The Children Are Hunted

Zoran pet him again. The woman was nearby. But there was nothing he could do so he just tried to stand up. It didn't work and he hit the ground again. He remained very quiet before rummaging through the clothes he was wearing. They were something he'd wear. He picked up the Pokeballs and turned one around in his hand. "Doom?" The dog barked and released himself. The hound looked tired but at the sight of his human awake he was out and hyper as ever. Zoran managed to laugh as the dog licked his face. "You evolved... and all of these... they're mine?"

The badges too, Dora told him softly. Zoran blinked.

"I don't get it... I'm an okay trainer but... I don't think I could earn these. The Pokemon must have done it."

"With your help," Asha explained. The boy nodded slowly. He could accept this.

Mickey returned then and finally Zoran smiled. Everybody was older but that was okay. They could tell him later. Right now there was something happening. The boy was still very scared and confused but that was why he had to do something. Mickey handed him what he had bought and the boy burowed himself in the larger outfit a moment, then pulled the shirt over his head, fully dressed and taking his Pokemon back. "Sparx..." he mumbled, Zaria having told him all about his Pokemon while he changed. he returned Doom and released the lion, who purred at the sight of him, nuzzling his face. Before he could add anything, he was lifted onto the Pokemon's back and carried over to Thomas and the others. Zaria gave Van a shaky, kind smile of gratitude, realizing her brother was still too rattled to really think straight and do that. She knew he recognized them all now, even if he didn't know it.

Sparx stopped there and Zoran examined them. What was it about older people and their bad tendency of hiding what needed to be heard? He knew all of them were doing it to each other. What they were thinking needed to be heard by each other. It was one thing to keep secrets that weren't important willingly but if it was important and you could tell someone you should! Somehow he knew this but he didn't say anything. He could see the threads connecting them. Why couldn't they? He could see his with them too. He didn't know why but they were there.
 
"Fine, keep your secrets. It's not like you don't have friends here," Thomas said sadly. He turned when he heard Sparx walking up with Zoran.
"Hey there! How's it going?" he asked cheerfully. He was still confused, but he accepted this new developement. He wondered if he should tell Zoran about everything the two of them had gone through and decided against it. He didn't want to scare him. He would learn about it when he was ready. Esper turned to look at Mark.
"It's clear from the look on your face and the scent you are giving off that you don't want Thomas to know something. And don't worry, my psychic senses are dead, and I can't read minds. I couldn't ever do that well anyway. But you can trust Thomas. Whatever you have to tell him won't make him mad. And we really do need your help to get Thomas's powers back," Esper said to Mark. Thomas pretended he hadn't heard that and listened as Van sat uncomfortably as Zaria smiled thankfully at him.
 
Exposed.

He felt the strange voice echo again. It belonged to the Espeon. Mark looked back at Thomas. He hadn't meant to make him feel bad, but...he had to make some friends. It was always difficult for him to do that.

"Thomas. Do you remember that hooded figure that shot down Tony? Well, there are more of them. They belong to a group called the Black Ones. Their knowledge far surpasses any, and even after meeting one, their goals are unclear. All I know is that they use those fox-like badges for transportation. I bet that their base of operations is somewhere in the Forever Ocean as well. That's it." Mark bit down on his lip. Then, he breathed. It felt good to remove some pressure off him. "I still have no idea what the connection between the AAPM Tournament and the Black Ones is. Any ideas? By the way, it seemed as if you wanted something earlier. Can I help?"
 
Zoran didn't look him in the eyes. That was something an idiot did- you don't defy someone by looking them in the eyes, do you want the blows foolish boy- but he did stare up at him for a moment. Zoran managed a little smile. Then he looked at his sister and seemed to deflate immensely. He wanted to know why she was a messed-up ghost. Did he do that? But... why?

