Start Ups An unlikely band of travellers

[sableyed]

"It was kind of like that with me and Boo," Ruby said, adding a dried carcass of a log to her stack. "When I was eight or maybe nine my uncle took me spelunking for the first time. I got lost, of course." She pushed a red curl off her forehead. "Boo is kinda naughty... he had shadow sneaked up behind me to scare me, but I dunno, I guess he saw that I was already scared."

She had made a modest pile of firewood on top of a mossy boulder, and she stepped back to brush the dirt from her palms and inspect their haul. Together they had gathered enough give them an hour or two of heat, at least. The temperature seemed to be dropping rapidly, and she wrapped her jacket tighter around her shoulders and scanned the forest canopy.

"Anyway, he got me way more lost than I already was. I guess having a friend along for the adventure made it a lot more fun, though... we scared the crap out of the ranger that finally found me."

There was a tree stump up there somehow. Ruby squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again, wondering if the night was playing tricks on her. But no, there it was. It was levitating up above them, and as it turned she saw two glowing red eyes peering down curiously at her. "Leslie-Ann," she whispered, "Look... there's a phantump!"

Ruby thought for a second about the assortment of empty pokéballs in her bag, annoyed with herself for leaving them behind. As creepy forest spirits go, phantumps were probably the cutest.

 

[Argan]

Graham was right. What was he going to dig the grave with, his hands? Rainier took the ball rather gingerly from Graham and carefully surrounded it with two hands, listening as the other trainer spoke. Rainier stretched out his mind gently towards the presence in the ball. Are you hurt? If you come out I can have a friend of mine heal you. The water monotypist asked in a friendly tone. Rainier wasn't totally surprised to hear that Graham was a channeler. His eyes widened a little bit when Graham asked about Rainier's own abilities, but he calmly regained himself. "You're correct in that regard. It helps with a lot of things- most noticeably battles. It's very hard for other trainers to counter moves they never hear being commanded." Very gently with one hand, Rainier threw Loveday's dive ball out to the side and she appeared slowly in the clearing. The trainer nodded to her and again held the container with two hands. "My twin sister Shasta can't sense thoughts or emotions to save her life, but her levitation is pretty formidable."

Hey! I'm Loveday. I know you're very hurt right now. I can feel it. I can feel you. But let us help you. Please. Your trainer would want you to be healthy again. The Milotic joined in on the conversation, but the presence in the ball seemed to continue bubbling in quiet anger. The guide's friend is poisoned, Rainier. If they don't come out soon, then I won't be able to use Recover to help out with the damage. Rainier thought to himself for a moment before he suddenly felt a surge of energy. The creature was pushing his mind out violently. "Loveday!" Rainier cried out. He'd never been in a head to head psychic battle with a pokémon, and although he was holding his own for now, without his Milotic's soothing powers he risked blacking out.

Then, almost like a gentle river, Loveday's mind flowed in and encircled the other pokémon, and it slowly calmed down. Her body glowed in an aura of vivid pink and pulsed softly, sending energy waves toward the pokéball. Can... Can I see him? A broken voice questioned from inside the ball. I... I don't know if you want to do that. But if it's truly your wish, we won't stop you. Just let us heal you up first. Rainier answered, exhaling a nervous breath. There was a brief pause, and then without warning, the pokémon popped out of the ball, bursting from the space between Rainier's hands and appearing near the middle of the clearing in a burst of white light.

 

[Dieter]

As the light solidified, claws extended and a red feathery crown formed on top of the creatures head. The weavile wasted no time and rushed over to the remains of her late trainer. For a moment, she stood there, just looking, then turned back around to face the travellers.

Lotus was the first to approach the other pokémon, gracefully stepping forward until she was right in front of the weavile. She let out a little, tinkling sound, receiving a soft growl in return.

Graham followed, squatting so he would be on eye level with the pokémon. With a soft voice, he said: ”Hey, I’m Graham. I’m very sorry for your loss. But we got lost, looking for your trainer, and I was wondering if you maybe could help us find the way back?”
The weavile stared at him for a moment, then crossed her arms and firmly shook her head once.

