The Children Are Hunted

Kai became aware of a berry being tossed in her general direction. She extended her vines to reach out and catch it. It really just figured that the only member of the team that had hands was missing. Regardless, she managed to catch the berry, turning to send a questioning glance at Leo only to have her question answered before she could ask it. She supposed it was hers. Yet...

Kai glanced back at Legend, catching the younger pokemon staring. She promptly extended the berry over to Legend, who seemed happy to take it with her beak. Kai figured she was the one with the powerful photosynthesis abilities. Legend needed it more than her. Legend proceeded to devour the berry, only to cough up a literal puff of fire moments later. The flame dispersed pretty quickly in the air, though it managed to startle Kai slightly, who was not exactly a big fan of fire. She hoped Legend wasn't getting sick, though if getting sick was their biggest concern they were doing pretty good considering they had survived a giant wave. She herself wasn't worried about getting sick. That whole... powerful self healing abilities thing was pretty convenient when she needed it.

When Garet spoke she gave him her attention, at least up until he asked her a question. Kai looked back at Legend, who shivered as if to shake whatever had been bugging her just now away. She then just sort of looked back at Kai. It didn't take her long to figure out why she was being looked at in the context.

Legend (Torchic): "...Yeah, I'm ready!"

Kai seemed satisfied, and turned her gaze back upon Garet.

Kai (Bulbasaur): "We're ready to go."

Kai was thankful that they were finally going to be able to do something about their missing team members. Or at least, she was trying to be optimistic that this would all work out with Garet's help. Half of it depended on Shu managing to find the others, though.
 
The Search Begins (Finally)

Garet nodded. "Good. Now lead the way, before the scent grows cold."

