[PKMN FULL] The Revelations [IC](T)

[Jegretis]

Twinleaf Town - Ayers' Residence

Avant Ayers

After taking a nap for several hours on the couch in the main room, evening had come and the sun had set. It wasn't too dark out yet, but surely it would be after a little while. Avant sat upright on the couch, rubbing his eyes. Sitting there motionless for a few seconds, he reached forward to a bunch of envelopes sitting on a small table in front of him. Scrolling through them, he wasn't very happy at what he found. "Bills...bills...more bills...what is this? We're so behind on payments." Avant sighed. "Oh, what're we going to do Root? We can't afford to survive with just mom and me working." Root just growled, cuddling next to Avant on the couch. He tried to think of some possible explanations. Was his dad cheating? Was he going on some random adventure? Or maybe he was going through a mid-life crisis? Avant rubbed his head in frustration. He muttered to himself, as he flipped through the last bit of envelopes, and stopped at the last one in the bunch. It was light blue, and it was addressed to his father. Looking at it upon further inspection, it was labelled 'The Shadow', and had a sort of symbol in the corner. A bit weird....maybe a new job offer? Avant didn't know of anything called 'The Shadow', but the whole envelope had an odd texture to it. Like it was made out of a rather expensive material. He flipped the envelope to the back, looking at it some more, and realized it had already been opened and whatever was inside was gone. "Ughhh..." He groaned in anger, throwing the envelope on the table. He wasn't the type of person to snoop around, but this would have been a good chance to get some leads. "When he comes home, I'm going to - " Avant muttered to himself, but was cut off mid-sentence, by the sound of the front door opening. Turning his head, a look of shock came across his face, but then quickly faded to anger.

"Hey, son. Please tell me you haven't been home all day." His father chuckled, as he closed the door behind him and gave Avant a smile. He put his workbag on the floor beside him and approached Avant. "What's wrong? Ae you tired?" He chuckled again.

"So...I went by the mill today." Avant quietly said. His father gave a slight confused expression, almost as if he had no clue what his son was talking about. "I was going to go see you, but then I ran into Verne. He said you haven't been at work for nearly two weeks." His father backed away from Avant slightly, and a look of worry spread across his face. "So, where were you all this time? You act like you're going to work, and you come home like you've had a busy day? What's going on?" Avant stood up and approached his father, looking him in the eyes.

"I....It's a long story Avant." His father sighed, walking past Avant, sitting on the couch. "I-I was going to tell you guys eventually, but then some complications came up, and...." Avant arched an eyebrow. He wasn't really following along with what his dad was saying. His dad rubbed his head, and then looked down at his feet. "You see...you know the resistance group rumours?" Avant nodded. "Well...they're true. I-I've been going to a few meetings and -" Avant cut his father off.

"You what?!" Avant shouted. "Why would you do something like that? If you are caught, you could put all of us in trouble, not just you!" Avant paced the room back and forth. The situation certainly took a turn. He had suspected his father of something, but being part of a resistance group didn't even come close what he suspected. "So you aren't going to work, and you are part of a resistance group. Anything else I should know I about? How are you going to tell mom?" The next set of priorities would be letting the whole family know about his father's situation, but Avant wasn't sure if they could handle the truth. But what he really wanted to know, was what would drive his father to even do such a thing like joining a resistance group?

"T-To be honest though...I-I was kicked out." His father looked at Avant. Raising an eyebrow, he was lost once again in his father's words, and gestured him to continue talking. "At the meetings we give suggestions on actions that need to be done and problems that need to be solved in Sinnoh. The entire group was in the mindset that in order to bring peace, they must engage with the King. But after a week or so of me trying to persuade them not to, they eventually kicked me out. This past week has been difficult for me..." Avant took a seat next to his father, and put his hand on his shoulder.

"What do you mean, difficult?" He asked softly. He couldn't understand why it would be so difficult if the group let him off. He was home free! "Can't you just forget about it? I mean, they kicked you out, you have nothing to do with them anymore." Avant spoke with a hint of hope in his tone, wanting his father to agree to that statement.

"Avant, I'm trying. They don't just 'let' you go. I've been trying to get back in there this whole week to try and work things out, but - " His father stopped talking as a several monotonous knocks were heard from the entrance door.

"Hey! Open up! We need to talk!" Voices shouted from outside the house. Avant quickly ran up to the door and looked through the peekhole, to find several men wearing light blue armour, standing outside along with two or three dog-like Pokémon. The way the men were pacing around and the aggressiveness in their voices, Avant was sure they didn't want to just 'talk'.