Upon the appearance of the phantump, Leslie-Ann had visibly paled. The last time she’d encountered the stump pokémon and its evolutionary relative had been an adventure she’d quickly wanted to forget.
“I, eh… Can we maybe go back to the others? I don’t really like em very much…”
The phantump seemed to have other ideas however, as it had already moved closer to them. And apparently it wasn’t alone either, as several phantump appeared around them.

 

[sableyed]

There was a soft, almost inaudible rustle of tall grass a few yards away from the men and their pokémon. A very tired but ever-vigilant sableye peered out of the brush, eyeing the weavile curiously. Boo watched as she looked over her trainer. He wondered how she had broken two of her claws. He crept towards the others on silent goblin feet, standing a few respectful paces behind Ranier and tilting his head. She was a tough one, by the looks of it.


Ruby reached for Leslie-Ann's wrist, tugging her near enough to stand back to back. Her other hand went to the dusk ball on her hip. There were only five phantumps descending from the tree tops, but the girls were definitely surrounded.

"Okay... okay this is... this might be bad," she admitted, whispering over her shoulder.

The little stump ghosts drifted down to eye level and circled slowly around them. Ruby couldn't seem to settle on an emotion; part of her was awed and excited by their appearance, and part of her was of course a little frightened. But why weren't they attacking?

The smallest of them had an ornate little box tucked between its leaves. It floated up to Ruby as if considering her, then drifted over to Leslie-Ann instead, twitching its twiggy appendages.

 

[Argan]

While Graham was speaking to the guide's Weavile, Rainier nodded to Loveday, and the Milotic slowly wrapped her tail fins around one of her legs. Suddenly, she realized what was happening and tensed with a sudden alertness, but Loveday glowed with her pink aura again. They seemed to have some kind of telepathic conversation, and Rainier couldn't exactly tell what was being said, but it was something along the lines of the Weavile being standoffish and frightened and Loveday being insistent on healing her, in the scolding mother sort of way. Eventually the guide's Weavile huffed and consented, as Loveday's eyebrow-fins couldn't furrow any further. As his friend used Recover, surrounding both herself and the Weavile in a golden light, Rainier gently examined her wounds. "Well..." He paused, waiting for the Weavile to reply with a name telepathically. There was nothing but silence as the pokémon stood there stoically. "From what I'm seeing it's just regular, not toxic poison. You're very lucky." The monotype trainer said, reaching into his pockets for something.

I don't want your charity... She finally managed to mumble to Rainier as he held out a Pecha berry. It's not charity, it's necessity. Your trainer was a brave and experienced man, anyhow, who never hesitated to help others. So if this is charity, no-name, then it is well-deserved. Finally, she gave in and deftly snatched the Pecha berry, eating the sweet pink fruit in one bite. I know your pain- Rainier began, but she quickly cut him off and maintained a low growl. How could you possibly know? What could you possibly know about my pain?! Rainier took a deep breath and maintained eye contact at a dangerously close distance. If she got truly upset, her claws weren't that far... I know what it's like to lose a friend. Many friends. I know what it's like to lose family. To see your home enshrouded in darkness. I... I know. Rainier did his best to imbue his words with emotion and a genuine feeling, but the Weavile kept shaking her head vigorously. Rainier huffed in frustration: he wasn't getting anywhere, and the night was drawing closer.

Rainier pulled down his sleeve to show her a long, running scar that was fading but still visible on his left arm. The Weavile's eyes widened. "You were probably young when the Great Pokémon War occurred. I was too." He started out-loud, not realizing that Loveday and the others could likely hear him. Tracing his scar with one of his right fingers, he continued. "I'm from Ekonor: it's a region that was formerly one of Kanto's colonies. But we rebelled during the war. And their army landed on the shores of my home and destroyed everything. My home, Whistlewater City, used to be shining marble fortress. Now it's... It's grey rubble on a trembling coastline. The struggling armies took my parents, my friends, and almost my arm. I suppose I should've known better than to try and block a Scyther, huh?" Rainier's tone was a combination of hurt, persuasive, and wistful.

