcus didn't have a chance. But... He had to try!
"Use Fire Fang!" Marcus yelled as Poochyena did just that.
 
The Barriers Pt. Six: Surprise Party.

Merin dodged the incoming Shadow Ball after hearing his life threatened. He launched a Psychic Wave towards the Espeon, but he dodged it easily. I'd like to see you try. Merin spoke with that snotty tone of his. He wasn't worried until he saw the AAPM Executive Clay. He had read up on him, and he was one tough customer. Merin focused on the Espeon with his Disable attack, leaving it paralyzed for the moment. Then, he shoved off to the AAPM Member.

"Clay. Prepare to die."

"I'm sorry, but I reckin there's little chance o' that. Hyuk!" he laughed. Regis ducked behind him and ran towards the children. Merriland the Pelipper stopped him with an Ice Beam. He managed to roll out quite easily, the leader of the AAPM was strong. Merin turned back to Clay who had already sent out his Krokorok. Merin bit his lip. Psychic against Dark was no good. He loosened the ground under him and the croc fell, but swiftly gained its feet. This would be a tougher battle than expected. From the corner of his eye, he could see Regis' Swellow take off.

"Get that mirror!" he bellowed as it raced towards Marcus.

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

Mark and Arlanda were both still out for the count. The Black Ones were growing closer, and this confrontation would be no good. They would want the mirror, Clair was sure of it. That's when she saw it. A small blue Pokeball rolled out of Arlanda's bag. Clair stepped near it and picked it up with both hands. As the battle raged on around her, she felt as if she had a strange presence in her hand. She pressed her finger against the center of it and out came a Pokemon. She had heard about it, but she didn't think it was real. The beast fell, its yellow body reflecting that of lightning. The very lightning of Arlanda's storm. Raikou. It roared throughout the field and went straight towards the Forever Ocean to aid Marcus.​
 
Ash laughed as the battle raged around her. It was maniacal laughter, the sound of someone seeking carnage. There was no fear. She was almost never afraid. Immortals made her afraid, Theo made her afraid, but this bunch of weaklings? They were nothing. And once they faced her, they would know it. She concentrated for a second before letting her Aura burst out in a wave. She was tired huh? No... never. Her adrenaline was picking up, her love of pure destruction was beginning to burn, and that old feeling, the satisfaction of tearing through anything in her way... ah it felt good to fight again. Kira glanced at his Trainer for a moment and then shrugged it off. He could feel the pure killing intent melding with her Aura as she tore into any opponent her fists could reach, just like a wild animal.He let that smirk rise to his face. It didn't seem like a bad idea. That other Lucario was a distance away. Sighing he took one of Asha's Pokeballs and went running after him. Ash felt him go but didn't react until someone stepped behind her and fire blew past her head.


"Wanna play with me Asha?" Bryan hummed, looking just as excited as she did. "Just like old times?"


Ash grinned. "Why not? You were one of us until your brother came along."


"Hey, he was as bad as we are. Don't diss the dead." He spun himself in fire, the blaze knocking others into trees or flat out roasting them.


"No way, he convinced you to kill Zora. Not letting that one slide."

"I keep saying that was Theo."


"And I keep saying," She paused to kick away something. "That isn't an excuse. We already knew that."


He playfully huffed. "Whatever. What is taking your boyfriend anyhow?"


"Dude, he's in the UK and currently the same age as his dead sister. Don't even think I want him or our flygirl here to kill stuff."


"Overprotective," Mickey commented as he dropped down from nowhere.


"Is my job little cousin," she replied, dodging a fireball. "Anyway, less chat, more kill!"


~~


Zoran sighed. This woman just wouldn't stop would she? She was standing up again, her poor Steelix having been roasted by Doom. Toni was getting up, glaring at him with madness and fear in her eyes. She was going to kill him if she could. Good luck with that. Doom limped back toward him, his paws bleeding along with his left side. Zoran smilled weakly. He was in the best of health himself here. He returned Doom before being lifted into the air by a Cradily. He didn't squirm, merely looked curiously down at Toni, who was grinning insanely.


"Payback time," she whispered, looking excited, free. She wouldn't kill him. No this power... this had to be a CT's power! If she captured him, Regis would be pleased! She might even be promoted. Zoran kept staring at her, wide, honey-colored eyes observing dispassionately.


