Pokemon: The Rise of Shadow | IC

[RestlessComfort]

Welcome to the wonderful World of Pokemon!

You and your group have finally done it! You fought your way through the 8 gym leaders of the Sinnoh region and gave it your best shot in the Pokemon League Tournament! Whether you did a great job and put up a good fight, or fell flat on your face after losing your first battle, the journey and people you met along the way will always hold a special place in your heart.

With the satisfaction and pride of conquering Sinnoh fresh on your minds, you and your group decide to split up for a while and take a little time to yourselves to relax before deciding where to go next.

Unfortunately, your R&R is cut short as one of you catch wind of a mysterious Pokemon festival taking place in the next region over, and decide to make a group call telling the others about it.

It is said that the festival will have a great deal of food, games, and contests for every type of Pokemon lover. So whether your a trainer looking to compete in a tournament, or you just want to grab a bite to eat and meet some new people, this festival has something for everyone!

Needless to say, It took little time for you and your group to decide to set off in search for this mysterious festival and meet in Pastoria, where you plan to board a ferry traveling to Unova.

As you and your group begin to gather their things, a feeling of danger and uneasiness settles over you -- almost as though you aren't meant to ever step foot into this new region. The feeling lasts for only a moment, then dissipates. You aren't sure, but whatever that feeling was, it wasn't gonna stop you from getting to the festival and moving on to conquer yet another region!

_______________________________________________________________________________________​

​

​

The bright light of a new day had seeped through Eric's bedroom window, settling over his eyes and eventually waking him from his slumber. He opened them and stared up at the ceiling for a moment, gathering his bearings and giving his body the chance to catch up to his mind. Propping himself up on his right elbow, Eric began to survey the room he stumbled into the night before.

His dirty clothes were scattered precariously across the floor, Saber and Ruri finding warmth by curling up in them. Their eyes were still closed and their bellies rose and fell steadily, showing they were still asleep. Next to him, on the left side of the bed, lay his best friend Kyo. The lucario had been awake for some time, both his paws cradling the back of his head as he seemingly stared off into nothingness. As for Sei, the young Zoroark had found a place to sit on the edge of the bed, deep in thought, staring out the window.

"Guess we should get going huh? They're probably waiting for us."

Kyo and Sei both nodded at the same time, agreeing with Eric and moving to wake up Saber and Ruri.

"Time to get up. Daylight," Sei said as he passed Saber, giving her a soft kick to the side. Meanwhile, Kyo approached Ruri, kneeling down to give her a light shake and whispering, "We should get moving. Rest of the group are probably down there already."

The two dog-type Pokemon both hesitantly opened their eyes before letting out hardy yawns. Using all the strength he had gathered in the past few minutes of being awake, Eric forced himself out of bed and into a fresh pair of clothes. Once he was finally dressed, Eric and his Pokemon made quick work of cleaning up the room. They hastily packed all of their supplies, necessities, and pleasantries in Eric's backpack before rushing down the stairs and into the main lobby of the Inn.

The Inn-Keeper greeted the group with a polite smile, asking Eric various questions about how he slept and what he found to his liking. After the small talk concluded, Eric gave the Inn-Keeper the room key and exited the Inn, making his way to the rendezvous point he and his group had decided upon the day before.

The sun was so bright and inviting. The fresh air was delightful, blowing through his hair and causing the dark green trees to gently sway from side to side. 'What a perfect day to start our journey,' Eric thought to himself with a smile. He was feeling pretty content when suddenly, a feeling of immediate dread and fear settled over his heart. His smile instantly dissipated and his look became worrisome. The intense feeling had a unique importance -- as if a warning to some future event further down the road.

Unfortunately, Eric didn't have enough time to analyze the premonition as it had only lasted for a moment. 'What the hell was that,' Eric thought to himself as he continued walking towards the rendezvous point. Sei and Kyo must have picked up on something too because their ears stood on end and a look of fright filled their eyes. In a split-second decision, Eric decided it was best to pretend like nothing happened for now and just get along to meeting his friends.

The short walk lead him to the Pastoria city limits where he and his group had decided to meet. Much to his surprise, Eric found no sign of any of his friends.

