Phoebe squinted and slowly circled her pokemon. The Girafarig stood still, both heads watching her carefully. She looked it up and down, making mental notes on what training he needs.

"Yeah, you'll work." She said. Twin resumed his spot sitting against a rusted out car, while Phoebe chose the hood. It was two hours into her pokemon journey, and she hadn't even left Old Saffron yet. This city seemed to stretch on forever. She stopped for a lunch break here in the middle of the suburbs and decided to give a thorough inspection to her brand-new pokemon. The man she bought him from let her see it, but returned him to his ball before she could finish. This Girafarig--named Twin--met the qualifications for a new trainer's pokemon: level 5, healthy, and friendly around humans. He wasn't that strong, though. His muscles weren't nearly as big as her family's Miltank, and she was only level 15. Phoebe needed to train him up quick.

"Did get my money's worth." Phoebe muttered to herself. Twin's ears twitched, but she shook her head to signal she wasn't talking to him. It was a habit of hers, to talk to herself. She did get her money's worth. She paid two bushels of corn for him, a cheap price for a rare pokemon. The breeder said it was because Girafarigs could only serve one purpose; fighting. Their meat was tough, they laid only one to two eggs, they had little milk, and they weren't big enough to be beasts of burden. Besides, he only had one Girafarig, who was male, so no baby Girafarigs. Phoebe hoped Twin could fight, or both their lives are at stake.

Phoebe munched on her sandwich and looked up at the sky. It still amazed her, seeing something so big and blue. She'd heard about it in school, of course, and there were pictures and video. Still, it felt odd...Like being so small, with a sky so far away, but also right above her head.

.....

Artyom was not having fun.

His 15th birthday happened to be on the exact same day that his father planned to set off on his trading route, taking Pallet Town's cotton harvest out on the road to trade to the Stations. Artyom decided to come along for the free ride, at least to Viridian Station. Route 1 wasn't too dangerous thanks to the foot-traffic, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, he dad's caravan was pulled by the biggest Tauros in the history of the world, and not even Arceus wanted to mess with him. Tauros was awesome like that.

But not even Tauros could stop the weather. Artyom thought it was great that his first day on his journey was marked with bright blue, shining skies. After an hour in the sun, he decided against it. It was just so hot! His water supply was already half gone. He dad said not to worry, that it gets hot all the time on Route 1, but Artyom's eyes stung from the sweat and he wished he had an umbrella. Sandy lay next to him, lazily picking at the ropes that kept the cotton crates still. She seemed fine with this weather, which made sense, since she was from Route 1.

"Look! There's Viridian City. Not too viridian these days, but the forest is. It's just after the city. I'll drop you off here, okay?" His dad said, pointing out a copse of leafless trees in the distance. Artyom squinted and realized they were dead. He remembered all the stories his mother told him, how Viridian City was full of life, thanks to the thick forest between it and Pewter. Hopefully the forest was still alive...

Simply walking his path, David sighed as he looked at that of which was the Saffron City of old. The sight of the city would be more terrifying had he not heard about the surface before-hand. He tipped his straw hat to keep the sun out of his eyes, as he glanced down at Rupert, his sturdy Bidoof companion. Rupert was a strong Pokemon for his level, though over the years he has gotten a bit old to be venturing out into the dangers of the surface. It wasn't good for his health, but he seemed determined to stay with David throughout his journey, at least as long as he could.

"Y'gonna be alright, pal? You can go back in the Pokeball." David offered, though Rupert simply let out a low growl to show his disapproval. David wasn't going to force him to do anything, so he simply allowed him to stay out, and beside him. He just hoped the heat didn't harm the rather fluffy Pokemon, as he wouldn't know what to do if the poor little guy got sick or injured. "Whatever ya say, pardner. Just keep on the lookout for anyone suspicious, yeah?" David felt silly asking that, considering Rupert's job back in the station was to keep an eye out for anyone trying to steal from his family's food supply. Of course he'd be wary out here!