He finally decided that this team of Mapmakers would indeed be helpful. Judging from Kai's description, it seemed to him that these Mapmakers were generally young. Their loyalty might not be set in stone. And each member would have some specific skill that Garet might need in the future.
Yet, for all the plans in his head, he still needed to talk to Agatha. No reply had come through the radio yet, so Garet was going to spend the time to track down the rest of the Mapmakers' team.

~~~~~

Leo stopped once Espore and the girl came into sight. No wonder her Aura had smelled of death - she was a ghost. Leo forced himself to breathe slowly. He didn't have much prior experience with ghosts.

"Does she prefer spoken words or telepathy?" Leo asked, keeping an eye on the ghost. He'd asked the question partly to fill the silence he'd walked into. Something about the ghost's Aura nagged at him. Taking another look at it, Leo suddenly recognized it. He immediately shut down his side of the connection between him and Espore, then put up shields against emotion-sensors. It wouldn't help if the Espeon was able to sense that something was up, though cutting the connection would have tipped him off if he paid attention.

In any case, this was the same ghost that Leo had seen with the humans near the RV, and possibly the same one near his airplane before he'd been captured. He vaguely remembered seeing the Espeon with the same group just after leaving the tunnel.
Then again...Espore had amnesia. Wouldn't it be right to let the Espeon have some clue of his forgotten life?
 
Zaria's whole body tensed at the feeling of being stared at. She knew this Lucario, distrusted it. Esper... was with him? Then her guess had been right. He... they all were, they were all the enemy. What now? She couldn't just bring him back now, not like this. Why... what could she do? Then the Lucario spoke. Its voice was afraid, indifferent, like it wasn't sure what to do with her. Ugh... that was a terrible tone, an evil one. "Leave..." she whispered. "Stay away from me..."

Her whirling thoughts were pushing the mentally exhausted ghost over the edge. She needed a rest and she hadn't gotten it yet. So, her emotional state was at the level of...none. Normally Zaria was very calm. However, this was the point where she was her age. So that meant... break down.

"Get away!" She screamed and the shadows hissed. She felt like death to them right? Well then, she should play her part right! Knives formed from dark wisps and flew haphazardly around the area. Shadows they may be but they were very real.

~~

Zoran woke abruptly, shuddering and trembling all over. "Zaria... she's freaked out..." His small fists clenched. "I have to find her." He twitched a little. It figured that the one time he was actually deeply unconscious somebody attacked his sister. Great... he was already irritated. He closed his eyes and concentrated, looking for her.

(Leave it up to you guys to give a location. And would you like teleportation? XD)
 
Thomas

"Really? Ok. I'm good with that!" Thomas said, his eyes lighting up. They would really let him meet other people here? That was nice of them. He was bored. He leaned back and smiled at them.

Espore

Espore looked at Leo oddly. The Lucario's emotions had gone dark.

"Why the heck did you cut off the connection? What are you hiding from me?" Espore asked Leo. Before he could question even more, Zaria flipped out. He twisted and turned, dodging the shadows that were being flung at him and Leo. She was a wreck, and it was making Espore's head hurt.

"Zaria! Calm down! We're not going to hurt you!" Espore said. He was trying to send her calm and soothing emotions, but he was terrified. He looked at Leo. That had been a bad choice for him to just show up.

Van

Van jumped up, ready for action when Zoran did. Zaria was in terrible! He had to do something! He turned to Zoran with an impatient look on his face. He had been waiting for a long time to be able to go, so what was the hold up? He then realised that the boy was trying to find her.

"Whenever you're ready, let's go!" Van said quietly.
 
Kai looked around briefly before moving forward. She would be happy to lead the way except... well... No ammount of mapmaking skills would really help them know where to go until they knew where they were. It was an unfortunate side effect of having been teleported. She simply couldn't have hoped to know exactly how far and in what direction she had been teleported. Perhaps if she were psychic or something, she might've been able.

Kai (Bulbasaur): "Alright. Just one thing... Where are we now relatively speaking..?"

She supposed that since he'd asked her to lead, they must not be all that far. Yet, she was really looking for something more specific. It would hopefully save them time, anyway. About this point, Legend silently moved up beside Kai, getting ready to head out. She was slightly eager to get moving, mainly because the sooner they got this over with the sooner she could rest. Or at least, that's how she felt about the situation anyway.
 
The truth - or what Leo knows of it, anyways.

Leo had no time to say anything to Espore before the ghost sent knives of shadows flying. He instinctively put up an Aura barrier in time to block several that came his way. Ouch. Not in time to stop one that hit his left foot, though.
This situation was a perfect example of what could happen once the RDM had begun trying to capture the CTs. As far as Leo was concerned at the moment, telling the truth was now more important than any mission the RDM might issue.

Leo didn't look down at whatever damage had been done. These knives reeked of the same blackness as the Aura of one of the CTs. So this ghost was probably linked to that CT. Keeping his Aura barrier up around him, Leo finally replied, "What am I hiding from you? First off, you-" He spoke pointedly to the ghost. "-need to know that this Espeon has amnesia. Far as I know, he doesn't remember much, if anything, of his past life." Turning his head back to the Espeon, Leo continued, "What I was hiding just now was that I recognize her-" He jerked his head at the ghost. "-from when I saw her with a group of humans recently. And I felt something of her Aura less recently, a while ago."

Leo took a deep breath. He was ignoring the pain in his foot now. "And I vaguely remember seeing you with the same humans at the time. Do not run off, either of you, before I'm done. This group of humans, if I recall right, includes at least a few that the RDM had been tracking down and trying to capture. What I've been hiding, what Trigger was hiding, what Garet was trying not to let slip, Espore, is that before whatever happened to give you amnesia, you were with this group of humans. I'm pretty sure I don't have the full story, myself."

There. He'd gone and done it. He'd most likely be punished in some way, since Leo had outright told the Espeon that he hadn't always been with the RDM.
Whatever his suspicions of the white Arcanine, Leo truly didn't know what Garet had been thinking.

~~~~~

Garet paused, his ears twitching. Had he heard something?...

Kai (Bulbasaur): "Alright. Just one thing... Where are we now relatively speaking..?"

Garet frowned. Maybe it had been his imagination. But, still... "Trigger," he spoke flatly, turning to the Staraptor. "You take the other two and follow Leo." The Arcanine did not give a reason why, nor did he allow himself to convey anything that might be perceived as worry or unease.

"Karib ShadowHider," the Sableye said. It was another attribute he and Carrie had in common: making his name known to other RDM members if referred to without a name.

Turning back to Kai, Garet thought before answering, "Right back where I was before I was running to Venice. Can you find your way if I show you where we met?" Where I might've run you over, he added to himself.


((The location? I think it's roughly in the same area as the battle from earlier.))
 
Zaria said nothing, merely glared icily. So he was just confirming what she had guessed? How thoughtful. THe thought was a sneer, her lower lip curled as knives began to form wispily again. Wha, was she just supposed to trust him now? Please! A presence poked gently in her mind. Zoran. He was worried, irritated. His hand was silently resting in hers, keeping him tethered. She wanted to tell him not to come here, to run the opposite way. However, freaked out she was, stupid she was not. It was a pointless idea; her brother had as much stupid overprotective knightly behavior for his important people as Thomas did for the general population. Except he was alot less morally abiding. She could feel the shadows tumbling, snarling in anger.