"Guess they slept in too," he said with a chuckle. "We'll just wait here for them. Hopefully, they'll get here soon."
​

 

[LoveandHate91]

Riken walks out of the shadows followed by Venom flying above him Blade was at his side and Diamond was behind him.
"Come on now Eric you and your friends always keep me waiting I got bored that I started sparring with my Pokémon, I got to admit that's probably not the smartest idea I've ever had since they all hit like a truck except Diamond he hits ten times harder, but if your bored we can have our pokemon spar unless you think they need rest after our last tournament, which didn't go all that well for either of us." Riken says the last part in a annoyed town he didn't like the fact that he was beaten in the last round in a four way match where he used all three of his pokemon and the others all ganged up on him, he did get a reward for being the most dominating participant in the tournament and took fourth place earning him the fourth place bronze trophy.

 

[Sir Salty]

[BCOLOR=transparent]His communicator device rang for a while, Kamon's eyebrow twitched in irritation. Normally this didn't take long though he was afraid he was being ignored or something had happened at the center that he wasn't aware of. Team Rocket was still a source of annoyance and he didn't like leaving his center unprotected for long. Except that the energies were pulling him towards Unova and he knew he had responsibility. Finally someone on the other end answered.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Sir Kamon," spoke the slow, dopey, voice of Slowking staring at him, Rex blinked slowly for a moment. Behind him were Kamon's banners. The training center essentially was his way of practicing to one day become a Gym leader when his parents passed their career on. For now, he held a training center that was kind of like a Gym to help newer trainers prepare for a Gym battle.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"What was with the delay?" Kamon asked Rex..[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"So sorry, I was preparing the baby's snacks," Rex responded and Kamon nodded. He was on edge because he could feel something dark in the distance. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Understood," Kamon responded slowly, "I'm sorry, something come up and I won't be able to come back to the center just yet."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Rex looked around.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Where are you?" Rex asked.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Canalave city in Sinnoh," Kamon responded, "I am making my way to Unova."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Due be careful, I have a bad feeling about that," Rex gave a serious, but eerie expression and Kamon nodded. Then Kamon felt the hot breath of Blaze on his neck, when Blaze decided to poke in it's head and wave to Slowking on the other end.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Rawr," Blaze spoke, which roughly translated to a hello, how are you?[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh Hello Blaze sir," Rex responded with boredom.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Nothing is wrong on your end?" Kamon asked.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"No sir, no one has shown up, to cause harm," Rex told Kamon.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]That was his biggest worry leaving the center alone. It was also where Kamon took care of all the abandoned and neglected Pokemon he had become friends with. It was his home and the Pokemon there were his family. He didn't trust the storage system and he certainly didn't trust most people wouldn't try to sneak into his training center and take his Pokemon.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]His biggest defenders were Rex, the Slowking, and Dream, the Hypno. Except there was also his Haunter, Smiles. They did their best to defend the center when he wasn't around, not that his center was getting constantly attacked he was just worried about it. Constantly. He could feel the darkness of people's hearts, he had done so in the past.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]It made Kamon uncomfortable. Being on a boat with a bunch of people, he barely knew. With Pokemon he considered were practically slaves. That scared him. It scared him to consider what kind of trainers he'd meet on the boat. In his years of experience he knew most of the trainers were looking for a fight. Unless there was a healing center on the ship, he found it practically unethical to fight Pokemon on a ship without proper care. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"See you later Rex," Kamon told the Slowking on the other end.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"You take care of yourself," Rex told Kamon.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]So the goal of this was to not get caught. By anyone. He didn't want to be recognized for one. His legacy is what defined him. He didn't want to cause a scene, except that Blaze liked to be by his side so he allowed it. Most of his Pokemon enjoyed being by his side. Except he wasn't sure if four Pokemon following him would cause more people to watch him. So he'd wait till there was some solitude. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Kamon opted, to sitting on a bench. He'd watch people get on the boat and get on the boat himself, much later. When no one could see him get on, him or Blaze. Blaze nudged Kamon with his muzzle.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Yeah, I know," Kamon told Blaze, "I'm a worry wart."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Problem was everyone else wouldn't treat this as seriously as he would. It was his responsibility. He should be using what he had for the safety of all, and especially Pokemon. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Rawr," Blaze told him, which translated roughly to,[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] I'm at your side[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent].[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I know," Kamon told Blaze, "It's going to be okay."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Blaze seemed satisfied with this answer, so it sat close to Kamon. He was pretty some people were snickering that there was a Typholsion sitting on a bench. But to be fair Kamon didn't honestly care who or what they were laughing at or why.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Kamon cracked his knuckles. Watching the docks with observational distance.[/BCOLOR]