"You're a part of something bad," the boy muttered, the glint in the gaze suddenly knowing, cool. "I have to stop you... like this." He opened one of his hands, and a Pokeball burst out and open. Sparx hissed and sank icy fangs into Cradilly. Cradilly seemed to cry out, releasing the boy. Zoran dropped, landing on his Luxray's back. Sparx hissed and struck again, before wirling around and kicking Toni into the wall. "Now that was bad Sparx," scolded the boy as the shadows began to fade from the air, shrinking and swirling back into his own. "You aren't supposed to do that to people."


Sparx huffed as if to say she deserved worse. Zoran merely hummed and went over, taking a badge from her belt. "She got what she deserved from me though," he reminded her, watching as the dull, stone rooms began to sharpen and return to themselves and he saw the figures of Alyss and Silas standing there. "Mind healing these guys Silas?" he asked cheerfully. "We've got to go back and save our idiot friends from... whoever the bad guys are. Or stop Asha from accidently murdering them while on her murderous streak. Whichever is more terrifying. Come on."


Alyss breathed a sigh of relief before shivering. She was going to likely have to fight Trigger again. Joy.
 
Designated Swimmer

"Why is it I'm the only one around here who can /swim/?"

Kimiko asked, somewhat frustrated. She was a Dratini, albeit it a fairly large one. Her body stretching almost six feet in length. She was by far the largest member of the team and also the only one who was strong enough a swimmer to carry other pokemon. She wore a light blue sweater that lacked holes for arms, clinging rather tightly to her body. It extended most of the way down her body, leaving a good foot of her tail to hang out the end.

The reason for her wearing a sweater? On her back stood a Torchic. Her name was Legend. She had magnificent emerald eyes and wore what looked like a small crimson bath towel that may very well have been recycled after years of use by a human somewhere. It was wrapped around her neck now, functioning as a cape. Legend was a rather young pokemon, and had only her talons to hold on with. Said talons were sharp, and so the sweater was borderline necessary to avoid some suffering on Kimiko's part. Legend was currently staring ahead anxiously, not comfortable around all this water. She wasn't really afraid of water so much as she didn't like having to trust Kimiko not to let her fall.

Abruptly, a squeaky male voice piped up from farther back on Dratini, just past a certain Bulbasair.

"Hey! I can swim!"

King had spoken up. King was a buneary with chocolate-brown fur and golden brown tufts of fluff on the tips of his ears and from the waist down. Those golden brown tufts were where he got his name from. Though he was nothing more than common-folk as far as status went.

Kimiko (Dratini): "Oh yeah, and who are /you/ going to carry; /Shu/??"

King's ears twitched. Sure, he could swim, but he couldn't carry others worth squat. As a point, Shu was a Yamask. Shu could float effortlessly in the air, and was for all intents and purposes weightless unless he was unconscious. At this time Shu was floating along closely behind Kimiko, holding his golden mask. He was wearing a badly torn red scarf that seemed almost as ghostly as he was. He didn't seem to react at all to being mentioned, but rather ignored the conversation.

King (Buneary): "...Shut up. You're not even swimming! You're flying!"

Kimiko (Dratini): "And whose fault is that?"

Legend become irritated. A part of her wanted to tell Kimiko off. She could tell she was being talked about as the only member of the team he truly had the swimming ability of a brick. Yet... she still didn't trust Kimiko not to drop her. Legend turned her head to peer back at the Bulbasaur behind her. Said Bulbasaur was Kai, the leader of the group. Kai was currently wearing...nothing at all, though her eyes were an unusually light shade of red, literally qualifying as pink. Kai was unimpressed with the bickering. It was banal to her. This wasn't the first time Kimiko had complained about having to carry them across the ocean. She spoke up in an exasperated tone of voice, as if the entire ordeal was so trivial she couldn't even be bothered to care all that much.

Kai (Bulbasaur): "C'mon guys..."

Kimiko abruptly retorted, leaving the others silent. Most in the group were well aware by now that no matter how easy it might /seem/ to be to walk all over Kai, it was a terrible underestimation to make. Kai's apparent lack of a backbone was not because she couldn't, or even wouldn't use hers, but because she was flat out too lazy to unless it became necessary.

Kimiko (Dratini): "C'mon /what/?"

Kai suddenly focused her eyes as she was addressed in the manner, just sort of neglecting to respond for a moment. Being who she was, she really didn't care about being punctual. To her, a well timed response was just a poorly thought out response given at a convenient time.

Kai (Bulbasaur): "...You guys do this all the time. Don't you remember /why/ we fly over the ocean?"

Legend (Torchic): "...No??"