David lifted his hat momentarily to wipe some sweat from his brow, feeling the heat get to him personally. He had to wonder what he was exactly going to find out here? Everything at first glance seemed trashed around here, so he saw no point in searching the area around him currently. Though maybe the best treasures hid in these places in order to be difficult to find... "This is gonna be a long trip, bud. A real long trip." His words made Rupert glare up at him, seeming to not be overly excited about staying out in the heat for a long period of time. "Of course, maybe we should, eh... Take a break soon. No sense in wearin' ourselves out, right?"

A small nod in agreement from Rupert was all David needed, but now he needed to find a decent spot to stop. As he ventured through Saffron in search of a decent spot, he noticed he wasn't the only one around. He saw a girl and her Pokemon sitting near a rusted old vehicle, and stopped for a moment. 'She looks kinda' familiar.' David thought, swearing she looked like a kid some Station 5. "Think we should approach 'em?" He quietly asked Rupert, and in response the Bidoof licked it's front teeth, seeming to want to meet them alright. To which David got somewhat irritated and scared. "Don't you even joke about that, you little rascal. C'mon." David began to approach the girl, with an entertained Rupert in tow.

Approaching slowly, David raised a hand into the air and waved. "Hey!" He called out, figuring it better than getting close and speaking up. The distance was good for the fact if she wasn't friendly, distance made her less of a threat. It also gave her time to notice him approaching, instead of him being close and speaking up, perhaps startling her a little too much for his liking.

---

Jezabel was having it mildly rough. She was used to the heat, but she had no method of getting around aside from her own two feet. She had saw a caravan go by earlier, and wished she had hitched a ride. They might have at least had something good on them to help her out on her journey. "I'm already sick of this." Jezabel grumbled, feeling the sand in her shoes. She sighed, starring ahead at the sand. "Oh, there will be riches and items out here! That's what I heard! All I see is a bunch of sand and a stupid snake-"

Pausing, she looked down to her left and noticed something slithering through the sand. After a moment, the head of an Ekans popped out, hissing at her.

"SNAKE?!" She yelled, startled by it's appearance. She quickly backed away, before pulling Quartz's Pokeball out and releasing the Sableye. "K-Kill it! Kill it! I hate snakes!" She demanded, and Quartz stood there, starring between her and the Ekans for a moment, until the Pokemon hissed again. Quartz's blue eyes became a furious red as he used Leer and glared at the opposing Pokemon. The Ekans became somewhat frightened, backing up and leaving an opening for Jezabel's Pokemon to attack.

"Scratch!" Jezabel commanded, and her Sableye jumped into action, rushing the Ekans and using it's claws to viciously scratch it, cutting it multiple times and drawing blood. The Ekans fought back, opening it's mouth and thrusting forward in an attempt to bite Quartz. At Jezabel's command, he dodged to the left to avoid the attack, but ended up getting caught into wrap instead. He grunted irritably at the Ekans, who ignored Jezabel and simply stared at it's currently captured prey, ready to feast down upon it. Quartz squirmed and tried to break out, but couldn't even reach far enough to bite the Ekans' body.

Jezabel, realizing the situation had gone sour, was not having any of it. She unsheathed her knife, approaching the Ekans from behind as it was readying to assault her Pokemon. She raised it into the air as the Ekans reared it's head back to strike her companion, and quickly brought it down strait into it's head. Quickly, the Ekans loosened from around Quartz and plopped to the ground, Jezabel nearly falling with it due to the fact she was still holding the knife. Though after it was taken care of, she pulled the knife out and shook it away from her, before sheathing the weapon.

"Don't go getting caught again! I might not be able to save you next time, idiot." Jezabel's words sounded harsh, but it was just her caring about the Pokemon in front of her. Quartz nodded, and gestured towards the horizon. They still had a ways to go if she wanted to actually get anywhere. "You're right. We need to keep moving before another one of those damn things ends up attacking. Let's go."

With that, the two walked on. Unsure of where they were going, but knew they were going... Somewhere.

"This is it!" Eric proclaimed as he spun around, his gaze not leaving the bright blue sky above. It was majestic. It was pure. It was like everything Eric ever wanted to see was painted on that blue canvas. The Jiglypuff was bouncing slightly behind him, jumping up and trying to grasp the sky. She puffed her cheeks when all her attempts proved futile. "I'd love to do that too." Eric noted with a smile, before approaching his companion. "Hey, Carmen?" He asked to get her attention, before picking her up and putting on his shoulders. "Better?"