Zaria felt this and didn't know what to do. She gave up and decided to show him later. Zoran nodded. As long as he would know, it was okay. So he looked up at Thomas. "How do you know me?" Instantly he looked down with a flinch. Stupid! You don't talk like that to someone larger than you when you can't escape their attack. Stupid? Do you want them to hit you? He waited for an answer and yet an attack. The dark woman was still staring at him. Why wouldn't she go away?
 
"Hmm... The Black Ones... That leaves more questions than answers I'm afraid. But yeah, I'll just come right out and say it. A powerful psychic type pokemon sealed my powers. Esper knows how to unseal them, but he isn't strong enough. You said you could amplify powers, right? I was hoping you could do that to Esper so he could unseal my light. That would make it easier to defend myself when we go check this out," Thomas said to Mark. He had just inserted himself into their plan, and he was not going to be left behind. He had to many questions that needed answers. He turned to Zoran. He couldn't see him, but he had the feeling he was scared of him.

"We met not too long ago. It's a really long story, and I know you can't remember, but you helped me out a lot. And I helped you out a lot. I consider you one of my greatest friends," Thomas said. It was an answer, but probably not the one he wanted. But, that was all he was going to get until Thomas had checked with everyone else and they decided to fill him in on what he had forgotten. Esper looked up at the cringing boy.
"Don't worry, Zoran. Things will become clear in time. And don't be scared of Thomas. He's not going to hurt you. I promise," Esper said gently.
 
Zoran twitched. It wasn't him Zoran was afraid of. That boy was full of light. He could not fear the light like that. It was the woman that they were obviously so unable to sense. These people have no nature! He could feel her, golden eyes glaring at him, wondering why he wasn't doing as she obviously wanted him to. he didn't know what she wanted. Sparx could sense her but she was being quiet, covering agitated growls with purring, anxious, fearful purring. "Here..." he whispered. "She... is... here... watching... me. Can't you tell? She is here... observing you. Why can't you sense her?"

Sparx suddenly yowled as a branch shifted purposefully loudly. The boy cringed. She was tired of waiting. Sparx stood, snarling and growing ferally. The woman was meant to be dead. She had smelled her corpse as a young Shinx, the burning corpse. Sparx continued to yowl and snarl, Zoran staring where she was snarling at with wide eyes. The child let out a muffled cry of pain as something slashed him in the chest. The boy had blocked but his wrists were bleeding.

"Too shallow," murmured a female voice, calm and soothing.
 
Esper realized that Zoran was talking to him. He knew belatedly that he was still trying to use his burnt out psychic senses. He sniffed the air, and caught a strange scent on the wind.
"Sense who?" Thomas said. He was instintly on guard now. He had no way to protect himself, and no way to know what was going on.
Esper identified the scent as he heard a branch snap. That thing was not meant to be here! He hissed loudly, and was about to blast it when Zor cried out.
"Zoran!" Esper yowled, as he created a barrier around them. He remembered to leave it so that people he considered friends would not have to fight to get through. Esper blasted energy at whatever it was that had hit Zoran, but he couldn't be sure it hit. He hated that scent. It was the scent of the dead.

(OOC: OMG! Zombies! XD)
 
"Mama..." Zaria whispered. Ash and Mickey saw as well, but they stayed where they were. They didn't want to hurt her. She had been a good person to them when they had visited, a scary but very good person. Their friend's fear was well-justified. Her power was one they had only seen once, but it was scary, very, very haunting. They both knew that they had no chance against it; the ability Zaria had inherited.

There was a soft, deadly sort of chuckle as the dark-skinned woman stepped out to them. She was a very beautiful woman, how Zaria would have been. Her black hair fell down her back, framing her gold, cat-like eyes. She was dressed in a white blouse with a black skirt. All along her arms and even on her neck were long, jagged scars, made by broken glass. The blast Esper had thrown was easily deflected.