"Dad! There's a bunch of people with Pokémon outside! What do they want?" He asked worriedly. Avant stepped away from the door and approached his dad. His father stood up and frantically looked around the room.

"Oh no...This can't be...." His father's voice cracked. "Avant, where's your mom and sisters?" His father asked as he started to move the couch, pushing it across the floor, shifting it a few feet. Avant didn't say anything. Everything was happening too quickly, and he was simply at a loss for words. "H-Here, take this. It's not that good, but it'll keep you safe." He looked at his father, who pulled out a steel sword from underneath the couch, and handed it to his son.

"W-What?! What do you want me to do with this?! Dad, what's going on?" Avant was in a state of panic. Seeing his father worry always made him a bit on edge, but this was the first time he had actually seen his father in a full state of panic as well.

"Avant, The Shadow aren't going to just let me go. I'm sorry I dragged this family into this, but you need to go right now!" His father pushed Avant toward the kitchen where the back window was located. "Take Root with you, and get somewhere safe, please!" His father shouted, as the door started to thump loudly as if someone was kicking it. Avant started to walk backwards towards the window, while still looking at his father. Where was he supposed to go? Just up and leave? "Son, listen to me! Get out of town! Get somewhere safe from here! Don't worry about your mother and sisters, I'll find a way to keep them safe! Please....I can't lose you..." His father started to tear up. It was something about men crying that made Avant snap, but he knew he had to get it together.

"R-Right, dad." He looked at his father one last time, and quickly ran into the kitchen and opened the window. "Saur..." Root growled as he jumped out of the window and landed on a cushion of grass. Following, Avant did the same and landed with a loud thud, nearly stumbling on his behind. "Root, follow me." He whispered, as he started to walk down the hill and headed towards town Why leave town? Surely there must've been a reason, but now was not the time to be dawdling. Avant looked back up at the house as he arrived at the bottom of the hill, but his view did not allow him to see what was going on inside with his father. He just hoped that he would be okay. I guess first order of business is trying to leave town. But the only town is Sandgem, and that's kind of far. Avant knew there were several paths that led out of Twinleaf, but only one of them actually led somewhere. The others were pretty much dead ends to forests or river banks.

He then looked at Root, who just stood by him and growled at the sky. "What is it, Root? What do you see, boy?" The sky was dark and clear now, save with the moon sitting behind a few clouds. Avant looked up, and his heart sank when he saw a giant figure with wings, fly across the sky and head towards town. What the heck is that?! Avant's eyes followed as the figure turned into a mere silhouette in the sky, and he saw it unleash a stream of flames that streaked across a section of the town as it flew past, illuminating the sky and setting a part of the town ablaze. Avant had no clue what was going on exactly, but whatever it was, he was sure it had something to do with 'The Shadow', and the real reason for the Bronze Soldiers coming to the small town of Twinleaf.

​

 

[Yamagi Sosuke]

Sirius Elpis - "...I'm sorry, Addy."
Twinleaf Town - Elpis Cottage​

A low rumbling pushed aside Sirius' dreams, a feeling of tension shaking him awake. Slowly, his eyes flickered to life. The image of Gible standing on his end-table and his things scattered on the floor, invaded the dark in between of his sleep and reality. It was a small struggle for him to will himself up but he did so for Goro. She didn't usually let the small things bother her, so he knew something was up.

Propping himself onto his elbow, he started to rub his eye. "Goro," He muttered. "What's wrong?"

Then suddenly Addy came running to his door, her hands slamming against the sides of the entrance. "Sirius! big trouble. Up, now!"

He cocked his eyebrow at his sister. He had never seen her in such a frenzy and he certainly didn't like it. Nodding, he got out of bed. "What going on, Addy? you don't get riled for no reason. Is dad and mom fighting again?"

She shook her head in a panic and snapped her hand around his wrist. "I can't explain it, you got to see for yourself."

"O-okay," He answered. "Goro lets go! I get the feeling something bad is about to happen." She growled in response before hopping off the stand and running alongside the two. Sliding his hand down the railing of the stairs, he could smell the food that was previously being cooked but couldn't find his parents. "Addy, where's mom and dad?" He wondered.