"My twin sister has been hidden from Kanto's government, nestled somewhere in a place I can't find. Ekonor has split into five different nations. I'm begging you, new friend. Please, act as our guide. I may never be able to find my sister, or stop a looming civil war, if you don't." Rainier pushed as much emotion as he could into his words to convince the Weavile. Becoming strong enough to help his people, the future of his region, seeing his sister again... Everything hinged on this moment.

 

[Dieter]

Hesitantly, Leslie-Ann extended her hand towards the pokémon. She most certainly recognised the little puzzle box. After all, until the mightyena had attacked she had been engrossed with trying to solve the puzzle.

The little phantump floated even closer, as if to further affirm the box was for her. Gingerly, she took it out from between its leaves. As soon as she was holding the box, the stump pokémon made a delighted squeal and darted away, making two circles around the girls before joining its friends again.
“T-thank you!” Leslie-Ann called out after it, as the forest ghosts retreated into the foliage again.

She shifted the firewood she’d been carrying in one arm, letting the weight rest more on her hip, while holding the box in her other hand.
“I-eh, I guess that wasn’t too bad, was it?” she said to Ruby, ”I mean, they could have totally spirited us away to the deepest parts of the forest, and really, you don’t want that. Like, they don’t really do it just for the fun of it… I think. But yeah, it’s generally not something you’re hoping for so all in all that went quite well. Should we head back to the boys?”

As she turned back into the direction she thought the clearing was, she didn’t notice the shadowy figure that had been watching them creeping a little closer.
“Can’t wait to get that fire going! We might even be able to get ourselves some proper grub!”

Opal was having none of it. The guy called himself an empath? Really, humans should leave that kinda stuff to beings made for that, like her species. Although she couldn’t place it exactly, the grief the weavile was emanating was obviously nuanced. She was about to step in and show how it really should be handled, but Rainier’s speech stopped her. Maybe the guy wasn’t too bad. She’d wait this one out.

The weavile shrunk back a little upon hearing Rainier’s story. But she was still a proud creature and these strangers could not easily convince her adhere to their request. Sure, she could do it, but… She wasn’t done here. She glanced again at the boy’s scar, her shock now taking place for something that was not quite yet respect, but close enough.

Maybe… You might be right. But I haven’t just lost my friends. She briefly looked back to where the guide’s body was still hidden in the tall grass. And it is not just my home that is threatened. The forest itself is in danger. Something… has been going on, the balance has been distorted. This forest is old, boy, very old. So if something can disrupt it, it must be something very, very powerful. So yes, I could guide you back, but it wouldn’t do you any good.”

Graham had completed side-lined himself, as he couldn’t exactly do anything useful, except let Rainier and Opal try and talk some sense into the weavile. And as he listened to Rainier, he wanted to say something, something comforting or wise. But he had no clue what.

“Eh, I… uh, your sister. She’s lost?” he stuttered, “Maybe I can help? Or well, my aunt, she's clairvoyant and she might be able to locate her for you. If we get out of here alive, of course. Would that… is that?”

That moment, Grimm returned, positively giddy, darting towards Graham, all the while making excited little grunts.
“O-oh you’re back! Did you… why are you so… have you fou-OH” Graham said, staring at the empty space behind the requiem pokémon.
“Are you alright, sir?”
...
"Eh, yes... Yes you are... I'm sorry sir."

 

[sableyed]

Ruby tossed a lock of red hair out of her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, let's head back and make camp. I feel like we have a few friends now."

Her smile only lasted a second or two. Heading back, she realized, meant back to a dead body. But the phantumps had shown her something important; the forest wasn't all doom and gloom. Still, it was eerie even when it was kind, and she was bristling with the sensation of being watched. She walked briskly, less and less aware of the thud of her boots and the crunch of the forest floor beneath them. She wasn't sure if she was being followed, but she wasn't going to wait around to find out.