 

[Red crow]

"I don't know, I swear I know em from somewhere." Cluade said to Emile as he stared down at the group of suspicious men.
"Grrrooar?" The Vanasuar questioned with tired eyes.
"I've been followin' em for a few hours now, since maybe three in the mornin'. They've been talkin' about cornerin' the finalist at the docks, so they cant be up to any good." Cluade responded.
"Hrrr...Hrmph." Emile replied, suddenly determined.

Emile made his way over to the edge of the ledge and followed Cluade's line of sight. There were three men dressed in black, they seemed to be whispering to each other. Cluade and Emile exchanged a glance before staring back down at them.

"They're beginnin' to get suspicious themselves. As if it wasn't conspicuous enough that they were out this far in the swamp, they start whisperin' instead of changing the convo to something a little less illegal."
Emile cast an inquisitive stare over to Cluade, beginning to grow more and more nervous.
"I don't think it's them, they're long gone. Still, you don't think...?"
"Grrrng." Emile grunted dismissively, suddenly, his eyes widened. "Gru!?" Cluade stared at his friend confused.
"I... wait, Lilith!"
They both looked down to see the men were now distracted by a playful Dratini that was squirming towards the docks quickly. The men stared at the Dratini in utter disbelief before sprinting after it.
"Lets gather the others!" Cluade yelled as Emile pulled him up onto his back. "We got a chase, Emperor's gonna be pissed!"

 

[RestlessComfort]

The blissful and serene silence was broken by quickly approaching footsteps and that same condescending tone Eric had come to moderately despise. It was Riken. He and Eric have known each other for quite a long time. Shortly after they first met, they decided to travel across the multiple regions and take down every gym leader they come across. The two make a devastating battling duo and have equal battling skill. They often spar their Pokemon, partly for bragging rights, but mostly for leveling up their Pokemon.

"Hello Riken," Eric said in a lightly annoyed and playful tone

"Come on now Eric you and your friends always keep me waiting I got bored that I started sparring with my Pokémon..."

Riken was always practicing his Pokemon's moves. What Eric has in natural talent, Riken counteracts with hard work and determination. Eric gave a small smile as his friend continued to speak.

"...we can have our pokemon spar unless you think they need rest after our last tournament..."

That made Eric's ears perk up. Battling was Eric's favorite activity, as well as his Pokemon's. Determination fills his eyes as his grin widens.

"You know I never turn down a chance to spar! My Pokemon are a little weak after the tournament, but we don't back down from a challenge," Eric says with a sense of pride. "Be warned, I have been practicing! It won't end like last time!"​

 

[LoveandHate91]

After hearing that Eric was up to the challenge Riken smiled. "So what you think that you can beat my three champions come one even with all of yours against mine it ended with me winning again, or do you think that you are actually ready to take them on in a three versus three battle?" Riken said the last part with a little mocking tone. "You havnt practiced much since our last spar what was that just a week ago?" Diamond slithers up besides Riken and towers over Eric and his pokemon trying to be intimidating as always. "Oh you want to have the first shot Diamond come on you've only lost twice maybe Blade and Venom want a chance to battle as well."

 

[RestlessComfort]

"So what you think that you can beat my three champions..."

It was true, Riken and his Pokemon were very impressive in battle. They had made it into the Pokemon League Tournament Semi-Finals two separate times, and only lost by a few Health Points. It was a constant back and forth battle between him and Eric. They would battle one day with Eric coming out on top, only to battle the next day and have Riken as the victor. Riken had won their previous battle the week before, and Eric was determined to show his companion that he and his Pokemon were not too weak to prove themselves again.

"You worry about your Pokemon, and I'll worry about mine," Eric said with a confident grin. Diamond was slightly intimidating, but Eric and his Pokemon didn't let their faces show it. They had beaten Diamond before, and they would do so again today. Sei, Ruri, and Saber made it explicitly known they weren't afraid to battle. Their fur stood on end and their eyes had narrowed on Riken.