Their journey had just started. They literally got out of the Station ten minutes ago - this was the first time both of them were able to see the vast world in front of them. And neither one could contain their excitement. Rusted cars and empty streets did not bother them, it was still incredible. There were hidden traces of beauty here. For the first time in his life, Eric felt his heart grow. It felt like it would pop out of his chest any second now. The world of possibilities and mystery was in front of them. So many things to do, so many places to visit. So many forgotten memories to feel. The feeling was so strong that he was on the verge of breaking out in a song.

Which was exactly what Celeste had on her mind as well.

Hearing her breathing in, his mind immediately switched into panic mode. He loved hearing her sing, even though it made him fall asleep every single time. But falling asleep in the middle of the street wasn't the smartest way of starting out a journey. Putting both of his hands over her mouth, he exhaled in relief. They stood there frozen for a few moments, before Eric was sure that Celeste gave up on singing. Only then did he move his hands away and put her back on the ground.

It took Eric a few more moments before fully grasping the horror of what he'd done. She puffed out her cheeks again and proceeded to crash into Eric's leg with full force. Fortunately for him, her full force wasn't exactly danger material. Still - it hurt.

"Sorry, sorry." Eric scratched the back of his head. "We'll be able to sing as soon as we're out of the streets, that alright with you?" He proposed, and although Celeste tried acting all dramatic and insulted, Eric knew that she'd already moved on. "Want to go back up, C?" Of course she wanted to. And with that, the two of them started moving again, taking their time to inspect buildings.

"No matter where we roam, all roads will lead us home. Through rain or pain, even if labeled insane - our friendship will keep us sane." Eric smiled as he spit out random lyrics that had just appeared in his head. He looked up to meet Celeste's gaze. She was looking at him expectantly to go on, but he sighed instead.

"I'll really need to teach you how to beat-box."

***

Burning of paper made a really distinct sound in an empty lobby of a once bustling office building. It was intriguing how majestic destruction appeared when one was able to observe it in silence. The only reason Fractal opted to visit this building is a closed off space for him to eat something without any possible unwanted interference. It almost ended as a lucky break for him as he was able to find a lighter on a reception desk. Unfortunately, it was almost empty and therefore probably left by some scavenger that visited the place before. It had enough gas left for Fractal to try it out and light a few pieces of paper on fire. But that was it for its lifespan. Disappointed, Fractal continued eating and, when finished, called his Purrloin out so he could grab something to eat as well.

While Felis was doing exactly so, already quite obedient to his trainer, Fractal took his time to check surrounding rooms of the building. Most of it was not accessible due to missing stairs and long since broken elevators. He checked the height of the broken off staircase and concluded that one would be able to get up there with the help of a Pokemon. Unfortunately, he had no such Pokemon with him and even if he did, he had no real intention of searching through old offices. Not yet, at least.

In the end, he stopped in front of a large window, one of the rare few that remained in one piece. It was one of the main windows to the place and was probably made of reinforced glass of some kind. It was one of the few logical explanations Fractal could come up with. His gaze followed the trail of ruined buildings. It's been a few hours since he made his way to the surface and the beauty of an endless sky quickly faded due to so much debris surrounding Fractal. The sight was wonderful and the ruins quickly got more of Fractal's attention than the sky.

"You done?" He calmly asked, turning to his Pokemon. Indeed he was, but his back was stiff and his eyes focused on the space behind Fractal. Without panicking, he moved away and approached Felis. The reason of anxiety for young Purrloin soon made its appearance out of the shadows. It was a pale purple Pokemon, which Fractal recognized immediately. He was not all that surprised that one of its kind would be found around these parts, under all this debris and sand. "A Skorupi, eh?" A grin appeared on his face as he inspected it. "You look weak for one of your kind. I thought you Skorupi were bigger and stronger. Guess I was wrong." His words visibly provoked the lone Pokemon, up to the point that it began approaching the two, which was not a typical Skorupi characteristic.

"Feisty, aren't we?" Fractal asked as he approached him and furiously stepped on his tail. Right below the tail claw, so that he wasn't able to move it. Before he was able to react, Felis already went for the rest of his body. "Scratch," Fractal muttered out as he watched his Purrloin get the job done. It wasn't long before he felt Skorupi's strength fading away and thus moved his leg away. "Let's go." He said with a simple "good job" nod.