She felt a great relief at the head of the clearing when she realized that Boo was suddenly walking alongside her. He had picked up a stick, and was marching next to her with a deep frown and purposeful stride. Ruby let herself laugh. "Don't make fun, it's spooky out there." She stopped and adjusted her uncomfortable burden, looking down at her little goblin friend with concern. "You're okay, right? You've been gone a while."

The sableye cracked the stick over his knee and raised his arms to flex. There was a gash on his elbow, and as Ruby twisted to look at it Boo covered his injury and tilted his head.

"What uh... what happened while we were gone?" she asked.

Boo looked from his trainer to Leslie-Ann and shook his head. He had no idea what was going on, but he pointed across the clearing anyway. There was a man standing near Graham, Ranier looked distraught, a weavile had appeared from somewhere... how long had they been out gathering wood?

"Guys?" she called, adjusting her arms around the heavy bundle of wood, "A little help?"

 

[Argan]

Rainier exhaled slowly at the Weavile's response. If you guide us, we can work together. Combined, I'm sure we could all do something to help the forest. But she was having none of it, and again shook her head. He realized the uselessness of his words a few moments later. They'd all been fighting together when the Mightyena attacked, and that outcome wasn't optimal. He could sense even Loveday and Storm were both getting a little tired. They'd been trained to manage themselves in environments like these, but forests with bodies of water few and far between were perhaps the worst place they could be, as Water-types. Not only was their mobility severely limited, the entire place was likely crawling with Grass-types who had moves powerful enough to make their team have a very bad time of trying to navigate the woods. Rainier's ears perked up a little bit when Graham spoke up and he gently left the conversation, and left the persuasion to Opal. As the Emotion pokémon, she'd probably have better luck.

"Yeah, she's gone. Our father was one of nine elected people who served on a council that governed Attania, or one of the five provinces of Ekonor. So naturally as part of his family, we were also high-profile targets. Before Kanto surrounded the city with its army, our mother got smuggled out courtesy of some well-placed bribes. The plan was to get her out first, and then she'd use her international contacts to call off the army. But they broke the walls before that happened, so Shasta and I hid when the soldiers came into the city." Rainier took a deep breath between all his talking. "When we finally left our spot, Shasta found out he'd been killed in the fighting to hold Whistlewater. And she just... She just lost it. Her telekinetic powers almost leveled the Grand Palace. After that, while the invaders were still in shock, some family friends got us out of the city and on a boat leaving the region."

"Of course, we had to be separated. As her twin, her powers would be too dangerous with me in her presence. So, I was sent to begin a new life in Hoenn, but they never told me where she went." At Graham's solution, Rainier smiled a little bit. "It could help, definitely. Her powers are much more noticeable than mine, so she'd probably be much easier to trace." Rainier's head darted up as Graham rose to receive a very excited Grimm. Rainier's eyes widened as he realized what was happening- why else would he be speaking to a pocket of empty space? He ran over to help Leslie-Ann and Ruby with the wood, grabbing some from Ruby.

 

[Dieter]

Leslie-Ann followed after Rainier, dumping an armload of twigs and branches next to his pile. Quickly, she set to work, sorting the wood by size and clearing the area where she planned on building the fire. Every once in a while, she’d cast a sidelong glance at Graham, who was still talking to an empty space. After having known him so long, she knew this usually meant he was talking to someone… departed. The friendly gesture of the phantump and the relative calmness in the clearing had put her at ease again, and as she gathered some stones to circle the fire with, she actually managed to smile a little.

“Eh- guys, I’d like to…” said Graham, “I mean, could you all gather round? Mr. Hamilton’s got something to tell us and-“
“…”
“Of course, sir.”

At that, Graham sat down, closed his eyes, and slowed his breathing. For a while nothing happened and Leslie-Ann, who’d quickly joined the group at Graham’s request, started to wonder if she should go on setting up the fire.