When she didn't answer him, he could feel his heart constricting. The house didn't feel right, everything seemed foreign. Like the world was new or something. He felt his brows furrow from his lack of comfort with the situation. When they came into the living quarters, he noticed the door was open and his mother was standing outside, her form lit by a orange hue.

He felt relief wash over him, lulling himself into a state of sanctuary for a moment. But that was all shattered in a instant. Stepping outside, the hill that his family's home rested on was ablaze. A ring of fire had surrounded them in some twisted fence. Sirius wrenched his hand from Addy's grip and stepped forwards. "...Th-The hell?"

"Your father's in the barn, Sirius. He's trapped." she muttered, hopelessly.

Sirius turned his eyes towards his mother. "What! and neither of you did anything?"

His sister spoke then. "We're too weak, he's trapped under a wooden beam. Only you and Goro can," Tears coated her blue eyes, threatening to spill over. It was a harrowing sight for Sirius, he hated to see his little sister upset.

Rolling up his sleeves, he started towards the barn. "Don't worry Addy, I'll bring dad back with me, you just dry your tears." Goro had her eyes solely focused on the dim sky. "Goro!" He barked, his voice booming towards the Pokemon. She snapped her body towards him, her eyes suddenly round and gentle. "Listen, I need you right now. Are you with me?" He asked her, his voice putting especial emphasis at the end.

She nodded and he knew that she had understood. When it counted, Goro was his best friend and most trusted partner. Even if she was lost in her own little fury, he could always believe that she would have his back. He turned towards his mother and sister, giving them a thumbs up and reassuring smile. "I'll be back with dad. Stay here, okay?"

His mother nodded with confidence -her cheeks painted with fresh tears- and her arm wrapped around Addy's shoulder in a firm grasp. His sister looked at him as if she was terrified for him, the sight made his heart tremble a bit. Her lips parted. "Be safe brother."

He couldn't let them see him shaken, after all, in that small moment, he was their rock. Their protection. "Right! Let's go, Goro." Then he dashed down the hill and towards the barn.

- - -​

It was shabby, torn apart at the top and crumbling at its foundation. He didn't have time to wonder what had done it, all he knew was that his dad was trapped inside. Rushing in, he got a good waft of the dust and rust that had filled it since before they had moved there. "Dad!" He shouted, hoping his voice would reach. "Daaad!"

Through the roar of the fire outside, he could hear his father's voice, rough and strained. "Sirius, leave!"

He followed his father's voice to the point where the barn's roof had crumbled inward. Down on the floor was his father, his mouth slick with blood, his face covered in sweat. A wooden beam had laid diagonally cross him and ontop of that one were three others that had splintered too. "What the!" He uttered, breathlessly. His mother and sister had sent him in to do an impossible job. Knowing Addy, she had been the one to stumble upon their father.

His father's crippled laughter brought him out of his thoughts. "...D-Don't be saddened... I know its impossible. I-I tried...to tell your sister-"

"Stop it," Sirius told him with finality. Goro and himself walked over to his father and clamped their hands under a portion of the first beam. Straining, he forced all of his strength into his arms and lifted with his legs. When it seemed like it wasn't budging, his efforts had come out as screams and growls. So much in fact, that he had been deafened to the crackling sounds growing around him.

"...T-The barn! its catching ablaze..." His father spat out with urgency, his voice coated with his effort to be loud.

He could feel his arms burning but he couldn't bring himself to let go of the beam."Don't worry," He told his father, his exhaustion still fresh. "We're going to get you out," He smiled, trying to convince himself that everything was going to be okay. "I pro-"

His father's hand wrapped around his shirt and pushed him back, making him fall from out his crouch. "Shut up, won't ya. I won't have you promising anything but to protect your mother and sister...understand?" To them, promises were binding and his father knew what that would mean.

Wide eyed and naturally understanding, Sirius stood up. His father knew better than anyone that he wouldn't survive, that his life was over. But did not even want to try? Did he not want to attempt to live. He shuddered, tears falling down his face as he came to terms with what was about to happen.

"I-I have to admit that I'm happy...," His father said, his words less than a whisper. "I don't remember ever seeing you sad, ever seeing you cry. Its good to know that you loved me."

"The hell do you expect from me, old man...Of course I do." Sirius argued, sedated. He was frustrated and angry with himself. He had promised Addy...he had promised that he'd bring him back. And now... now he would come back nothing. He reached out towards his father, prepared to try again when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his leg and then his chin slamming against the ground. His eyes started to drift to unconsciousness and all he could see was his father's face -nodding with a smile- and quickly growing further and further away.