Calling Felis back to his Poke-ball, Fractal was back on the streets and on his way.

Jude slowly slid down the sand hill, Rate struggling to not fall over as he chased after his owner. Once he stopped moving and Rate stopped by his side, panting as hard as he could, Jude took a moment to observe exactly where he was and what he would do from there. The only note-worthy thing he could see were foot-prints, almost completely wiped away by the wind, crossed his path. Now, it COULD be someone he didn’t want to mess with. But it COULD be some of the new trainers that left the Stations. While he didn’t mind Rate as company, it would be nice to actually talk to a human after wandering through what was pretty much a wasteland for more than 24 hours.

Jude stopped in his tracks at the sight of a deceased Ekans after following the prints in the sand for a while. From the parts of the body that he could see, it was attacked in several places, probably killed by some kind of bite attack. He wasn’t confident in his analysis but any strong Pokemon would have taken it out with a single hit, wouldn’t they? The assailant HAD to be a new trainer, similar to him. Rate wondered over to the corpse and sniffed it in a very tempted way, but Jude called him back before he could do anything more.

Jude was actually confident that Rate could take any common threat down. Although, the idea of getting ambushed by an Ekans bothered him a bit. “Sleeping” on the surface for his first time wasn’t too fun though and the idea of some feral Pokemon ripping him apart while he slept was too much for him to actually fall asleep.

After moving as quickly as he could without exhausting himself too much, the figures of two living things in the distance caught his attention. Now, he could just carelessly approach in the hopes that whoever they were, they weren’t hostile. But based on that Ekans he might get cut up simply because he surprised them. Calling from a distance would be best. He ran a bit closer so that he could make out more details (a human girl and some kind of humanoid-ish Pokemon) and started calling out to her, before continuing a run towards the pair.

He finally stopped several meters away from them, enough room so that no-one in the situation felt awkward or threatened. The girl was blonde, and more importantly had a knife. Her partner was a Sableye, and was probably what took down the snake from earlier. Jude felt a bit uneasy meeting someone on the surface. He’s seen caravans and the like, but someone like him who left for their first time was a bit different from some experienced travelers. “Hey, you probably don’t know me but I’m Jude, from Station 5. Are you new too? New to being a trainer I mean?” He knelt down and pet Rate’s head, but in reality he was just making sure he didn’t rush over to them and do whatever a Pokemon did when meeting new people.

The skies above were bright and the sun bearing down on Lily's pale skin was warm. It was far warmer than Neo Saffron and Lily could barely believe that the surface was so dangerous. The roads were dusty and many of the buildings had broken windows. It was the perfect day to set off on her journey to see the surface, perfect other than the memory that it was also the day her mother died. Lily's mother would have been so worried if she knew that Lily had gone to the surface but she would have been proud of her little girl. Lily knew that the adventure was the best way to remember her mother who had been born on the surface. Lily was alone on this journey except for the shinx Lily had recived from a trader. The shinx was cute little girl who Lily had aptly named Light.

Light had been sitting quietly next to Lily while she stared at the sky. After a few minutes of waiting, Light nipped at Lily's ankle to hurry her along. Lily kneeled down and pet Light lightly on the head. Lily was happy to have Light as company and was more than willing to bet that Light liked her company as well. She could always rely on Light as she could rely on her brother. It was scary to know that her brother wouldn't be able to help her. Lily realized quickly that she had to get moving before it was too late in the day.

---

Max was furious and his apartment showed it. There were broken items and tools scattered around the floor and a lamp sitting sideways. Max had recived the letter that Lily had left for the surface an hour ago and he could not believe she would leave without telling him in advance. Then again, it was Max who had decided to push his sister free of his influence. Max couldn't do anything at this point of time other than prepare to leave in hopes of catching up to Lily. It would take a Max half a day if not more to reach the surface.

Max had gathered all the money he could from his apartment, destroying it in the process, and was ready to set off on his journey to the surface and to find his sister. On his way to the tunnel which led to old Saffron, Max stopped by his mother's grave. "I... don't know what to say mom. She just up and left for the surface with no real reason. I have to go make sure she is safe up there." Max said to the small grave marked by a small rock. The tears in Max's eyes told of his determination to get to his sister.