But then, Graham breathing got ragged, he started muttering, then opened his eyes. Ever so slowly, he got up, his movements a little stilted. As he walked over to the weavile sitting across of them, she noticed his gait was a little limped.
“My dear Bastet, I’m sorry to have left you like this.” He said, kneeling in front of the pokémon. His voice was low, a little rough, and he spoke with far more certainty than he usually did. “At first, I didn’t even realise I… I just went after them without thinking. I wanted to protect her.” He sighed. “I failed the both of you, for which I am very, very sorry. I hope you can accept the apologies of an old man.”
Now he turned to the group, standing up straight, his arms crossed in front of his chest.
“Young ones! It wasn’t very clever of you to venture into the woods like this. But I came to understand it was to find my whereabouts, which is very brave of you.”
He suddenly stepped towards Leslie-Ann, who shrunk back a little.
“I see you’ve got my puzzle box! Good thinking of you, cause inside of it is a little trinket that might help you. Do not open it until you think you need it though, as it’s rather old, and quite fragile.” At that, he leaned closer and whispered something in the girl’s ear, who nodded and whispered: “Yes sir, I understand.”
“Now for all of you.” The guide said, turning back around. “The forest is in great danger, and I’m no longer able to protect it. I hope you will do so in my place, with some help of Bastet of course. I fear I can’t help you more, as I don’t know much more than you do, but there’s someone who might. If you keep travelling to the North West, in two days’ time you’ll find the forest will turn almost swamp like. A very old trevenant lives there, and if something’s going on the forest, he will know all about it. Go find him.”
Slowly, he made his way to the clearing’s edge.
“I fear my time has come, and I must leave. Bastet, take care of these kids. I wish you all the best!”
A shudder went through Graham and he grasped a nearby tree trunk. Slightly panting, he managed to bring out: “It, eh, seems w-we’ve got quite a journey ahead…”

 

[sableyed]

Ruby hauled her boot heavily out of the mud she had sunk into, stumbling forward and squishing down to her knees. Of course it was raining. Why wouldn't it be?

She stayed down. Whatever. She was already caked in mud and sopping with rain and sticky with whatever else she had been pelted with. She wrestled a small compass out of her damp pocket. This was one of those rare occasions that Boo preferred the warmth of his pokéball to the tangle of the forest. He had schlepped along faithfully at her side until the stunfisk incident, but even the most loyal pokémon can only take so much. Since when did stunfisks attack in hordes, anyway?

"Okay," she mumbled to no one in particular, "We're still moving in the right direction. Great."

No one seemed to be in particularly high spirits. She looked at Graham and Leslie-Ann and Ranier, all of whom were soaked to the bone and caked in earth. The weavile, Bastet, was muddy and weathered, but she knew the way as well as anyone could. She had turned to glare at Ruby from several paces ahead; her expression had been more sour each time someone slowed down or consulted a compass. She knew the way and she knew her footing.

As Ruby labored to her feet, she felt a dramatic shift in temperature. The rain was suddenly warm. She reached out her arms and marveled at it, looking around at her counterparts to make sure that she had not indeed lost her mind. The trees began to creak and moan, and she heard a distinctive groaning behind her.

The treevenant stretched its branches as if awakening from a deep sleep, and several little phantumps drifted over the travelers from behind its limbs. It towered over them like no ghost she'd ever seen or heard of... this treevenant was obviously very, very, VERY old.

Bastet moved forward and nodded a haughty but respectful greeting.

 

[Argan]

Rainier's eyelids snapped open as he felt the rain shift it's temperature suddenly. Before it had been a little cold- Rainier wasn't entirely used to it. Hoenn tended to have warm rains and warm seas, with a tropical environment. At least, in the places he had lived, it had been. But now he felt bathed in this soft aura. Loveday and Storm could feel it, too. The energy of the forest shifted from something aged and cold to a reassuring and confident feeling.