"Congratulations," she managed to snap. "You've stated the obvious. They should be so proud of you in that army of yours. Give yourself a medal for poor secret-keeping." Judging by Espore's behavior, this information would actually bother him for about a few minutes. Then he'd think about it later. She couldn't be too sure.

~~

"Found her," Zoran said softly. His honey-colored eyes were calm as he held out Dora's Pokeball. Ash, Bryan, Mickey, and Alyss rested their hands over it. Zoran gently scooped up Van as Dora teleported over. Zoran was irritated but not crazy. They had landed a few feet away, the other side of the clearing away from Garet and the others.

~~

Brie nodded blankly. "Wheelchair..."

Melan glanced at Thomas as Brie left to get the chair. "Think you can get in the chair or do you want to be floated over?" The boy walked up with it, watching Thomas tiredly.
 
Trigger

"Oh sure, because I am clearly in fighting shape right now. Humph. Ah well. Let's go. But one thing Truthseeker. What about Winny? With everyone gone, who's going to keep her from taking off when she wakes up? Think about that a moment," Trigger said. He ruffled his feathers and tested his wing. Still was in no shape to fly. He began to talon walk the direction Leo and Espore had vanished in. He motioned a wing toward the two that were supposed to be following him.

Van

Van didn't struggle as Zoran picked him up and teleported all of them close to Zaria.

"I smell trouble! Esper... And Leo... Hm... What the heck is going on over there!?" Van said as he jumped out of Zoran's arms and began walking cautiously toward the trio that seemed to be fighting.

Espore

Espore was stunned by what Leo said. He turned it in his mind and examined it every way he could. Unbidden, the memory of his old trainer hitting him and yelling at him came back. Though... This time it was a little more clear. How long ago had that been? What was going on? His ears flattened against the back of his head and he hissed at both Leo, for keeping secrets this big from him, and Zaria, because she was trying to fill him with shadowy knives.

"What is going on here!?" Espore shouted at the world in general. He tried to think rationally, but the memory, the false one that Agatha had planted in his mind though he didn't know it, would not leave him alone. Why keep his past a secret? He looked around, and he could sense some people nearby. One of them felt a lot like Zaria, though he was clearly alive. Hm... And very powerful. Espore's fur stood on end when he sensed the power this kid had. But... He sensed more than that. This kid... He seemed familiar. Espore couldn't place it. He still couldn't remember his trainer's face or name. Perhaps this kid had been... And if that was the case, then Espore would have some words with him.

Thomas

"I can get over there myself," Thomas said as he flexed his powers. In a flash of light, he moved himself from the bed to sitting comfortably in the wheelchair.

"I'm pretty handy with my light. The only trouble is that it's not very subtle. Heh, I'm still working that bit out," Thomas said with a hint of a laugh. He smiled at Brie and Melan.
 
Kai just sort of waited as Garet seemed to become distracted by something else. She couldn't for the life of her begin to guess what it was, but oh well. She didn't have a clue how these people worked, so how could she ever expect to until she did? Kai glanced at the staraptor briefly, simply observing what was going on. She caught the name of a sableye nearby, glancing at said sableye briefly. Shadowhider, huh? It was a very appropriate name for a sableye. Why didn't she have an appropriate name? She didn't even know what her name /meant/. Regardless, that wasn't important, so when Garet gave Kai his attention back she broke off her thought, looking up at him.

Kai (Bulbasaur): "Yeah, that'll work fine."

Legend meanwhile appeared to just be hanging out idly for the time being. She didn't have a whole lot to say, mainly because anything she could say Kai could say in a way that didn't sound quite as angsty.
 
Ranting and Uncharacteristicness

Leo turned his head to stare at the ghost. Whatever she knew, he didn't see how she could have a clue about what he felt about secrets. "I'll be glad to be the poorest secret-keeper in the world right now!" the Lucario snapped angrily, his pain now beginning to fuel him. Leo was now holding up his Aura-barrier while speaking. "This secret has led Espore to believe something that isn't true, though I'm stating the obvious again! It isn't the only secret I'm fed up with, either. We've been after the CTs for I don't know how long before I got involved, and why? That's a secret that I feel needs to be revealed before there are any more disasters!"

Leo was busy enough with his ranting that he didn't pay attention when a new group of Auras appeared in the area. "I'll start with my first encounter in this whole mess, shall I?" he growled. Frankly, he was angry enough that he didn't guard his tongue too well. "I was supposed to aid in the capture of one CT, but all that happened is that my plane was sabotaged, not to mention the conflict with Underoot. My next encounter that led to a disaster is when we came right out here somewhere, with others of the RDM, to stop the CTs from reaching the Forever Ocean. That ended with a bloody great battle and a tidal wave that, to my understanding, was probably started by some fourth CT that I knew nothing about in the first place, because of the whole conflict! That's another secret!"