Suddenly, a voice popped up in Eric's mind.

Be careful Eric, Riken and his Pokemon are in better shape after the tournament then our friends are. If you aren't careful, you could really hurt them.

Eric looked back to see his lucario watching him with a worrisome, yet stoic, stare. He gave the situation careful consideration. The allure of a spar was very appealing, but he would never risk his Pokemon's health and well-being.

Maybe you're right. Maybe we shouldn't battle, Eric said telepathically to Kyo.

Right before Eric was about to decline, he felt Sei's meaty paw on his shoulder. Eric turned to face his Zoroark, their eyes meeting but no words being shared between them. The look in Sei's eyes showed that he wanted to fight, and somehow made Eric feel that they would be OK. Sei's reassurance gave Eric a new found passion. His Pokemon were behind him, and together, they'd better not only themselves, but their already close bond as well.

"Alright, three on three battle, but only as some friendly competition -- our Pokemon are much too tired to go through a full strength spar."

@LoveandHate91 ​

 

[Sir Salty]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Having realized the time and realizing how bored he actually was, Blaze grumbled in boredom and protest. Kamon finally sighed. They go back to the next town over and get something to eat. Everyone was in agreement with this choice. So Kamon got up from the bench and sighed, he wished he had brought his Noctowl, Hoot, along to make the trip easier.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Instead he was walking and trying to avoid the trainers along the road. First off the majority of them were weaklings and second off there was no honor in crushing the weak to a fine Pokemon dust. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Roar," Blaze protested, which roughly translated to, "no more walking need food".[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Kamon just gave a small, heh. Before continuing and ignoring Blaze's overreactions. Which passersby thought were more amusing than concerning. Finally entering the town, the first concern was to resupply for the trip. Though something caught Kamon's sense. Kamon scanned the area to see trainers about to challenge each other.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The Pokemon they were tired and sore from battle. Kamon narrowed his eyes, this is why he hated other trainers and tried to avoid them as best as he could. A potion wasn't always the best remedy. Kamon stormed over.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Stop!" Kamon shouted at the two of them, he stared at the trainer with the sorest of Pokemon, clearly trying to play off their injuries, "Your Pokemon are hurt and need rest. You'd cruelly throw them into battle."[/BCOLOR]

 

[RestlessComfort]

Before Riken could respond and they could battle, a clearly upset and concerned voice shouted out from behind them.

"Stop!"

The voice was very unfamiliar and foreign. It had a commanding tone to it, with a sense of arrogance and disdain. Eric and his Pokemon turned around to see a taller man running towards them and waving his hands. The mysterious man was in a hurry and seemed to be rushing right towards them. In little time at all, the man had finally reached them, and began to scold them about various things.

"Your Pokemon are hurt and need rest. You'd cruelly throw them into battle."

Eric found himself speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say to the man.

"Wha--" Eric began confusedly. "We aren't forcing them to battle."

With the man's tone, Eric felt like he had done something very wrong. Perhaps he thought that Eric and Riken were uncaring about their Pokemon's condition and would battle them to dangerous exhaustion.

"I would never force my Pokemon to fight if they couldn't or didn't want to," Eric cried, almost insulted at the mere idea this man had about him.​

 

[Lissamel]

You know, in this great wide world, there was no city quite like Hearthrome. Sure, people could say great things about Slateport, or Goldenrod, not to mention Sinnoh's own Jubilife City. But Hearthrome blew them all out of the water. Little children and their Drifloon pals would enter in and out of Amity Square, hopeful contest winners would bond with their friends over the art of making Poffins, and aspiring trainers would ready their ghost (or dark or bug) types and their math skills in order to take down the beloved gym leader. There was no place more perfect, more special.

Or, at least, that's what Tallulah would want you to believe.

Tallulah wasn't a very long while away from that promised land. The ferry to this strange and wonderful new region was in Pastoria City, and it wasn't a very far walk to get there. Oswald the Octillery was atop her shoulder, obvious sucker-marks dotting her arm just under her sleeve. Sometimes trainers dotted among Route Two-Twelve would look at both Tallulah and Oswald rather strangely, but Tallulah chalked it up to the numerous toughness contests she competed with Oswald in. They probably knew her face from those! She would wave and give winks to the trainers, who would usually wave back, if only to be polite.