The Trevenant was massive- larger than almost any Pokémon Rainier had ever seen. Bastet offered a solemn greeting to the Trevenant, and the Pokémon seemed to hum in reply, as if greeting an old friend that hadn't been seen in a long time. The Weavile seemed ambivalent toward Rainier since his story. It wasn't quite respect, but she didn't exactly mind his presence either. "I could feel his passing. Very sad, it was. The forest is dimmer by his absence."

The Trevenant's voice was deep and slow, and very ancient. Rainier was a little shocked that the tree could speak out loud- but he supposed that in all those years of wisdom and learning, acquiring the power of speech wouldn't be so difficult. The Trevenant turned slowly to regard the others present in the rain. "But I sense you have come for something else. Yes. We may speak here. The rain is good for my roots." Everyone seemed to pause in reverence of the great pokémon, not speaking as the warm rain fell to the forest floor. Bastet, irritated, shot a sharp glance to Rainier, waking him up from his open-eyed slumber. Startled, he jumped into the conversation.

"Yes, indeed we have. We were told there was something threatening the forest- and that you might know what it is." The Trevenant's energy shifted into a knowing kind of sadness. "It is an old evil, little ones. I was but a young Phantump when it first came."

"It's power is ancient, and almost immeasurable. The force which threatens this forest could do battle with Arceus if it wanted to- and stand a fair chance at winning." Rainier frowned at that. A power that could fight Arceus and win was threatening the forest? How would they ever be able to defeat that?

"But do not lose heart. Ages ago, when this forest and I were young, we did manage to defeat it. A great battle that united humans and pokémon began against it- but not without a heavy cost. It could corrupt and control those it defeated, and after sometime, it seemed as if the world would fall into the deepest of shadows and we would all live out our days as obedient shells of our former selves. If it went unchallenged today at its full strength, cities would fall in days and regions would crumble in weeks. Even your... How do you call it? Pokémon Leagues. Yes. Even your Pokémon Leagues and your Elite Fours and your Champions could do little but stall this malevolence, if it ever reached its full strength." Rainier's mind flashed back to the unusually aggressive Mightyena. The Trevenant did seem slightly repetitive in his wording- if not to make the point on how close he had come to losing against whatever was threatening the forest.

"There is a way to prevent this. To defeat and banish it before its darkness grows to levels that none can surmount. Now, I shall tell you of the evil's identity, and how to stop it."

 

[Dieter]

Around noon, Parker figured they were ready to head out. When he'd arrived at the guide's cottage early that morning, he'd found the door ajar and no signs of anyone home. Not even a note from the guide he was out guiding people through the forest. So Parker had just gone on inside, searched around a little for any kind of clues where the occupant might have gone (for, people generally didn't leave their door open when they left for an errand) and eventually stumbled upon the guides journals. Which were the second best thing next to a map of the area, which seemingly did not exist. Ofcourse, he didn't have the time to read every single journal, but he'd simply skimmed through the most recent looking ones to get an idea of the area, using the notes to make a rough map. So now he had a sense of which way to travel, if he was to follow Graham and Leslie-Ann and haul their asses back home. Not something he really was looking forward to, but the old lady had spoken, and usually when she said something was amiss, she was right. So it was better to just listen to her.

"I sense a great danger... Something... someone... will cross paths with them during their journey... Their intentions... malicious"

He could still feel her words ringing in his ears, in that particular tone she only reserved for her most ominous predictions. Of course, he knew Graham and Leslie-Ann were pretty good at dealing with any obstacles they came across. Arc knew they hadn't years ago, but both had grown a lot stronger and far less in need of any guidance. Especially Graham had gotten a lot better at taking care of himself. But then Cassandra had pulled the guilt card, or rather, her guilt card. She'd send them on this journey and now couldn't guarantee for their safety, but she was too old to go after them herself. So, compelled to help her, he'd packed his stuff and taken off from work for a couple weeks (and considering his last holiday had been nearly two years ago, albeit voluntarily, and he'd solved the issue with the steelix, which several other rangers had tried unsuccessfully for nearly three months, they'd hardly been able to say no). The journey so far had been uneventful, bordering on boring, but he couldn't say he minded much. If he was to believe Graham's aunt, that would change soon enough.