Still staring at the ghost, Leo added, a little more calmly, "And might I add that, whether I'm being hypocritical or not, your attitude just--" The appearance of the new group of Auras finally registered in his mind, stopping him mid-sentence. "I am sick and tired of all this," Leo growled. "You take him-" He jerked a paw to point at the Espeon. "-back to his real friends, and you tell them that if they even try to fight me today, it will be a fight to the death. So back. Off." Still maintaining his Aura-barrier, Leo turned and began to stalk back toward Garet and the others, with a limp in one foot.

~~~~~

Winny. Winny would be a problem that they would have to lug around.
The wind shifted to a new direction with a gust, and several scents came to Garet's nose. He would have grimaced if he'd had the facial muscles for it. The Aura-user, Van Flaresoul, the girl who could sense Trigger, and a few others. He hardly ever forgot a scent once he'd gotten a good whiff of it. Not to mention that the scents that came to Garet were bordering on overwhelming.
Why was Winny a problem? She most likely knew a few things that only the RDM was supposed to know, and she had abandoned the RDM to be with the CTs and their companions. So, yes, the Wynaut would be a problem. For the RDM.

When Carrie went over to pick up the unconscious Wynaut, Garet said, "Leave her. There'll be too much trouble right now if we try to take her with."

Karib looked at the white Arcanine in surprise. "Sir, with all due respect, she's basically our prisoner, and we need to take her with us. She'll be a problem if she's left on her own."

The Sableye quailed somewhat under Garet's stern stare. "She won't be by herself. And she's a problem that I am not willing to lug around for the time being. Consider our situation. If her friends outside of the RDM try to take her back, and we try to keep her from them, we would be duly defeated if not destroyed. We will leave her."

Carrie and Karib exchanged glances. This Arcanine was one of the RDM's high-ranking Devisers, with a record of several completed missions and a reputation to follow orders given to him. This was almost...uncharacteristic of him.
 
Zaria blinked and rolled her eyes. "My," she began darkly. "You would be a terrible politician." She crossed her arms.

There was a quiet snort. "Ooh, fight to the death?" Ash crooned. "Terrifying. Like we haven't had one of those before huh Zora?"

Zoran let out an airy sort of laugh. "Daily events!" he chirped out, smiling that innocent, happy grin. He bounced after Ash as she walked into plain sight. Zoran was grinning and spinning... until he laid eyes on Espore. "Hey it's a kitty!" he declared, pointing at the Espeon. Zoran waved at it. "Hi kitty! Don't scratch my face please! My doggie would be mad at you!" He bounced on the balls of his feet, smiling. His voice was slightly higher than it already was, making him sound distinctly feminine. He didn't.

~~

"...Way..." Brie mumbled, wheeling Thomas out. He let Melan lead the way through the rooms. He seemed to know where he was going, only he didn't speak a word. They passed briefly by the room where Thomas' Pokemon were being held. Melan smirked as they passed but said nothing. THey stopped at one of the rooms Brie had passed earlier. It slid open automatically.

"Hey Brie!" a female greeted, the same older woman from before. She was twenty years old and a blond with lanky hair. She tried to wave and wince. "Makin rounds alrea- oh hey it's the new kid! Heya there dude!" There were a few other patients in this ward and two of them made a greeting. One tried to wave a hand in mid paw and winced, lowering it.

"...Hi..." Brie walked in with Thomas. "...Thomas..."

"Cool," the woman said cheerily. "Nice to meet ya Thomas. The name's Delia." She paused a second, staring at him. "Say you don't know Asha do ya?"
 
Espore

Espor had been happily chasing the butterfly from before, but his ears snapped up at what Leo said. He let out a low hiss. His memories were flooding back to him slowly. Memories of a boy, he still didn't have a name to go with that face yet, yelling at him. Memories of him getting kicked by the boy for no reason, while Zaria and other faceless people stood by and did nothing. Horrible memories he would have rather forgotten about. That's when another boy showed up with a small group of people. He recognised them from his memories. Memories he felt were true once the boy mocked him openly. He snapped. His empathy blasted everyone around him with his anger. He flexed his psychic muscles, which were fueled by his anger, and everyone withing a half a mile radius of him began to float. Except for Zaria, who was already floating. Her he held, so that she would not get away.