- - -​

His eyes shot open, the dark loomed above him, lit by a orange hue all around. He was resting against soft grass but his face was coated with sweat. He sat up and in the distance he noticed a shoddy building on fire; Goro stood at his foot, looking on with an emotion he couldn't read. In the deepest parts of his heart, he knew that it was the barn. That his father was either burning alive or simply turning to ash. Lifting the back of his hand up, he tried to hide the tears that fell from his face. A familiar smell had wafted into his nose when he had awoken, so he figured they were near by. "...I'm sorry, Addy," He spoke out in the open, his broken voice hinting at his heartache. "I wanted to pull him out. I really did but-"

A slender hand touched his shoulder and then another had cradle him into their clothing. Sniffles rose from the person that had pulled him in her embrace. Her hand stroking the side of his head but trembling at the same time. "I know you tried, brother. I know you, tried..."

- - -​

Standing in the road that would lead to the bazaar. Sirius looked up at his home -which was still surrounded by the ringlet of fire- and even further back at the small torch that was the barn. In his hand, he held a farming scythe that he had grabbed from the pantry, while his other laid clenched at his side. Not really knowing why, Sirius had evacuated his home. Whether it was the ominous ring of fire surrounding them, Goro's stubborn agitation with the sky, or his father's death; he wasn't sure.

...Or, perhaps it was the shadow that flew overhead like a predator. He could see it now, the creature that had Goro so agitated. It spewed flames from its maw, brightening the sky and revealing itself every now-and-then. It was a dragon pokemon, just like the ones from his daydreams.

"Is this what I dreamed of? Is this what I wanted to come true...I'm a horrible person."

He turned his eyes to the ground, his father's face replaying in his mind. He didn't figure it out until he had changed his clothes, noticing the bite marks on his left. But Goro had pulled him from out of the fire by force. It must had gotten uncomfortable for her in there. She had been looking out for him, he was sure of that but he couldn't help resent her a little for it. She had cut his time with his father short.

He walked pass Goro, pass his sister, and pass his mother; tears still falling down his face. It was unclear what was going on around him but whatever it was had caused the death of his father. And had made his sister shed tears. His closed grimace had become a feral show of teeth. "I'll make them pay!" he declared to the dark path ahead. Hearing the hurried steps of his remaining family behind him and Goro beside him, he marched down with a promise in his heart. He would figure out who had done this and he would utterly, destroy them.
​

 

[eeveeandmew]

Thomas, Ella, Lucy, and Rose had left the clearing, after figuring out Astrid was not coming back. Lucy was still depressed, and lightly crying. No one in this small group could calm her down. Ella set about making a new set of potions, as Thomas had used most of them. Rose had gone collecting the needed berries, while Thomas carried Lucy up into the tree house. He set Lucy down on his bed before setting to work to finish his weapon. It may be made for trapping pokemon, but it could still put a human's hand out of commission if it managed to grab someone's wrist. It was planned out for almost a week to make it as optimal as possible with what Thomas had to work with. Attaching the final part, a hook, to the end, the light branch had been turned into a deadly weapon. Thomas, happy with his work, looked out the window, only to see smoke rising from the town, and a beast flying above. "Ella, Rose! I'm going to check that out!" He grabbed Lucy and set her in a special sack he designed to carry her, grabbed his weapon, and climbed down. He turned towards Ella. "Don't worry about me. I will come back, but I don't know how long it will take, but I will never leave you alone forever." Without waiting for a reply, her rushed off into the trees.

Some places in the town were burning, and people in bronze armour roamed around. Thomas did not see them as a threat at all, as he had no idea who they were. He continued to walk through the town, eventually coming around in a loop to nearby his home. A beast flew above him, and Thomas crouched down low to avoid it. What pokemon is that?

 

[GoldfishHorde]

Samuel Millback
Twinleaf Town - Samuel's House

Knock, knock, knock. This was the third time Samuel had knocked on the door, with no answer.

"Hello? Mom? It's me, Samuel. Are you there?"

Still no answer. Samuel sighed and sat down on the steps in front of house.

"Third time this week, she's not home. Where could she have gone off to?" He said to himself with a hint of both annoyance and worry. Hazel was fast asleep, and no doubt tuckered out in Samuel's satchel. He could hear her content, almost infant-like mumblings as he gazed off towards the orange, waning sky, feeling a bit sleepy himself. Before he knew it, his eyes struggled to stay open, and he too fell asleep, waiting for his mother to come home.