Kai just sort of glanced at Legend momentarily. She supposed it couldn't be helped. Legend was an angsty ball of excited child, and had a slight tendency to overlook things like strategic plans in favor of adventure.

Kai (Bulbasaur): "Well... it's really simple. Enemy humans will have a lot harder of a time chasing us in the air over the water, and they'll have a really hard time hiding compared to if we walked. It's safer."

Kimiko fell silent, remembering that arguing with Kai rarely got anywhere. She then spoke up again after a few moments.

Kimiko (Dratini): "I'm tired... I need a break."

Kai peered down at the shore not all that far, relatively, in the distance. She could make out a clearing, and buildings. A red flag was thrown up for her.

Kai (Bulbasaur): "I think humans might be living in the area."

Kimiko (Dratini): "Kai, I'm tired!"

Kai frowned. She didn't particularly like taking risks, but oh well. What were the chances of them getting royally screwed over for stopping here anyway?

Kai (Bulbasaur): "Alright, take us down then..."

Kimiko proceeded to fly on down to the shore of what would eventually be modern Venice. Once they were low enough, Legend and King promptly hopped off, landing on the beach and stretching their legs, grateful to be back on the ground. Kai waited until Kimiko got a bit lower before following suit. Kimiko was not the strongest at flying. She could carry the three of them, but only because they were pretty light, even combined. Shu meanwhile quietly floated down after them, not being much for conversation.

Kai (Bulbasaur): "Alright.. let's head this'a'way!"

Kai motioned by beginning to walk off in a direction of no significance. She wanted to find somewhere safer than simply out in the open to stop and rest. The others followed suit. Not all that long later, they would inadvertently walk in on a battle.

Legend (Torchic): "I think I heard something..!"

King (Buneary): "Like your stomach growling?"

Legend (Torchic): "No, like--"

Abruptly, all of them had become aware of the battle. They all looked around, trying to figure out what exactly they had walked into. There were definitely humans here.
 
An incredible burst of feeling.

Something snapped inside Esper. He was done with this fool. He blasted away the Disable and stood up, his full empathic power focused in on Merin. Merin was going to feel this! Of course, Esper couldn't fully control it, so everyone in the area was feeling it too, but not as harshly as Merin would. Esper didn't even bother with attacks. He blasted Merin's mind directly with every bit of emotion he had.
"I will not be ignored like some insolent kit! You hurt Thomas. Now, I'm going to make you pay!" Esper said aloud as he advanced on Merin, still blasting him with shear rage. Most everyone else in the area was knocked out by the shear power of the magnified emotion Esper was projecting. Esper himself was in agony. The empathic part of his mind was still seared and amaged after all. But he didn't care. After holding the powerful blast a moment longer, he fainted, unable to do anything more. He hoped he had killed Merin. That was the first time he had wanted to kill in a long time.

Thomas jumped when he felt the shear hatred and rage. Esper had done that. Many of the pokemon Thomas and his team had been fighting were knocked out. Thomas hoped that Marcus and the others were alright. He whistled and his pokemon, except for Esper and Razor, came back to him. His light vision had picked up someone headed his way. This man was dangerous. Thomas had to stop him, no matter what.
"Mia! Keep everyone here safe! I'll be back!" Thomas said as he and his pokemon walked toward the powerful light that meant danger. Mia nodded and stayed put, her pokemon fighting as hard as they could. Thomas walked up to the man.
"Who arew you? What do you want?" he asked the man (Regis). He readied a blast of light, but didn't fire. He wanted an answer.

Van waited on the beach. He hoped someone would show up soon. He hoped it would be his friends. He glanced at the still knocked out Carrie. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a Dratini land with a Bulbasaur, a Torchic, a Buneary, and a Yamsk further down the beach. He ignored them. They weren't his problem unless they tried to hurt his friends.
 
The Barriers Pt. Seven: Wave of Destruction.

The Raikou jumped as it headed for the ocean, its swift movements etching a thin layer of lightning as it continued. Clair watched it take down several foes before finally reaching its target. It was Garet. He looked at him with anger and prepared to battle, barely noticing the Gabite that was heading towards the beach. Marcus ran on only to be stopped by a Rhyperior, Marley. The Raikou roared, "You shall not pass."
he looked at Garet sharply. Then, he let loose a Thunder. The Thunder was about to hit the Arcanine when its flow was directed towards a metal rod held by Regis. ​

"I'm sorry, Raikou, you are coming with me." he spoke with his sadistic tone.​

"Human." he looked at him and let loose a Thunder that fried the rod. Regis was instantly zapped by the electricity.​