"Leo... You bastard! You want to just dump me with the people that did this!?" Espore said angrily to the world in general. He blasted Leo with the false memories of all of them not doing a thing to help him. Not quite true... He couldn't control who recieved those memories. Everyone probablt got them. He couldn't cvare less right now.

"And you lot! I know you just saw that. How could you all stand there like that? No... I'm sick of everyone ordering me about without thinking about me! I... I... What was I talking about?" Espore said as his rage faded. He gently set everyone down, except for Leo, who he dumped on his face. He looked around and saw Van standing next to Zoran with a scowl.

"But... What? I... I don't remember any of that happening?" Van said with disbelief.

"Hey! Wanna play?" Espore asked him, his earlier statement forgotten. Van scowled at him. Espore gathered he didn't want to play. That made him sad. He pushed the memories back down, prefering to leave them behind with his old life.

Thomas

Thomas was wheeled past a door. He heard faint cries, but thought nothing of it. This was a hospital, after all. He looked at the bunch of people as he was brought into the room.

"Hey everyone! Thanks for bringing me here Brie. Anyways... Asha... Hm... I think so, though I don't recall calling her Asha... Wait, Robby and Zor do... I had forgotten. Anyways, yup, I know Ash!" Thomas said. He smiled at Delia and the others.
 
Zoran blinked innocently. "Dunno what you were talkin' about," he told Espore merrily, remaining childishly oblivious. "Hey Doom, meet the kitty!" Doom left his Pokeball, pointed tail swishing excitedly.

"Hi!" Doom greeted. "You are looking happy yet sad now yes you are." He barked at Espore with a grin. "Play fetch?" He chased his tail a moment then took off to playfully chase Espore.

~~

Delia grinned. "Hoo boy, do I feel sorry for you," she said happily. Others snickered their agreement. "We were rivals for ages until she made the base explode. Then I never saw her again. Figured the vixen was still alive."

"Hah you couldn't keep her down," croaked a younger male.

"Not at all," hummed a musical voice, it coming from another blond girl, whose fashion sense made her look similar to an Umbreon. Her grey eyes flickered toward Thomas and back at the egg in her lab "She was rather... exuberant."

Delia grinned. "You were six Cynthia. What do you know?" The girl merely smiled blandly at Delia and said nothing.

The door opened behind them and a light-haired boy with a bandanna peered into the room. "Brie," his voice greeted. "Figured you were in here. Mister Theo wants to see you and Melan right away."

"Ooh," the boy with the bandaged fingers sneered. "Aren't you the teacher's pet Morty?"

Morty rolled his grey eyes. "Hardly Palmer. At least I'm not in a ward because I attacked Volkner like a moron."

Palmer glowered. "I will get him next time, arrogant little brat."

"It was your fault for insulting his Jolteon," Cynthia chided softly. "Children have low self-esteem." Palmer scowled and said nothing.

Delia snorted. "Idiot brats. See ya in a bit Brie." Brie nodded and left silently with Morty. Cynthia smiled passively at Thomas.

"It looks as though you'll be with us for a little while."

~~

"Theo... wants..." Brie's voice sounded softly as Melan traveled behind them.

Morty shrugged, fingering the fabric of his bandanna. "You think I understand the guy? I respect him, but he's nuts."

"Stereotypical teenage commentary," drawled a soft voice. Morty glared behind him at a lanky young man with purple hair and eyes. He was dressed in a red wine-colored tuxedo and clutched a thick tome in his hands. The boy glanced at them from behind his glasses, expression shrewdly disdainful yet utterly indifferent. "As always Morty, you never cease to amuse me."

"You never cease to tick me off Lucian," Morty spat, glaring at the elder. Those two were oil and water, except they could both kill each other. Psychics and Ghost Tamers were usually at each other's throats but these two practically made it an art. Brie looked between them with something vaguely resembling curiosity.

Lucian merely smiled coldly and walked over to Brie, placing a hand on his shoulder. Reflexively the smaller shied away. Physical contact of that nature was aserious nono. "Relax Brie," the boy said quietly. "You get to take a nap." Brie stilled and Melan rose up. Brie felt time slowing almost, the world disappearing from his ears and eyes. He was tired, so tired...

"Whaddaya think yer doin' ya-"

"Be quiet you flying hunk of metal," Lucian muttered. "I'm doing as I'm told." Morty scowled.

"You bloody-"

"No blood on my hands Morty," the older countered. "Only on yours... and on hers, right Sabrina?"