He gathered his things scattered across the dining table, double checked the contents of his backpack, looked over his notes once more, and with compass in hand, left the guide's cottage, rejoining the others who'd been waiting for him. He'd promised them he would help them cross, but for that they were to leave him alone while he prepared for their journey.

The drizzle from that morning was still persisting, but he hoped the forest's canopy would shield them from it. Wouldn't do much to preserve any tracks created days ago though. Rather, the opposite. so actually finding his friends would be tricky.

"I'm ready. Let's go."

[Graham/Leslie-Ann reply to be added soon]

 

[Stitsworth]

"Nothing like waiting in the rain.." Michael said to himself out loud, patting the head of Cooper, his Growlithe. Michael dropped his backpack to the ground and started to look around the clearing in front of the cabin. "Smell anything weird Coop?" Michael asked, but the growlithe shook its head, sticking next to Michael's leg as he walked. He'd have let his pidgey, Sam out to get the birds eye view, but the canopy was too thick away from the house. The forest was creepy, dark, wet and just.. something was off about it. Michael didn't have a good feeling about the situation at all. Hopefully this Parker fellow knows what he's doing.

Parker came out of the cabin with his things, telling them it's time to go. Hmm, not the talking type are we. "It's Parker right? I'll assume you didn't find anything good." Michael asked.

 

[Dieter]

He ignored Michael’s sarcastic comment he just caught upon stepping out of the house and moved towards the forest edge. Upon hearing the other guy’s question, he glanced over his shoulder and answered: “Not much. No maps, just journals. Got some information from the most recent one.”

As he continued moving towards the forest, he pulled a dusk ball from his belt and released its occupant. A small phantump took form, who quickly drifted towards the trees.
“Saria, help me scout please. You-” he turned to Michael. “Stay close.” Though his message was curt, his tone wasn’t unfriendly.

The woods were thick, dark, and dripping wet. None too inviting. He had half a mind to let Scrapper, his aggron, out, but no use upsetting the local fauna. If they’d leave the wildlife alone, the wildlife would leave them alone too. Hopefully.



“Though ancient and terrifying, this evil is not unstoppable, as at the root of it are mere humans.” The trevenant continued. “It is controlled by those with evil in their hearts, and as such, has become corrupted.” The great trees branches rustled softly. “The last time we fought it, we were unable to break its master’s hold over it and the only thing we could do was lock it away.”

Graham considered this. If last time, they’d only been able to trap it, how were they supposed to defeat it?

“This creature of shadow was sealed within a temple deep within the forest. We hoped no one would ever break the seal… but our efforts were all for nought.” The pokémon continued. “Please, brave heroes, travel to the temple and stop this being of fear bef-.” It froze mid-sentence, staring intently at a spot behind the travellers.
“Do not move.” It whispered.

There was a sudden turmoil in the underbrush behind them. A large root appeared, holding a teddiursa. Graham tilted his head staring at it. Not exactly a threat, was it?
But as the pokémon was struggling to free itself, he noticed something. It was missing an eye and… were those ribs?

The shadows of the trees around them started moving as the temperature dropped. Within seconds, he’d released both his pokémon, ready to battle whatever might appear.
“We’re being attacked!” The trevenant roared, “Children, please run! Keep going north for the temple, I will hold them off as long as I can!”

As Graham pulled Leslie-Ann after him, he ordered his pokémon to attack the zombies, which were appearing in large numbers.

[seems like they're under attack once more. though the zombie mons are prolly not very strong, the gengar and gastly behind the attack are definitely a lot harder to defeat]

 

[Stitsworth]

Michael picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, whistled for Cooper to trail him, and followed Parker into the thick brush. It was wet, everything was uncomfortably wet in the forest. "You got it, boss. Let's try not to get ourselves killed." Michael said to Parker "Do you have any idea what kind of Pokémon we can run in to in this dismal rain forest?"