*************************************​

Merin felt the power move through him. But, he was trained to be the best. "You will never destroy me through anger, young Espeon." It took him a while to get back to his feet, that blast had been surprisingly strong. He looked around at the battle before him when he saw three Pokemon stumble into the battle. They were not prepared for this. He rushed up close to them and whispered, "You should not be here. Hide in those trees while the battle rages on." He pursed his lips just as a powerful blow hit him, knocking him senseless. Clay looked at the Pokemon.​

"Looks like y'all are comin' wit' me to the AAPM base." he howled.​

*************************************​

Arlanda was restless. It was like she was trapped. Trapped by some mysterious force. She could see the events ongoing around her, but there was nothing she could do about it. Her eyes could barely move, but she managed to see them. The Black Ones. A strange violet mist floating so precariously around them. They were causing this? She had met them before, the older one, and she could tell they weren't the kind of people she wanted to associate with. She eatched them gaze into the battle and begin to chant. Their silent whispers only heard by her and possibly Mark. Maybe she could...get them and help the others. Prove to them that she could help. She focused and let the power take her body. Inside her body, it was as if the wind had enveloped her in an orb, keeping her forever locked in it. But, as she focused, it loosened into the form of the Earth. There...the water. the water near veince. Rise. Rise, Forever Ocean. The tides did as they were told. They began to pull back. Don't lose control. That's when she felt it, the power.​

"Let me take over." the power whispered. He frail body was possessed, and the water began to rise, rise until it towered over the scene. When would it come crashing down?​
 
Kai looked up at Merin as she approached, somewhat startled. She hadn't expected anyone to notice them in the heat of battle. Abruptly Merin was struck down. Kai just sort of winced. She then looked up at the sound of a voice, a human voice. Crud. They had apparently attracted the attention of some dude from the AAPM. That was probably not good. They weren't designated to be fighters. It wasn't what they were trained for, though Kai liked to think she could hold her own. Abruptly Legend stepped on out in front of the group, appearing irritated.

Legend (Torchic): "Yeah why don't you come get some you stinkin'--!"

Before Legend could finish her sentence vines wrapped around her beak and abdomen. This was of course Kai's doing. She proceeded to heft a squirming Legend above her. It wasn't personal, she just wasn't going to let Legend make the situation any worse if she could help it.

Kai (Bulbasaur): "How about a Raincheck?~"

Kimiko's morale instantly fell. She didn't like running away all the time. It just felt weak to her. Perhaps it was 'proud dragon syndrome' or something along those lines. King and Shu meanwhile both remained silent, though King appeared visibly tense, ready to run. Shu's silence never really bothered Kai. From what she could tell from having worked with him for a while, Shu had a lot of problems, and just kept them bottled up. While she didn't necessarily agree with Shu's method of handling them, there wasn't a whole lot she could do right then and there.

Kai abruptly turned tail and ran shortly after speaking, quickly followed by king. Both Shu and Kimiko hesitated a moment before attempting to follow. Now, let's be honest. Covering a beak with a vine is not easy to begin with, and not advisable, considering many birds would be prone to biting or pecking. The vine attempting to keep Legend's mouth shut slipped, and Legend promptly spewed out another challenge to Clay

Legend (Torchic): "I ain't afraid of you!!"

Kai just sort of frowned. Legend was the type of person who probably would've loved to be a deviser, yet lacked the competence to actually do so. She was simply too young and naive to be all that great a fighter. Kai knew that if anyone in the group was a good fighter, it was probably her, Kimiko, and King. Shu tended to keep to himself, so she really didn't have a good idea of what he was capable of though.

Kimiko (Dratini): "Shut up, Legend!"
 
(OOC: I will move on. I like how Regis just ignored Thomas when he challenged him.)

Van looked behind him and felt his terror grow. The water had recedded very far back. Not good! This meant a tidal wave was coming. A big one.
"Crap!" he shouted and lit out of there, running back to Thomas and the others so fast that everywhere he stepped a fire was lit. He had to get them out of there!

The Espeon awoke with a jerk. He had no idea where he was, or even who he was. He felt pain, anger, fear. What was going on? He shook his head. His feeling were his own, and he felt all those things. But he also felt them from others too. He looked around. There was something he had to do. He spotted a human near a fainted Kadabra. The Kadabra seemed to have been protecting some other pokemon from the human. Espeon could feel their fear and anger like it was his own. He took a hesitant step toward them. His mind was swimming in all the emotion he felt. It was very overwhelming. He had no idea what was going on, but he couldn't let anyone get hurt. He was feeling enough pain already. So, still unknowing the situation, he stepped in front of the knocked out Kadabra. He wasn't going to let him hurt them. What he didn't know was that he was prjecting his emotions. He couldn't help it. He couldn't remember how to put up mental shields to block the empathy. He hissed at the human.