As he had spoken those words, Brie's whole body seemed to shimmer somewhat. His hair lengthened down his back and darkened, turning jet black. The girl moved in a blue, slamming Lucian in a wall and holding a butterfly knife at his throat. "Touch me again and you'll lose more than that pretty hair of yours," she told him softly, voice holding no malice. Lucian chuckled weakly. He was not physically strong or courageous like Morty.

"Sabrina let him go," Morty bit out coldly. "It's not worth it. Mister Theo wants you remember?" Sabrina obeyed and went after Morty and Melan. THe Lampent paused, considering burning the tome in Lucian's hands.

Instead, the pair entered Theo's office, where the man was typing lightly. "Ah, Sabrina, you're awa-" e was cut off by the knife nearly embedding itself in his skull, instead lodging itself in the wall. Sabrina was staring at him, twirling another butterfly knife. "Good evening to you as well."

"What do you want from me?" she asked dully.

"I prefer you so much over Gabriel," Theo's Alakazam commented. "You will actually speak in full sentences."

"She is Gabriel you imbecile," Melan spat. "So give us the mission and hurry up." A Psychic blast soared at Melan and was dodged easily.

"Girls don't fight," Theo scolded. "Now Sabrina," He held out an image of a child. It was Alyss. "This child has no more use out in the field. Bring her to me."

"If she struggles?" Sabrina asked softly, forcing her reactions down.

Theodore shrugged. "Kill her."

(There we go.)
 
Leo wasn't ready for when he was lifted off the ground, nor was he ready for the memories that the Espeon threw at him. His concentration on maintaining his Aura-barrier was broken, as was the barrier itself, as Leo tried to cope with the psychic memory blast.

A minute later, Leo found himself face down on the ground again. His left foot was throbbing with pain, still. Probably bleeding, too, from that dagger the ghost had thrown.
Leo was more concerned with the memories, though. If that had really happened, then why...why would Espore have stayed with the CTs and their friends? Come to think of it, Leo wasn't sure how old the Espeon was. Wait. Espore had believed that he was an RDM Deviser. Who had told him that? Trigger? Maybe, if Trigger was one of the first people Espore had met after getting his bout of amnesia. If someone had gotten Espore to believe that he was a Deviser, then that same person, or Pokemon, might've messed with his memories.

Confusing, Leo thought to himself. All that aside, whatever was true or false, he needed to check himself for damage. Psychic Pokemon were known for being able to mess with others' minds.


That half-mile radius had included the RDM members in the area. Karib felt something trying to pick him up, but it wasn't getting past his Dark-type. He was hit with one of Espore's memories, though, which put him on edge.
When Garet was on the ground again, the Sableye came up to him. "Sir, I think something's wrong with the Espeon," he said quietly.

"You and QuickDigger stay here with the Mapmakers," Garet ordered. Turning to Trigger, he added, "You, too, Hawkeyes. I'll be back." The Arcanine then started to run at an easy speed, halting when he came to Winny. He grabbed her with his jaws, trying not to bite too hard, then continued towards the place where he'd seen Leo go.
The Arcanine slowed to a stop once the Lucario was in sight. Leo was pushing himself to a sitting position, seemingly ignoring his surroundings. Garet walked on another few steps, then stopped.

It was them, all right. There was the Aura-user, Van, the Espeon, the Trigger-sensing girl, three boys, and a Houndoom. From what Garet knew, most of them were friends with the CTs. He bent his head down to set Winny on the ground, then back up to look around wordlessly. Garet didn't see any ghosts.
 
Trigger

Triggeer grumbled a bit. He did not like flying without him doing it. It just creeped him out. And those memories... Hm... He was set gently on the ground and was about to check on Carrie and Karib when Garet ran up.

"Ugh... I wish you would make up your mind!" Trigger said quietly. He shook his head and ruffled his feathers a bit, then he turned to the others.

"Well, you heard him! Back!" Trigger said. He turned and talon walked his way back to the others. His wing was feeling a little better now. He could extend it all the way again.

Espore and Van

Espore grinned happily, all of his anger forgotten. He danced back away from Doom and flicked his tail at him.

"Hah! Can't catch me!" Espore said. He leapt again, using his Psychic to make himself float about eight feet off the ground. He laughed happily and dropped himself on Dooms's head.

"I gotcha!" Espore said. He leapt off of Doom and jumped a few feet away, before turning and looking back at him, completely unaware of anything around him, except for Doom and their game of tag. Van snorted, clearly unamused. He turned when Garet showed up with Winny. The Wynaut was hurt. Van growled savagely and advanced on Garet.