Soon enough, Samuel was awoken by two talons on his shoulder and a beak pecking at his hair, as if each strand was a tiny Caterpie. He sat up, which apparently scared away the bird Pokemon, and looked around. His satchel was still with him, and he could still hear Hazel snoring from inside, so no alarm there. Samuel looked up at the sky, and was greeted by a sea of stars across the pitch black sky. His first instinct afterwards was to get up and knock on his door, perhaps his Mom was finally home.

Knock, knock, knock, knock. Still no answer. He rested his head against the door and sighed once more. Not too long afterwards, a loud, menacing roar echoed through the night sky. Samuel turned around, and saw a large, menacing Pokemon flying dangerously close to his house. He felt his heart skip a couple beats before he grabbed his satchel and bolted around it.

Samuel ran around his house and towards the woods where he usually went to hunt. Normally, going into the woods for safety wasn't the best idea, but he had no where else to go. The commotion awoke Hazel, as she peeked out of the satchel and look towards their house behind them. Several Bronze Guards had gathered around their house before one of them shouted a command at the big Pokemon. It shot out a huge fireball at the house, destroying the upper floor and setting the rest of it aflame. Samuel heard the explosion and stopped dead in his tracks. He turned and saw the Bronze Guards, the large Pokemon, and his house, burning to the ground.

Suddenly, the large Pokemon turned towards Samuel, and revealed it's menacing, reptilian eyes. No doubt a Dragon-type. Fearing the Bronze Guards would follow the Pokemon's gaze, he started running again and disappeared into the woods. When he could see Twinleaf no more, he sat down and dug his face into his hands, weeping softly. Hazel was a bit teary-eyed as well, understanding the circumstances quite well. She hovered out of his satchel and "sat" down on Samuel's lap, eating some honey out of jar she snuck out the bag. Samuel was too devastated and confused to discipline her, so he just let her keep eating as he cried.

 

[Sir Bastian]

Nadia – Twinleaf Town, Market Area
Title

Yawning, Nadia stretched her arms out to the sides before moving them under her head again, smiling as she stared up into the quickly blackening skies, several stars having already started peeking out from the blanket of night that was creeping across the town. She glanced besides her, where Iggy was seemingly still having fun with eating his apple in the most roundabout way he could think of.

"That was a good dinner, huh? The bread was really good and the wild berries we found really topped it all off." Iggy looked up at Nadia, face full of remains of the apple he was devouring and grinned at her. Nadia giggled and looked back up into the sky with a smile, her arms behind her head, one leg balancing over the other as she lay on the roof of one of the taller buildings in town.

"We should think about getting back to the farm soon, though. It's getting late, and we'll need to help bring in the Milktanks, and Arceus knows-"

She paused as she heard shouting in the streets below. Raising a brow, she couldn't help her curiosity as she pushed herself a little up, crawling over on all four to peek down onto the streets. She saw many Bronze Guards, many more than she'd seen in town before, most of them patrolling the streets, but some of them actively knocking on peoples' doors and forcing their ways inside. The yelling, however, mainly came from a house a little down the street, where a guard fell backwards, attacked by a Houndour, followed by two men with spears leaping out and taking out the two nearest guards.

This prompted several other guards to send in their Pokémon and themselves, quickly dispatching the two men. Nadia's eyes widened a little as she watched all of this happening, a large shadow covering up the building she was on for a moment, and as she looked up, she heard the roar of the Salamence flying above.

A… Salamence? The guards are trying to get rid of the resistance group, it looks like. She bit her lower lip as she watched people being dragged out into the streets and even the Salamence crashing down into the outskirts of town, setting one or two of the buildings on fire before flying into the air again.

What am I going to do? I haven't received any signs! Do I help the resistance? Or the guards? What path do I take…? She was starting to panic at the lack of guidance, even going as far as sitting up straight again, staring into the sky as if hoping for a sign from Arceus. It was then she heard Iggy letting out an "Eek!", and as she looked over, she saw him at the edge of the roof, gesturing for her to come along. She blinked several times in confusion as she saw the Chimchar jumping off of the roof to the one slightly below, and without thinking, she grabbed her staff and ran after him. If anyone had a connection to Arceus, it would be the Pokémon.