"This is gonna be great, ain't it, Ozzy?" She flashed the Octillery an award-winning smile, and he replied by smacking his suckers against her arm. Tallulah had no idea what this was supposed to convey, but she assumed it was a good thing. Joy, Norton, and Freckles were safely in their Pokeballs, which all were decorated vigorously with seals to make glitter and confetti erupt out whenever she brought them out. If you couldn't make a good entrance, what worth even were you?

Speaking of confetti...

Route Two-Twelve may be the longest route in Sinnoh, but no distance was too great for Tallulah and her trusty Octillery. She burst into Pastoria City through the westmost entrance, feeling around in the pocket of her little vest (sleeveless sweater?) and yanking out a handful of sparkling confetti. She threw it over herself with flourish.

"Yes indeed, the infamous Tallulah of Hearthrome City is here to grace the populous! Feel free to take your pictures, but don't hold me up, since I have a ferry to catch!"

Nobody busted out their cameras.

Nobody even asked for an autograph.

Figures.

But Tallulah refused to let this get her down, walking with a bounce in her step more towards the coastline, in hopes that the ferry would be there. Or maybe just people who knew when the ferry would be there. One of the two.​

 

[Sir Salty]

Kamon gave the kid a glare. If there was something Kamon was good at being, it was being intimidating and sometimes downright dangerously self righteous. Except that Blaze's flame back was beginning to also flare up so Kamon knew it wasn't just him. Though Rex always told Kamon that he was a little hot headed and so was Blaze. Though Kamon disagreed with that. He simply was looking out for the health and well being of the other Pokemon.

"You can't sense your own Pokemon's injuries?" Kamon asked the kid, "You're seriously a punk trainer."

He hated trainers like this. If there was a way to teach him a lesson, Kamon would find a way. He wouldn't fight him though. Not with the Pokemon's condition. They should be sitting and relaxing on the beach.

 

[Red crow]

"'Punk Trainer', huh?" A very angry looking, large, young man with raid hair said from a few feet back. He was dragging two men dressed in black behind him and had a particularly runty Dratini coiled around his neck. A Snorlax carried two more men in a tight grip between his arms and his side, a Primeape running around his feet making angry gestures at the men. Back near the redhead again, a Houndoom mimicked the Primeape to the other hostages. A Venasuar followed the furthest back, an annoyed, sleepy, and slightly disapointed expression on his face. "I couldn't disagree more."

Kamon could feel the same thing from the redhead's Pokemon that he had sensed about Eric's, peculiarly enough he could also sense it from the redhead himself. A further annoyed look spread across Kamon's face. The redhead tossed the men to Eric's feet, who just stared down at them confused.
"This guy... Eric? He's league material, where most Pokemon begin to feel tired and fed up, his friends only desire to battle more, they don't get weaker they get stronger; more determined. They need to fight, it's like breathing for them, the harder it gets the more desperate they feel the need to do it. This is the first step a trainer takes towards true companionship with their Pokemon. There's a reason he was the finalist, because what he wants and what his Pokemon want: they are the same, they are brothers now, family." The man spoke with utter confidence and a fire in his lungs, to him it wasn't an opinion, it was fact. He turned his attention from Kamon and looked over to Eric.
"My name is Cluade by the way, we tied in the qualifiers, but I don't think we ever got to fight in the semi-finals. These guys were talking about stealing something from you then jumping on a ride to Unova. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

 

[RestlessComfort]

"You can't sense your own Pokemon's injuries?" Kamon asked the kid, "You're seriously a punk trainer."

First this man had stormed in and interfered with his and Riken's business, and now he was criticizing the very thing Eric has devoted his life to being great at. It was the this time that Eric became enraged, his skin practically steaming from anger. His Pokemon showed the same emotion, taking offence to a direct insult against their trainer. Kyo and Sei both showed their teeth, while Saber and Ruri's fur stood on end. Eric was about to give this mysterious boy a piece of his mind when another unfamiliar voice sprang up from somewhere behind them.

"'Punk Trainer', huh?"