"What the **** do you want?!" he shouted at the arcanine. He was now radiating heat, being so angry and worried about Winny. He took another step towards Garet, and some of the gras around him burst into flames.

Thomas

"Um... Yeah... Ash hasn't changed in that case," Thomas said quetly. He then watched the scene play out in front of him.

"Later Brie! Heh, I'll stay as long as you like. I can't exactly go anywhere. Heheheh..." Thomas said to Cynthia. He chuckled and shook his head.
 
Zoran stared between Van and Garet. "Van don't be mean," he scolded. "You won't get your friend back if you do that." He looked around innocently, as if looking for a playmate. Ash was semi-conscious. Hm, he would have to scold Espore later. Zaria had floated to rest behind him. Mickey and Bryan were both glaring at the large canine. Oh well, there went that friendship. But wait... where was Alyss? She was... flying?

Alyss soared up higher and higher. Her chest was tight with anxiety. She felt that familiar sensation in her chest. She was being watched. By who? Theo... her mind said and she shuddered mid-flight. She would not go back. She was free. She would not be caged again. Never!

~~

Doom barked and moved aside, happily chasing Espore. He knew something was wrong but Zoran told him not to worry, so he didn't. "You got me yes," he agreed, rushing over and clamping his jaws gently around Esper. "I got you now yes I did!"

~~

"Hope she never does," Delia commented and blinked at his quietness. Cynthia mumbled something and the egg seemed to open up like a spike ball. It made an odd crooning noise. "Prii!" it trilled, bouncing on the girl's knee.

Morty peered in the room, seeing Cynthia bouncing the egg gently on her lap. He chuckled. "Our breeder," he joked, causing her to laugh musically. He looked at Thomas. "You're coming back now apparently. You'll get your grand tour tomorrow." Without waiting for a reply, he waved at the others and wheeled the boy out.

He led the other down the hallway. A black-haired girl was standing outside Thomas' room, watching them silently. "Doin' all right?" She nodded at him blankly, a Pokeball resting in one hand and a knife in the other. Morty rolled his eyes and deposited Thomas in his room. He left quickly, leaving a aGhost Pokemon there to help the boy if he needed it. He needed to get to his room.
 
Kai just sort of watched Garet run off. She supposed it was important. She glanced briefly at Legend who seemed rather tense and nervous for whatever reason. Kai of course knew what that was all about. It was rapidly approaching the pitch blackness of night. She glanced at the other two RDM members who had been ordered to stay with them, deciding that perhaps it would be best not to bring up why Legend was acting the way she was. Then again, she supposed it would become pretty obvious soon enough. Legend was afraid of the dark. Apparently the small fire chicken had little to no night vision and became essentially blind. Kai couldn't help but wonder sometimes if this was a problem with most torchic. She kind of knew it would humiliate Legend if she brought it up.

Legend (Torchic): "..."

Kai let out a sigh. Perhaps talking would help. She turned her gaze on the two other RDM members left.

Kai (Bulbasaur): "So... do you guys know what exactly that huge fight was all about exactly?"

It was probably about time one of them asked that. I mean, honestly, you would expect that to be the first thing one asked. Yet, it had seemed rather apparent to Kai at the time that it was an RDM vs AAPM showdown. That wasn't the sort of basic info she was looking for here.
 
Carrie snorted. "Buncha nonsense, if you ask me," she answered, looking away. After a nudge from Karib, the Gabite added, "It started with us responding to some sort of emergency that involved a storm. That turned into us hurrying to stop some kids that the RDM is after from reaching the Forever Ocean, with some fickleness among the higher-ups."

"That turned into a battle," Karib cut in, ignoring his partner's glare for being interrupted. "It started with us against this group of humans that Carrie mentioned, then a few humans from the AAPM showed up. One of the more...damaging parts of the fight was that there was some sort of psychic blast that affected and hurt many combatants in one area, including me. I don't see how it could have, though." The Sableye sounded a little irked with the last part. "It was...right after that? when the tidal wave showed up."

"Like I said, buncha nonsense," Carrie finished, then turned her attention to Legend, narrowing her eyes. "What's with you?" she asked bluntly, nodding her head at the Torchic.