She followed Iggy, jumping from roof to roof and occasionally having to land on the ground to cross the street, doing her best to avoid the fighting and patrolling guards, before leaping onto the roof again with the help of her acrobatics and the staff she was holding. She had no idea where he was leading her, but she had never seen him this determined before.

Eventually, he came to a stop on a rooftop, peering down into an alleyway near the outskirts of town. She walked up to him on her bare feet, crouching down as she looked at him in confusion. "Iggy, what-"

"I told you, you're coming with me! Stop struggling!"

"I don't wanna, let me go! You hurt my friend, l-let me go! Dad! Mom!"

Nadia's brows raised as she looked down into the alley with Iggy. She saw a bronze guard without a helmet struggling to hold onto a child, probably around the age of eight. The guard's unprotected shin was bleeding ever so slightly and not far from the two, lay a small Houndour, probably just a pup from the looks of it, with a small wound across its side.

"Damnit, hold still! You're coming with me, you little rebel, and you're going to tell me where your mom and dad are and then we'll go and arrest –them- as well and you can all be together in prison!"

"L-let me goooo! Samson! Samson, help me!"

Nadia glanced over at the downed Houndour, who was seemingly unconscious, her lips pressing together firmly. Sign or no, I can't just sit here and wait with my hands in my lap. Taking a deep breath, she held firmly onto her staff, glancing down at Iggy and nodding before both of them jumped down into the alleyway. Iggy landed on top of the guard's head, who let out a yelp of surprise as the monkey clawed and pawed at his face. The guard let go of the boy, who quickly ran over to the Houndour and as Nadia landed in front of him, she jammed the staff straight into the metallic chestplate, sending him flailing onto his rear, Iggy jumping back over onto Nadia's shoulder as she planted her staff on the ground.

"Leave the kid alone! He's not a rebel, he's barely even old enough to go out on his own at night!"

The guard spluttered a bit before composing himself, finally able to see, panting as he stared up at Nadia and Iggy, his eyes narrowing as he grabbed the sword he had placed down on the ground to grab the boy. "Stay out of this, girl, or I'll arrest you too! He has a Houndour! That's a clear sign that both him and his parents are traitors to the crown and must be arrested! And if you protect him, then that must mean you're a rebel as well! Now stand down!"

Looking back at the kid, who was trying to wake up his Houndour without much luck, Nadia looked back at the clearly agitated guard, a small breath of air escaping her nose. She had hoped she could stay out of the conflict, but just this once, she had to do something. "I can't just stand by and watch you abuse a child without good reason. So if you want to arrest me…" She paused, a wry smile playing on her lips as she leaned a little against the staff. "… Feel free to try."

Gritting his teeth, the much larger man growled out, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. "By the king's orders, you're hereby sentence to death for the aid of rebellious activities!" He bellowed before taking a long step forwards, swinging his sword horizontally, aiming to decapitate her right then and there. Iggy leapt off of Nadia's shoulder, grabbing onto the roof above and pulling himself up while Nadia ducked down and swung her staff up, letting the sword graze along the end of it before swinging into the air harmlessly, leaving the man wide open, surprise written in his features. The white-haired girl spun her staff around, holding it like a pool-cue as she quickly thwacked the end of it against his stomach and chest four times in rapid succession, winding the man somewhat and sending him stumbling backwards.

"Nrgh! That does it! I'll kill you both right now!" He growled, completely enraged at this point. He stabbed the sword forwards, forcing Nadia to quickly side-step it, as well as the next two, rapid stabs. Iggy suddenly came into view again as he leapt onto the ground behind the guard, jumping forwards and attaching himself to the man's leg, causing him to stumble at the weight of the monkey. "What the-?! Get off of me you pest!"

Nadia took this chance and dashed forwards, the guard seeing this advance as he swung his sword diagonally down at her. Not being able to dodge properly, she was forced to block the blow, holding onto her staff with both hands, the sword's edge hitting the staff and not so much as making a dent in it. The guardsman, who clearly thought the staff would just snap was unable to do anything as Nadia pushed the sword away and proceeded to swing her staff, which connected with the side of his head, sending him to the ground, unconscious.

She panted for air as she stared at her downed foe, trying to regain her breath as Iggy jumped back onto her shoulder. She smiled to him and raised a hand, scratching his cheek. "That was some great jumping around, Iggy!"