"Surprising," she began softly, melodically. "I finally return after all this time, after these five years and what do I find? My daughter has been murdered, brutally so and my son's power decided to change itself. I cannot say I am uninterested can I?" She looked at Zoran, who visibly started shaking, looking on the verge of a panic attack. "Excellent move," she told him, no hint of sincere praise in her words nor disdain. "You knew I would attack you; you just didn't no win. Regardless you limited the damage to yourself. It seems that worthless man managed to teach you something after all."

Her eyes moved to Esper and she smiled at the Espeon. "Ah, a drained child... would you like me to fix you?" Sparx had fallen quiet and had lowered her head. This woman was terrifying her, of all Pokemon. "No... you want an answer don't you? Why am I still alive?" She then turned back to her son. This time, Zoran did panic, scooting back fearfully. His breathing was harsh and ragged and Sparx moved in front of him. "I'm impressed again," the woman mused, this sincere. "My fourth life was lost to me by my own son... emotions can be such a useful thing can't they boy?" Her eyes rested on Thomas now.
 
Thomas laughed ruefully. Esper hissed and leapt at her, trying to claw her eyes out. Thomas called him back into his pokeball. He broke out after a second, and was a little calmer.
"Relax Esper," Thomas cautioned. Why were all the deadly people in this world interested in him? Well, whatever worked.
"I will not relax! She should not be here!" Esper said. He paced around in front of Thomas, who had stepped inbetween the woman and Zoran. He had no idea what good that would do, because it was clear that even if he were at full power, he might not be able to take her out.
"Emtions? Yes, they are. Some people see them as a weakness, because they can confuse and scare you. But I don't. So tell me, who are you and what is it you want?" Thomas said. His tone was light, but he was serious. This was not the time to joke around. Robby, Marcus, and Mia thought so as well, as they stood back and said nothing. Van was scared, but he ran over to Zoran and planted himself with him. Zoran had been the first human he'd ever cared about, and he wasn't going to let anything happen to him now. Even if that meant his death.
 
Leo breathed a sigh of relief when he found a way up and out of this tunnel. It had taken a while to find it, and his arm and paw were unused to carrying something like a portfolio. He still carried it, though. There could be something in it that the RDM could use, other than the fox-like badges. Whatever they were for.

Extending his Aura-sense before poking his head up out of the hole, Leo almost ducked all the way back. There was a group of Auras not too far from where he was. He recognized the Ronimoba boy's Aura, as well as...Clair's Aura? That woman had been tied up the last time Leo had seen her! Looking at the other Auras in the group, Leo's spine crawled with chills again. There was the one that glowed of death, again. A few of the other Auras had the same sort of glow as the Ronimoba boy, but only two glowed as brightly.

Time to get a real look. Leo folded back his ears as his eyes peered over the edge of the hole. It was already obvious that the children he saw were not with the woman who was facing them. Searching the area with his eyes, Leo could see no Pokemon that were with her. So she probably wasn't with the RDM.
It would not be ideal to let someone not with the RDM capture the CT.
 
The woman smiled kindly at them now."I should not be here... yes you're quite right." She faced them all and locked eyes with none. "I am Amrita Nishant and I am here to kill Theodore Ebony and to break this curse on my person. And I need my children to do those things. So, simply put, I am here to take them back. Will you return them without a fuss or shall I have to break your prophecy and kill you all? I hope I don't have to do the latter. It was troublesome to escape the Black Ones the first time I did something quite so reckless."

Zoran's hand rested on Vulpix's spine. It was shaking. He couldn't kill Mister Theo. His powers couldn't work on him... could they? He had tried once and after a long time it had hurt the man... but no more than that.

"Wait..." Asha began. "Miss Amri... specials can't touch Theo. We've tried that, even with an aura protection."

The woman smiled again and Ash seemed to shrink slightly, as though feeling insignificant. "That's correct... specials can't. But I think we all know at least one person who can, don't we Mickey?" Mickey froze and paled. Ash hissed through her teeth. She felt someone nearby. They had been keeping quiet about that. Without turning, Amrita smiled again, this one deadly. "Would our uninvited guest come out please?"
 