~~~~~

What did he want? The whole truth, Garet thought to himself. With what had happened to these humans because of the RDM, though, and himself being a part of it, he doubted they would believe that. Was there anything he could say here? One thought was to warn them against the AAPM, but Garet was sure they'd already know that. Not anything about the RDM, since he was in the RDM. Did these humans know of the Black Ones, though?
Garet dismissed these thoughts. They probably wouldn't believe anything he said, anyways. Not to mention that a few words could unintentionally spread doubt or lies in certain circumstances. Espore was an example of that. The Arcanine followed the Espeon with his eyes. Something had happened, he was sure of that. He'd seen Leo on the ground, they'd all floated for a bit, and now Espore was playing with the Houndoom.

Turning his attention back to Van, Garet noted the small flames and the heat that the Vulpix was radiating. Apologizing with words would not be good enough in this situation, in his personal opinion. Can't do anything else here, he thought, turning around to walk back the way he'd come. Let Winny be with the humans she'd run off to.
"Time to go," Garet said to Leo as he passed him. The Lucario was now standing, staring at the ground with one paw on his head, his back still turned toward the humans. Leo nodded absently, following the Arcanine as they walked back to their fellow Devisers.
 
Van and Espore

Van ignored Zoran thoroughly, keeping his firey gaze on Garet. When the Arcanine began to walk away, Van began to growl.

"What, you're just going to walk away? Why did you come out here then? After everything that's happened because of you and people like you, you're just going to walk away? Really?" Van said. He let loose a tremendous Flamethrower into the dirt in front of him, then turned his attention to Garet and Leo again.

"Why? After all you have done to capture us, why leave now? You've only driven a few friends away, made Thomas get lost trying to save everyone from people like you, turned Esper into... Into this-" Van said angrily.

"Why can't you people pronounce it right? And what's wrong with me?" Espore interupted from where he was hanging in Dooms mouth.

"Shut up! Not to mention everyone that I've ever cared about in my entire life, both with the RDM and without, has been hurt or killed! And for what? You chase us over two continents, only to just walk away now?! Without so much as an apology! Not that I want your apology," Van said. He had burned himself out and slumped down into a sitting position next to Winny. He poked her with his nose. She was still knocked out. At least that was all. The silence legthened, and Espore twisted himself out of Doom's mouth.

"My companions are leaving now... I'll see you later!" Espore said merrily. That Vulpix had just blown a fuse. Well, that seemed to be what his deal was. He was still very angry, but he was more confused than angered. Hm... Espore regarded him with a little bit of curiousity, then looked at Zoran and the other humans. He knew they had been responsible for his painful start in life. Van had just proven it to him. Hm... Without so much as a word to them he took off after Garet and Leo.

"Wait for me!" Espore said as he ran after them.

Trigger

Trigger looked longingly at the sky. His wings had recovered now, and he could probably get in the air. He decided to go for a quick flight. Besides, Carrie and Karib were explaining the situation to Kai and Legend. He wasn't needed here. Trigger flapped his wings awkwardly and after a few false starts, he gained enough altitude to fly. Not the most graceful exit he'd ever made, but it was the most graceful take off he had made after being shot. Granted, this was the first time he had been shot. A few updrafts later, and Trigger was at an acceptable height to let the wind do his work for him. He gazed around, not sure what he was looking for. Well, he was a scout. That was his biggest thing. He was looking for danger. It was instinctive. Something drew his gaze to where Garet had left. He made out a figure flying away from that area. One he knew very well. Hm... Trigger adjusted his wings, and caught the wind, heading in that direction. To hell with orders. He was sick to death of them. He rode the wind with as little effort as possible and was soon flying near Alyss. Closer inspection told Trigger she was troubled by something.

"What is the matter?" he asked simply as he flew.

Thomas

"Later guys! It was nice talking with you!" Thomas said as Morty wheeled him back to his room. Along the way he passed someone that looked vaguely familiar. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Ah well, he'd probably figure it out later.

"Just fine!" Thomas said to her as they passed. He was wheeled into his room and Thomas turned to say something, but Morty had already left.

"Hm... Not much for conversation..." Thomas muttered to himself.
 
Zoran waved. "Bye kitty!" he called. "Come play soon please! Doom wants to play some more." Doom barked his agreement, yowling and yipping with innocent delight.

"You should not be mad at my alpha," the hellhound called to Espore. "You do not know him at all, silly kitty, no you certainly do not." The hound barked imploringly at Alyss' disappearing figure, sensing her distress.

~~

Alyss glanced back at Trigger. The old bird was weak, running on his last feathers for lack of a pun. "I'm being hunted again," she stated quietly. "I am probably going to be killed. It's what happens when you aren't needed." She was deeply troubled yet she couldn't bring herself to tremble, to cry. It was rather expected in truth. Every child was told it upon entry. If she fought back and won, she would have a chance. Though who knew who her opponent would be. "You should go rest," Alyss mumbled. "I don't want you to be hurt."

~~

The dark-haired girl passed Thomas' room. She looked at him a moment, eyes chilly and cool. She looked at him and spoke quietly. "Your friends are in danger," she said simply. She walked past, her knife glinting slightly. Moments later, the door slid shut and locked automatically. Curfew had started.
 
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