---

Marianna loved the smell of the surface. It smelled like dust and dirt but at least it didn't smell like garbage and smoke. It wasn't like what her grandmother had told her it was but it was better than living in a practical sewer. Mari had to fulfill her grandmother's wishes and see the surface for herself. Although, her mother wasn't so happy to hear that Mari was going to the surface. Mari could remember clearly the curses hurled at her for deciding to leave for the surface like her father did. Yet, Mari felt no remorse for leaving her mother alone. Her mother had never done more then see her twice a month while her grandmother was alive and now she was interested in Mari now that she was the only family member still living in Saffron. Mari decided that it was time to get moving and began heading north, towards Cerulean city.

Phoebe finished her sandwich and watched her new pokemon graze on weeds in the sidewalk cracks. She was glad she chose a herbivorous pokemon over some of the "more popular" species, like Charmanders and Poocheyanas. Those species were mainly carnivorous. Their trainers rely on either hunting wild pokemon or spending much-needed supplies on freeze-dried Rattatas. Twin could feed himself. Hopefully. Are weeds healthy, or are they junk food for plant-eaters? Whatever; Phoebe will make sure he eats grass and leaves too.

Twin looked up and snorted. Phoebe followed his gaze to a faraway humanoid figure; someone waving at her. She froze. What should she do? It was common knowledge that no one on the Surface could be trusted, not even a person with no pokemon out. In fact, that made the person more suspicious! They could have some giant Nidoking hidden away in a pokeball, trying to get close and then steal all of Phoebe's pokemon and supplies.

Phoebe slid off the car. Twin looked at her, waiting for instructions. "Wait." She said, "Let him get closer."

She waited until the figure--a boy, vaguely familiar--reached about twenty feet away, "Stop!" Phoebe called, "Who are you?"

David quickly froze in place, one of his feet still off the ground. Slowly he lowered his foot down onto the sandy ground below, and sighed. "Figures." He muttered to himself, glancing down at Rupert for a moment, before responding. "Nobody threatenin', Ah promise that!" He replied, pretty sure he needed to say a bit more than that. "Ah'm from one of the Stations, you are too, ain't ya?" He asked, hoping his hunch was right. He swore he'd seen her a few times before, perhaps he passed her back down in the Station? He wasn't absolutely sure himself.

Rupert simply stared ahead, seeming to not care much about what the girl thought. If worse came to worse, they'd fight. He was used to fighting, and didn't see it as a horrible thing. David, however, wasn't one for conflict without reason. He'd rather see things end peacefully rather than having to perhaps get him or her injured. All he could really do was hope in his current position. Though he did want a peaceful solution, he kept aware of the girl and her Pokemon. He didn't want them pulling any dirty moves and taking him off guard. David hoped the worse that could happen was them walking away and pretending this never happened.

---

Jezabel had heard somebody calling out to her from behind, and though Quartz seemed to become somewhat defensive, his trainer put a hand in front of him as she turned, eyeing the approaching young man. He didn't look too threatening at first glance, but she remained skeptical and made sure her knife could be easily accessed. "Make sure you stay on your guard." She whispered to her Pokemon, before gesturing for the boy to come closer. Once he was in a more preferred speaking range, he was quick to introduce himself. As one of those Station-dwellers, no less.

"From one of those Stations, huh?" Jezabel smirked, having thought he looked a bit cleaner than usual for people around here. She wasn't absolutely certain of what to say when it came to answering his question, though. She COULD tell the truth and say she was new, but that might give the guy ideas. Not interested in that, she crossed her arms and kept her smirk. "New? Heh, not quite. Me and my Sableye here have been together for quite a few years now." She explained, leaving out details of where exactly they had been. "I was raised out here, not in one of those stations, y'know. I grew up learning to take care of myself in some pretty harsh conditions." Again, leaving out specifics of where exactly she was raised. She seemed proud, a small grin was on her face. "So don't think just because I look innocent that I'm not dangerous~! I can fend for myself." She added, a small wink following.