"I've got my own score to settle with Theo, but what are you planning? I want to hear it," Robby said forcefully. He wasn't going to let her push him and his friends around. He had felt the disturbance in the air as someone came near. Van growled sharply.
"You will not touch them!" he said. He was angry. She wasn't going to take his friends away from him now that he knew who they were again! Thomas was inclined to agree with Van, but he knew he didn't have the power to stop her. Maybe, maybe if he had his light back he would be able to fight her off. But he was sure it would probably be him fighting alone. The rest were too scared of her. He was too, but he had a different reaction when he got scared. So he said nothing and stood in front of his friends, determined to protect them at all costs. He felt Esper in his mind trying, and failing, to break the lock on his light. Esper needed more power!
 
"Just as I said child. I plan to kill the fool who broke" Asha and Mickey shuddered in unison at the stressed syllable. "My children and that includes anyone they took in their circle."

"He awoke power," Ash managed. "What did you expect?"

"I expected children with existence," came the cool reply. "Not shells. The Dawn Project was meant to be a safe place for the abilities to develop and for the children to grow. No more, no less. I was unable to care for it myself due to certain circumstances so I had only Theo to leave it to. I couldn't quite leave it with your family could I Mickey?" Mickey paled at the idea.

"We'd be dead." The woman nodded sagely.

"I underestimated just how greedy Theodore was unfortunately. And before I could get rid of him, Asha destroyed the project." Ash flushed red causing the woman to laugh. "You must get a better handle on your temper, truly. And that abruptly ended the issue. But...I didn't expect Theo to remain quiet and well-behaved. So I had to train my son myself." Zoran twitched. Yes he knew this story move on! "Unfortunately, being immune to death for as long as I have been numbed me to the fact that my son was in true danger. I do apologize for that." Zoran was staring at her. She wasn't lying. He could sense lies and everything she said held truth, every word.

"And you know most of the rest. Two years passed and my son dropped a chandelier and burning building on me. I only revived about two months ago. It takes time to return from ashes." Zaria shivered. "So," she looked straight at, through Robby. "I am afraid I do not know what stupidity that man has been up to in all this time, though I am assuming it is quite ridiculously foolish and well-thought out. Regardless, the man needs to die before he wraps all of you up in that "Dusk" idea of his. I truly wish I could choke his life out." The temperature dropped abruptly and Zoran started trembling.

"Miss Amri calm down..." Ash muttered in both pain and fear. The cold vanished but Mickey kept shivering.
 
Leo was slightly miffed. There was an Aura-user in the group, and from what the woman had just said, she could sense him somehow. He dropped back down, then put the portfolio on the ground before forming a Metal Claw on his left paw to cut off the RDM brace on his right forearm. Leo folded it in a way that he could fit it into the portfolio before closing it.

Here goes, he thought. Leo then got back up and jumped out of the hole, ignoring it as it closed behind him. "Sounds like an invitation to me," he replied in Chinese, the first human language he'd learned. "This a convention, or something?" For now, Leo was going to act like he didn't know much of the RDM or the children's powers. The portfolio was still in his paw.
 
Winny glanced over at the Lucario. She was surprised to see him here, but what could she do?
"Leo Skyhigh?! What in the world are you doing here?!" Winny asked him with her telepathy.

Thomas got really cold as she talked. He wasn't going to move though, unless his friends said it was fine. He stood and listened, with Esper hissing and growling at the woman and trying so very hard to break the lock on his own. Thomas felt him get dazed after he hit it one time, harder than the rest. The lock itself was battered but mostly unharmed. Thomas still couldn't feel his light.

"I don't believe you!" Van said. He was not going to let this happen. He felt the shaking hand on his back, and his protective instincts flared up. He was growling rather sharply at her, and he was ready to fight. He hoped it wouldn't come to that. He didn't think he could take her.

(OOC: Van is very loyal.)
 