Michael held his hand down, making a quick sharp whistle, prompting Cooper to run up and lick Michael's hand. Michael then pointed out to the brush to have Cooper flank their group, putting Cooper on over-watch could help if something tries to sneak up on them. Something about this place just didn't feel right.

[OOC: what is the rule with catching Pokes? Something we should try to avoid or is it okay if we just don't throw a pokeball at everything that moves?]

 

[Argan]

Rainier felt a wave of cold sweep over him. His heart pounded against his chest erratically for a moment as the Trevenant stopped speaking. Loveday, Storm... I haven't felt that cold since-

When we first met the others?

Yes, Storm. Like that but... It's grown. It's more sinister, more evil now. He felt his team members shudder as they remembered the sudden cold blast that had dealt a significant mental blow to their trainer. The attack was sudden and without warning as the ancient Trevenant began defending them. Shambling hordes of disfigured pokemon emerged from the tree line. Rainier turned to see most of his fellow travelers scrambling to action- fleeing north or attacking. He was about to follow suit and sprint north, when an ominous purple figure jumped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. Going somewhere? We'd love for you to stay a while... And chat.

The Gengar had glowing red eyes and a deep purple body, flicking his tongue out manically and making some kind of gurgling noise that might have been an attempt at laughter. Rainier tried to dodge and keep running north, but the purple ghost merely cackled again and reappeared in front of him a short while later, this time with Gastly at his side. My master is very interested in your abilities. Just let me inside that head of yours... So you can relax. I promise I won't hurt your friends... Much.

I'm not interested. Rainier's reply was cool even as the old Trevenant attempted to fend off the advancing hordes behind them, as the monotype trainer grew increasingly outnumbered. The Gengar laughed again as Gastly multiplied around Rainier, cutting him off from the others. He went to reach for one of his pokeballs, but a Thunderbolt from the Gengar that nearly missed his hand stopped him. The message was clear- this was going to be a one-on-one fight. A battle of minds, with the loser fainting... Or possibly worse. You don't have much of a choice, empath. Without a Lunar Wing, you're nothing, even compared to me. Besides... Wouldn't you like to see Shasta again?

Rainier's breath caught in his throat as he dwelt on the possibility for a moment but quickly dismissed it, his confidence wavering for a moment with uncertainty. You could be together again. Strong. My master would make you powerful. Powerful enough to reunite Ekonor. To take revenge against Kanto for what they did to your home.

Rainier snapped himself from the ghost's trance, pushing him out of his mind with all his might. The Gengar gave another deranged cackle and merely surged forward with all his energy, invading Rainier's consciousness. It was that same bone-chilling cold that they'd felt at the start of their journey. He was barely holding his ground when he felt Loveday's and Storm's minds bump up against his, concentrating a psychic force against the Gengar. Two can play at that game, Rainier Cascade.

The Gastly began pouring in- little jabs of cold that tried to break the united front Rainier had managed to assemble. I'm pushing against him as much as I can, Rainier! But I think that's all we'll be able to do- hold him. Storm was unfortunately right. Every time that Rainier sensed an unprotected way deeper into the Gengar's mind, one of the Gastly appeared and delivered a sharp mental shock. The Gengar didn't have to win. All he had to do was trap Rainier in this state until the slower, wounded pokemon got close. In a head to head battle, Rainier wasn't going to last long. Loveday's calming aura wasn't even effecting the poisonous ghosts. All three of them were slipping as they pushed against the invading Gengar and slowly shrank back at the cold bombardment of the Gastlys. Suddenly, just as he felt the last of his grip giving way to the powerful pokemon, a deep and ancient conscience appeared, granting Rainier a surge of strength. The Trevenant's mind quickly swept out all the Gastly and shortly after, the Gengar's. Rainier's eyes opened, his chest heaving as the ghost pokemon were flung away from him, fainting nearby.

Your journey does not end here. Now go. Rainier nodded to the Trevenant and haphazardly sprinted in the direction the old pokemon had advised- jumping and stumbling with no coherent pattern to safety, his mind tired but his body electrified.