Marcus and Poochyena shoved past the stunned Leo. How had Marcus done that? The memory flew back to him again. He had focused his power and touched Leo, sending the powerful vision of Garet he had just had to Leo. Of course, that had confused the Lucario, giving Marcus a chance to escape. But not everything was going well. His path was soon blocked by a Rhyperior. He didn't want to try that again. It had dazed him almost as much as it had Leo.
"Move it!" Marcus shouted. He grabbed Gyarados's pokeball and tossed it into the air, releasing the battle hungry fiend.
"Water Pulse!" Marcus shouted. Gyarados blasted a very large ball of water at the Rhyperior.

(OOC: Esper blasted everything he had at Merin, literally. Now, he doesn't even know where he is. Ain't Amnesia grand?)
 
The Barriers Pt. Eight: Introductions and Endings.

Regis looked at the boy. CT. Thomas. Light Manipulation. He was about to respond with some witty response when he saw the wave coming. He froze. He didn't know how to swim, he had never learned how. He began to run, run from the scene. To everyone he looked cowardly, but he knew that survival was more important than some CT's. The wave began to stop building. That could only mean one thing, it was about to crash.

"Stop that wave! Stop it or we're all going to die!" he caught himself before he squeaked and firmed his voice into the walkie on his belt, "AAPM. We've got to go. We're done here. Clay?"

Clay was too busy with Krokorok to notice Regis. "Now, which one of y'all are gonna come easy?" Clay wasn't an idiot. This was going to take some serious psychological convincing. "What does the RDM offer that the AAPM can't, little guys? I'm your friend. Look, that tidal wave is going to crash any second, so you can either come with us, or die for some dumb company, wha d'ya think?"

Dust looked at the tidal wave. There was nothing she could do about it. Candace, Clair's grandmother, couldn't destroy it and the Hooded One wouldn't try to stop it. This was unexpected. Arlanda had finally made contact just for everything to be ruined. This was supposed to be in the prophecy. That mirror would show...the final piece.The RDM would learn about what was on it and the AAPM would somehow find a way to ruin everything. She saw Regis run. Coward. The Black Ones began to leave, most have them had been hiding in the trees, but they couldn't escape her powers. She was about to walk away with them when she felt her mouth being gripped.

"Shauntal. You're coming with me." Karen spoke quietly as she pulled her away. There was someone else in her other hand, but she couldn't see who that was.

Clair began grabbing Pokemon and taking them into the higher land. That would be the best place for them. Some Sawsbuck began taking Deerling out of the forest as well. Pokemon were flying out, but she knew not all of them would make it. She watched the tidal wave grow and tried to pull Mark and Arlanda out of the way. She wasn't strong enough for both of them. Maybe she could get Mark to give her some strength.

"Mark! Mark, give me strength, please. Mark! Mark!"

Mein managed to wake up and find the Espeon confused. He ran over to it and yelled, "Esp...Espore. Yes, Espore, run! The RDM is waiting for your orders, Deviser." he watched Clay intimidate other Pokemon. He ran over to them and yelled, "Clay, you are dealing with me now." the two began to grip each other. The Krokorok just watching but after seeing the wave began to run away. Regis' Swellow flew over them heading towards Regis. Merin could see hooded figures begin to run. He spotted Karen.

"Karen, grab Espore and run!" he yelled.

"Who's Espore?" she began to run towards the woods. Merin motioned towards the Espeon. She realized her mistake and grabbed the Espeon. "Come on Espore, I'll help you."

To everyone on the scene, the wave beagn to grow to its climax. This was it. The wave was about to crash.

Up Next. The Wave Crashes. The Barriers Conclusion.​
 
(OOC: Time for awesomeness again. And I'm not gonna ask how a psychic type knew Esper's memory was gone.)