"Stop," Zoran whispered. "Mama isn't lying. I know she's not." But he was still afraid. He knew the others could not see what he always saw. People always thought she was supposed to be dead-and she was- but he could see the black thing that covered her. It was the curse she was talking about. It was the curse that was keeping her alive when after all these years she wanted to die. That was why he feared her because the curse was always staring at him, attacking him. And she had once been a good, wonderful woman, which was why she was here in the first place.

"I don't think they'll let us go Mama Amri," Zaria said softly after a moment, staring coldly at the Lucario, who Ash was glaring at. "And you could kill them; you would too, because you taught me how. But you don't want to, because you don't like the sight of dead children. So..." She bit her lip. "Maybe you should go away Mama. Things won't be right if you do."

"I'll help get rid of Theo," Mickey said suddenly. "I swear I will if that's really what you want. But... please leave."
 
"Where in the world am I?" Leo asked back through telepathy. He kept his side of the channel closed to all but the Wynaut.
The other Aura-user was glaring at him. He was also getting chills from the way that the one with the death-related Aura was looking at him. Leo was sure, though, that he had never met either of them. "No one speaks my native language?" he asked in English, walking so that he could see everyone else and could be seen by everyone else. What's all this talk of death and Theo? Leo thought to himself.

"If I may intrude nicely," Leo spoke, in English again, to anyone in general, "then may I ask where we are? I've been traveling for the last while without a map, you see." Perhaps he could figure out the nearest RDM base and get away before the situation got worse. It was apparent that this woman was dangerous.
 
"You're in Venice, well, near it. Truthseeker and Hawkeyes were prepared to launch a rescue mission to find you, but they kind of got side tracked," Winny said, wondering how much she could tell him. She decided not to let him know of her desertion. She didn't need to fight him right now. She glanced at Van who had stopped growling, but was still standing protectively in front of Zoran. She knew Leo could see him, but hoped he wouldn't connect the dots.

Thomas looked back at Zoran when he said that to Van. He had no intention of stopping them if that was what they wanted. They knew what was going on here far better than he did. He was worried though. Something about her didn't add up. Esper was still growling and hissing, but it didn't seem to be because of her, more like because of something to do with her. It reminded him a little of when he had first met Zaria. Also, her words rang with truth. He could hear that. And he thought he heard something else. He thought he heard pain. Things just didn't add up. What in the world was going on here? He wasn't sure what he should do. He couldn't ask Esper, because Esper wasn't sure himself what he was so afraid of.
 
Amrita looked at her son and daughter and spoke quietly in Hindi. Mickey and Ash, who both had also learned it from the woman, though Ash's much more limited, politely tuned their ears out of it. Whatever she was saying, both simply nodded at her. There was something distinctly desperate in her sad words now and Zoran looked very guilty. Then he nodded to himself. "We're not strong enough yet," he told her with a child's honesty. "We aren't ready." He stood up, walking past Thomas to the edge of the barrier. "When we are, we'll finish it."

Amrita smiled almost bitterly. Her golden eyes darkened visibly and she nodded quietly to her son. "That is a vow you will keep for me." The boy nodded solemnly. She turned away from them. "I trust son, you will tell the story." The boy bobbed his head again. He sat down and waved as she walked away from them all, her posture like a queen's. She didn't say farewell. It would have been odd.
 
On second thought, maybe it wasn't time to leave yet. Now that the woman was gone, Leo turned his attention to the group of children and Pokemon. The two whose Auras glowed as brightly as the Ronimoba boy's Aura were the little boy and the boy who stood in front of the others. Though...the little boy's Aura was blacker, for all the glowing it gave off.

So, Garet and Hawkeyes got sidetracked? Probably with these humans. Kinda typical of Garet, Leo thought. What would've given the Arcanine cause to do so, though? "What was the object of them being sidetracked?" he asked the Wynaut. "And if you know who I am, then what is your reason for hanging around with the CTs?" The second question was somewhat menacing in tone.
 
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