However, she was brought back to reality as she heard the kid sobbing behind her. Turning around, she made her way over to the child, kneeling down besides his Houndour who was whimpering quietly, clearly in a lot of pain. "Hey… are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

The boy shook his head, tears streaming down his face. "H-he, he hurt Samson! He won't get up! I need to take him home so m-mom can help him! S-Samson! Get up, Samson!"

The pup whimpered again, seemingly barely conscious. Nadia placed down her staff, looking down to her side as she rustled through the small pack she kept at her side. She had a small amount of supplies with her at all times, and this time, it actually proved useful. She pulled out an oran berry and a small pot of some kind of green goo. She silently handed the berry to the child as she uncorked the pot, dabbing her fingers in the goo and smearing it across the wound, causing the Houndour to whine in pain.

She put away the pot after covering up the bleeding, looking to the kid and nodding her head gently. "Go on, feed it to him." The kid, staring up at her with tearful eyes, looked down at the berry before lowering it down in front of Samson's muzzle. "H-here Samson, I brought you some f-food…"

The Houndour's nose twitched gently, its eyes opening a little before it began nibbling on the berry. It took a few minutes, but it managed to eat the entire thing. It seemed to regain its energy as it slowly came to a stand, the kid's eyes, reddened from crying, widening as he hugged his hound around his neck. "Samson! You're okay!" He looked up at Nadia, smiling a bright smile, showing that he was missing one of his front teeth. "Thank you pretty lady!"

Smiling in return, Nadia ruffled the kid's hair as Samson gave him a lick on his cheek, panting a little. "Don't worry about it, kid. Now, he's not completely healed, I just stopped the bleeding. So go on, hurry and get him home so your mom can help him out."

The kid nodded quickly and stood up, running down the alleyway while waving back at the Houndour. "Come on Samson! Let's go home!" The pup barked before running after the kid and Nadia stood up, picking up her staff while smiling lightly, watching the two round a corner. She didn't have much more time to enjoy the quiet moment before she heard some noises around the corner of the alleyway in the other direction.

"I heard something down here! It sounded like fighting!"

"… Well, it sounds like we're not going to be welcome here much longer, Iggy." The Chimchar ooked in agreeing, punching a fist into his other hand and Nadia snickered as she took a running start, using her staff to leap up and grab the corner of the roof, pulling herself up easily before sprinting across the rooftop. "No, I don't think picking a fight with any of these guys is a good idea right now. I think we need to find a new place to settle down until I get some direction. So for now, let's focus on getting the heck out of here."

~Link to SU~​

 

[LastOne]

Darren Gregory
Leaving Twinleaf Town

When Darren had left to head towards the Bazaar, he had already gained some distance away, before his Machop had even started trying to catch up. The incoming noise of the crowd started to fill his ears by then, and several of the town's inhabitants would pass by him, having taken their leave of the Bazaar. With the chatter and movement going around him, it wasn't all that hard to find himself lost in his thoughts. He was used to doing so, really. The Gregory's had always managed to live up to the meaning of their surname.

His family name meant watchful, and whether it was contemplating, or being able to spot small oddities most wouldn't, it was never a thing that was done on purpose. It just happened. Darren was one of the members of his family that was more cautious about his actions, and it was for that reason, did he find himself thinking. Meeting Nadia and her Chimchar had only reminded him of many of his firsts, when it came to talking to both people and Pokemon, instead of just the latter.

It was not the first time he was genuinely interested in a conversation, without any suspicion about his mind. Nor was it the first time Malin had nothing to mimic from him, and just decided to play on his own. These things didn't happen often, ever since he had actually gotten serious about his work years ago, but the few times it did made him look back at his actions. It was a brief reflection, but meeting Nadia had made him wonder whether or not it was appropriate, that Malin always stuck by him, rather than playing with other Pokemon.

The Machop had caught up to him by the time that thought had passed through his head, and as Darren looked over to his side where Malin was, it had went to the back of his mind like many other things. The fighting-type had looked as bright as he always did, and seeing his companion's expression, Darren gave a bit of a smile. What was a first with him meeting Nadia, was that the Machop had seemed to want to play with the Chimchar, longer than he had with any other Pokemon they've met in this town.

He could have said the same thing himself with Nadia, as he really was curious about her carefree teasing, but they did have to work to feed themselves. When they had gotten to the Bazaar a bit later, it was pretty evident that the place had gotten cleaned up since they left some hours before. His eyes glanced over to his own stand, to see things had looked untouched. He was actually a bit surprised those two kids from earlier didn't come back and "looked after" the place for him, but he supposed they had lives to tend to as well.