Eric turned around to see a taller boy with flaming red hair approaching he squabble. Somehow, this individual looked oddly familiar, like they had met somewhere before. Following the man were a series of interesting Pokemon, the most notable of which being a large, towering Snorlax carrying two men over it's shoulders. Eric's anger disappeared, replaced with an eerie confusion and interest. The large Pokemon slowly approached Eric, dropping the two men at his feet. After this, much to Eric's surprise, the red-headed boy began to defend him.

"He's league material, where most Pokemon begin to feel tired and fed up, his friends only desire to battle more, they don't get weaker they get stronger; more determined."

He seemed to know a great deal about Eric and his Pokemon's motivation. The compliment was very flattering, but it still didn't explain how someone he just met could deduce so much.

"There's a reason he was the finalist, because what he wants and what his Pokemon want: they are the same, they are brothers now, family."

Maybe that is where he knew Eric from. Could he have watched Eric in the final qualifying match? Perhaps...

"My name is Cluade by the way, we tied in the qualifiers, but I don't think we ever got to fight in the semi-finals."

That's how they knew each other, it was coming back to him now. They had a spectacular fight coming down to Kyo and Claude's Snorlax. They both collided with two devastating hyper beams. The two beams hit each other, making a large explosion and fainting the two powerful Pokemon. The match resulted in a draw and both of them to advance. They never saw each other in battle after that.

"These guys were talking about stealing something from you then jumping on a ride to Unova. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

Eric waned to respond to the bulk of what Cluade had said, but he decided he just just answer his last question for the time being.

"No I can't say that I do -- I didn't notice anyone either. Where did you find them?" Eric asked curiously. "Very hard to believe that Kyo wouldn't have at least sensed them."

But then Eric remembered when Kyo and Sei had begun to act weird just before coming here -- maybe they had sensed the mysterious men -- or maybe it was something else.​

 

[Red crow]

"In Pastoria swamp, deep in there, too." Cluade said with the nod of his head. "They had been trudging around since 3 in the morning, tried to make a move on Lilith here." Cluade gestured to the Dratini that had since fallen asleep on his shoulder.
"I'm not surprised your friend couldn't sense them, They were wearing these:" He held up a few necklaces, which Kyo met with a disgusted look. "They seem to trow off they're aura, like some sorta shady opposite of an evolution stone. Regardless, the police are on their way to pick em up now that me and Emperor have gotten our rage out of our system."
"Herrumph." The Snorlax interjected.
"Well, mostly out of our system, I guess. But it wouldn't be a good idea to let Emperor go all out on em, for obvious reasons." He turned over to Riken. "You there, you some sort a hotshot or somethin'? Don't remember seein' you in the league at all. Maybe we just didn't get the chance to fight before I dropped out?"

 

[RestlessComfort]

@LoveandHate91

 

[Sir Salty]

[BCOLOR=transparent]He was sidelined for a completely different conversation. Kamon was studying the individuals the red haired person had brought along with him. Kamon's blood was still boiling, but he was inspecting the conversation. Something was entirely and surely wrong. Kamon knew it, staring across the sea where they would be crossing to Unova. He was surprise that no one had recognized him. The son of Sabrina and Lt Surge. Kanto and Johto champion, owned his own training center.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]He even had defeated the Sinnoh champions. And yet they were behaving like he was someone normal. Which suited him just fine. Instead he gave the person one more glare.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"You should rest your Pokemon," was all Kamon left with before turning his heels, and deciding he was going to resupply and get Blaze, Esper, Magic, and Orb something to put in their mouths. It was in that moment there was a flash because they couldn't behave themselves any longer. Kamon mostly never kept his Pokemon in Pokeballs anyway. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]He just feared being recognized. Yet. now he was surrounded by his Espeon, his Alakazam, and his Gengar. All looking at the strange Pokemon and strange people Kamon had been quasi semi interacting with.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Prrrr," Esper said rubbing his leg, which roughly translated to something along the lines of, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"what are we getting to eat"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Sss," Gengar hissed for no reason and stuck its tongue out at the two trainers while pulling down the skin of its eye, which translated to nothing because that's what Orb did. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Come on, the four of you," Kamon ordered and they were happy to bound towards him and follow his steps.[/BCOLOR]

 

[Red crow]