Van made it just in time. Winny was knocked out. Thomas and the others were calling back their pokemon.
"Guys! We've got a big problem!" Van yelled urgently. The bush next to him was set on fire just from the heat he was radiating.
"Esper! Razor! Where the heck are you guys! Marcus!" Thomas yelled. He was about to run off into the woods when Mia grabbed him.
"We have to get out of here! There's no time to look for them! I'm worried about Tony, but what good will it do him if I die! I just have to hope he somehow makes it out of here ok!" Mia said urgently.
"Besides, Razor's right here!" Trigger said as he slammed into the ground on top of her. She was knocked out and half of her right wing was bent.
"Return her now you twit!" Trigger shouted as he took off. Thomas called her back as well. He turned to Mark and Arlanda. The were still in that odd trance. Thomas sent his light into them and blasted away the power keeping them unconcious. They started to come to now.
"Everyone gather around! Grab on to each other! I'm getting us out of here!" Thomas ordered and he smiled as no one questioned him. Mia picked up Van while Robby looked around.
"Where's Winny?" he asked.
"Trigger took her," Van said sadly. Thomas shrugged. He had to keep these people alive before he could go after Esper, Marcus, Tony, and Winny. He grabbed hands with Mia and Mickey, and everyone was soon holding on to each other. He brought them into the light and traveled with them to the first place he could think of that was safe. They disappeared in a flash just before the wave crashed on them.

Thomas opened his eyes. They were now standing in front of the Venice Gym. It had been the first place that he could think of. He swayed a little. It had taken so much of his power to bring them here. He called out for Esper with his mind, but he was being blocked again. Well, at least Esper was alive. Why block the dead? Light flooded his senses. His vision blurred and returned to white (it had been starting to recover) His hearing was replaced by a soothing melody. He felt very warm, but nothing else. He could even taste it. It tasted kind of odd. He was completely messed up and dropped to the ground, unable to do more. He was knocked out by the power he had used.

Espore was confused. He was about to blast this human away from the others, when a Kadabra ran in to fight him instead. What the heck was going on here? He looked curiously at the five gathered behind him and tried to say something, but he couldn't! He was feeling startled and scared. Why couldn't he speak?! Had he injured his mouth? No, that wasn't it. He was soon picked up by this Karen person as she ran. Why were they all panicking? It was making his head hurt. A quick glance back answered that question. He saw a huge wave about to crash down on them. What the heck? He grew terrified. He didn't know who he was, but he didn't want to die here! And those others! What about them!? He had to hope that everything would be ok. He wanted to meet with that Kadabra again. He didn't know what was going on, but that Kadabra did. He couldn't talk, so maybe the other psychic type could teach him how to talk with his mind. For now, he used his Psychic to boost Karen along, making her run faster.

Marcus had somehow won. He sat on top of the fainted Rhyperior and began to laugh. He glanced at the mirror in his hand and tucked it into his bag.
"Poochyena! Gyarados! Good... Oh my god!" Marcus began to say. He had spotted the wave headed his way.
"Poochyena, return. Gyarados, close you mouth around me and when the wave comes swim up to the surface. That way I won;t be killed," Marcus said. This was going to be gross, but at least he would be alive. That was his thought as he crawled into his pokemon's mouth.

(OOC: Just for a recap so there are no misunderstandings, Thomas teleported Ash, Mickey, Bryan, Mark, Clair, Arlanda, Mia, Robby, Zaria, and Van and anyone else with that group I may have forgotten to the Venice Gym, where the wave won't kill them. Esper is now named Espore and is with the RDM. Trigger grabbed Winny and is flying to where the others are regrouping. Marcus is in his Gyarados's mouth lso he won't get killed. That's got to be pretty nasty. XD)
 
Ash, Bryan and Mickey separated from the others as the teleportation ended. Bryan was hissing and spitting, not looking like himself as he shook his body. He hated water and being that close was way uncomfortable. Zaria floated over. "What just happened?"

"We got screwed over," Mickey replied darkly, glaring at the air. "And Zora's in trouble."

"Wouldn't I be the one to warn of that?" asked th ghost as she glanced at the unconscious Thomas. Ash snorted and growled. She hated leaving fights unfinished. Not as much as she hated teleporting but it was a close second.

"Yeah," Bryan muttered. "If he wasn't headed back to the battlefield. He's open to attack now, just like us."

"Don't tell him," Mickey ordered, stopping Zaria. "Think about it. All of us are close together, with three CTs nearby. He needs to stay away, keep one as far away from us as possible." Zaria sighed and nodded.

"He says he'll do as we say, but only because it makes sense. He also says we need to be careful. Something feels... off, like a wrong path's been taken or something. He doesn't get it but that's just his feeling."

Ash sighed. "Great. We'll keep an eye out. For now, we need to rest somewhere before someone or something takes advantage of this."
 
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