Darren had slipped past behind the counter with Malin, taking off the cape he adorned whenever he wasn't working, and replacing it with the apron. His Machop had mimicked him as always, performing the same tasks without missing a beat between his movements. The sign from earlier was taken off the table, and some grime that was left by the fellow who tried to climb over, was wiped off. To think that they had lost a couple hours of payment because of some attempted thievery. He would have sighed if he hadn't noticed some glances over.

They weren't exactly hostile glances, more curious than anything, and no doubt wondering about the even from earlier. He was still going to act professional about it and show that he wasn't a brute. Malin had noticed it as well, and went to work on starting up the furnace, while Darren had gotten the rest of his tools out. Some time after, he and Malin started shaping up examples of his work when everything was prepared, signalling they were ready to perform work again, after that unfortunate incident from earlier.

The next couple of hours had been a tad bit more busy, as well as entertaining than it usually was. The duel from earlier had seemed to hype up his reputation around here, as those that had approached his stand, had brought it up. Remarks were made about how they weren't aware a Pokemon like Malin, judging from the usual behavior the Machop showed, was capable of fighting like that. While Darren silently agreed it must have looked impressive, he still was professional about it openly.

The incident was nothing more than stopping a bit of thievery, and restoring honor that was insulted before. There wasn't a need to take it any further. It was funny how something as simple as a duel can rile the town up like that. If it wasn't for the request of his services that came along with the chats, he would have silently questioned the behavior of those that had approached him. But he hadn't. Many of those faces became blurs in the back of his mind, as he finished one request, and moved onto the next one.

The only real distinction, which wasn't really even much, were the orders that were made, and the things the person brought up. Many of them had been a variation. Time had quickly passed by, and before he knew it, it was time to close up for the day. He was sure he and Malin had made up for the hours that were lost earlier. The tools that were placed on or underneath his stall were taken and moved to his traveling forge, before he had pulled it out of the Bazaar, walking alongside other merchants or simple townsfolk.

Some had either headed home for the rest of the day, or like him and Malin, were going to head on over to the clinic for a drink and listen in on gossip. The sky was starting to quickly darken by then, several stars actually visible, which he had only noticed because of his companion being more aware of his surrounding than him. It was a nice sight, the kind where it was easy to believe the rest of the day would be far more relaxing than you would think it would be. Of course, that was soon proven wrong, when they had gone further back to town.

Shouting was heard throughout the streets, and several houses had been set on fire. The sight had caused commotion and panic amongst the people who had walked with him, but Darren had ignored their cries. Several Bronze Guards had ran past, chasing after some people in light blue armor. It was clear to him those must have been the rebels, and judging from the Houndour that accompanied them, those brutes must have been the ones to set the town on fire. If he had a more active role in society, then perhaps he would take that role.

But since he was just a blacksmith trying to make a name for himself, he was just going to let the Bronze Guards handled it. They were capable enough to clean up the Bazaar after his duel, and the king had sent them here to protect the town against the rebels. Gesturing to his Machop, Darren had quickened his pace throughout the town, carrying along his traveling forge. It was clear this town wasn't going to be safe any longer, after a night like this, and who knows how long the repairs would take.

They were likely not going to gain anything for their work, until the town had recovered. As they continued moving throughout the town, it became even more evident to him, just how violent things had become. Duo of Bronze Guards faced off against those in the light blue armor in duels, with some of both sides being impaled by weapons. It was savage and unnecessary the rebels had been the one to make things come to this. When Malin had suddenly stopped moving at one point in their hurry, Darren had stopped to check on him.

The situation of the town was already worrying enough with the houses being burnt down, and people dying of those brutes. He could see in his body language that it had made the Machop more tensed as well, and this slight pause they were taken, made him realize the situation was the same for him as well. He had a clutch however, and was more used to ignoring his surroundings. Malin was staring up at the sky, and the large shadow that had covered the portion of the ground of where they were, had more than say it wasn't normal.

Looking up, he had seen the source of the shadow himself, revealing it to be a dragon, like the one that fellow had this morning. The Pokemon wasn't familiar to him, but the sight of it was enough to know it was powerful. It hadn't seen them, thankfully, but it only made the decision to get out of the town more pressing. He regained his Machop's attention, the Pokemon nodding as they continued the rest of the way out of the town. Darren didn't have any personal connections within the place, so it wasn't hard seeing it quickly shrink in view.
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