Cluade grimaced as Kamon walked away, he had assumed that the two might have been similar in someway, since they were both Johto champions at one point. Instead it seemed he was an outcast again, he wasn't too upset, he had been used to it by now. Cluade was well aware of how... Abrasive he could be. He didn't talk much, he would spout philosophy and exposition when he did, and he was even, indirectly of course, quite rude at times. His size didn't help much either, when he was a child the children would beat him with sticks and call him things like "Golurk" and "Snorlax", it would have been worse if he had ever gotten to go to school. That didn't matter anymore though, because he was still talking to two more strong trainers, two more people who had passed the same threshold he had. As unpleasant as Cluade could be, these two definitely shared something in common with him: the love of Pokemon, the desire for the thrill of the fight.
"Damn, probably used to how they treat the champions in Johto: nosy, to say the least. Anyways, Ponytail, are you gonna answer me or am I gonna have to read your mind?"

 

[Red crow]

Cluade continued to stare at the young man, who now seemed frozen with fear. The two stared at each other, or rather, Riken now peered at Cluade, intensely shocked, looking almost as though he would be sick. Suddenly, Riken ran past Cluade towards the docks as the vessels massive horn blew.
"Well... I have to go get on that ship now, I guess I'll see you there?" Cluade said, looking back at Eric massively confused.

 

[Red crow]

Cold. Too cold. That's what it was. A soul sucking shadow that breathed it's icy wind through every centimeter surrounding him. It was a single, sudden drip that hit Cluade's nose before Eric could even respond to his question. Cluade turned and stared up at the sky, past the boat and on the horizon dark purple clouds came in, streaks of dark neon blue flashing through them before bursting into the ocean like electric daggers into the earth's heart. The once brilliant light of the sun was now almost entirely suffocated by the toxic purple that shook and seemed to rush faster and faster towards them. Cluade glanced back to see Eric consoling his panicking lucario.
"Quickly, you've got to get to Great Lake Inn, it's on route 213 just a few minutes from here! I'm goin' to go get the Pokemon rangers to get the search for any stragglers started! Go! Go! Go!"
Eric tried to resist so that he could help as well, but Emile wrapped a vine around him and his Pokemon's waist, placing them on his back and rushing off towards the Inn. Cluade's Pokemon siblings, including Emperor and Lilith, soon followed Emile at Cluade's demand. He then stared back up at the clouds.
"Somethin'... somethin' is very wrong, That's coming from Unova."
The suspicious men had disappeared, likely using the storm's distraction as their get away, Cluade spent less than a second to notice this, then rushed off to fetch the Pokemon Rangers.

 

[RestlessComfort]

"Well... I have to go get on that ship now, I guess I'll see you there?"

Eric opened his mouth to give Cluade a playful response when he felt the temperature drastically shift and the cold, hollow breeze send shivers down his spine. The weather had changed so quick. The gorgeous rays of yellow that had warmed Eric's face minutes ago now dissipated, replaced by horrid looking clouds and a sense of intimate danger. His Pokemon had started to panic. Akio quickly hid in Eric's backpack while Kyo started to clench his head in agony. Something was wrong, and everyone could feel it.

"Quickly, you've got to get to Great Lake Inn, it's on route 213 just a few minutes from here! I'm goin' to go get the Pokemon rangers to get the search for any stragglers started! Go! Go! Go!"

Eric couldn't just let his new friend go by himself. The storm was picking up in intensity by the second. Who knew what could happen to someone who was alone.

"No way in hell am I letting you go alone! I'll come with --"

But before Eric could finish his sentence, massive vines had wrapped their way around him, squeezing him tight and restricting the slightest movement. In little time at all, Eric and his pokemon were strapped to the back of a large Venasaur, trotting their way down route 213. Eric couldn't move anything but his lips, which were now pleading with Cluade.

"Just let me go so I can help! We should be looking together! It's too dangerous to go alone. Besides, you and I both know it's too dangerous to let our Pokemon run about like this! They could get hurt! We need to get them in their Pokeballs and rush towards the Inn as quick as possible!"

Eric's breathing had become labored as the Venasaur's grip tightened, knocking the wind out of him. Close to passing out, Eric held on to consciousness in the hopes that Cluade would see his reasoning and the two could work together. Although Eric could still speak, it was very difficult to, each word draining his remaining strength.

​