Quartz simply shook his head, almost embarrassed by his trainer's words that might end up getting them into trouble. He eyed Jude and his companion, noting them as a possible threat but also as possible allies. The small fire-type wasn't exactly Quartz's first choice for an opponent, mostly because he wasn't a fan of getting possibly lit on fire. With no water in sight, that'd be pretty bad. Almost like a statue, he continued to stare at them, which was perhaps mildly eerie for Jude.

---

Cerulean City was rather quiet. Occasionally, bandits camped in the area, some scavengers looted the buildings, and others passed strait through. But nobody seemed to really stay for long, possibly because the place just wasn't worth it, or because it was one of the first rumored locations that The Beast was spotted in. A killer, said to be swift and vicious, that'd show no mercy to those who crossed his path. Bandit's originally began spreading the rumor when their patrols ended up dead, always seeming to have been killed quickly, though messy. Loud screams would echo throughout the area, and when the victims were discovered, they usually had multiple stab wounds around the chest or back. They would also have their ankles cut rather deeply, suggesting whoever did it slowed their prey before finishing the job. Some suggested that there were actually multiple killers, though it was never proven to be true.

The image people imagined and began to spread around was a terrifying one; a murderous man with intents of ending the lives of many. Rumors spoke about him having blood red eyes and sharp fangs and claws, a literal beast among humans that saw others below him, as pure game, not even worthy of being given the chance of begging for mercy. A ruthless killer that sided with no one and was in it solely for himself. People had tried to hunt the beast, but either never returned, or came up empty handed. He knew how to not be found, that was for certain. Some began doubting his existence, even though the rumors raged on.

The rumors were somewhat true. There was a Beast that roamed the sands, but not exactly like they had imagined. This beast was but a cub, a young boy who only mostly cared about survival, though his past left him with a craving for revenge against the bandits of the sand. His eyes don't dawn a deadly red, but a youthful blue that would symbol possible hope rather than death. That didn't mean he was peaceful, mind you, he didn't intend to show mercy on his enemies, but wasn't a feral beast like most thought. He was very able, he could be understanding of those who he conversed with, and though he wasn't innocent, he knew his rights from wrongs. Somewhat, anyhow.

...

Hands and feet slammed against the sand as Maul ran, turning into an alleyway before stopping. He spotted a lone Pidgey, and grinned at it. A dark being showed up behind him, and simply licked around it's mouth, seeming hungry. A moment of silence passed, before both charged strait ahead, catching the Pidgey's attention. The bird turned it's head to notice them, and quickly began flying away. Maul jumped up onto a nearby dumpster to gain more height, before launching himself upwards at the bird. His speed and accuracy showed experience, as he grabbed the Pidgey by it's wings, causing it to cry out as they slammed down onto the hot sand below. Maul raised his head and eyed the Pidgey as it squirmed, attempting to peck and scratch at him.

"You'll make a good meal, you're pretty big for a Pidgey." Maul commented, squeezing it's wings momentarily, causing the bird to struggle more. It managed to scratch Maul's left arm, which caused a short but apparent gasp to escape from him. Maul released one wing, reaching down to his waist and unsheathing one of his knives, before swiftly bringing it down upon the bird, stabbing just below the throat of the poor thing. It cried out and continued it's impossible mission to escape as crimson rushed down into the sand. The boy stood, looking down at the bird as his Sneasel, Blight, joined his side. It watched the Pidgey, simply observing the dying Pokemon with a blank expression. Food was food, she wasn't skeptical of where it came from.

"I get first dibs, I caught it." Maul said suddenly, and his partner didn't respond, knowing he deserved it.

After a minute or so, Maul removed his knife from the bird and wiped the blood off, before sheathing it and picking up his victim. He began walking away from the alley soon after, pulling out the feathers as he began to make his way back to his little hideout. He hummed a small tune along the way, one his father used to hum after a good hunt. It made him feel somewhat more victorious. But what would really make him feel victorious was sinking his teeth into the plumb Pidgey he was holding.

The Sableye next to her seemed almost agitated towards Jude. Nonetheless, he had succeeded in approaching her and not getting destroyed. She almost seemed confused about how to answer a simple question, but that feeling went away when she assumed a more confident stance. The girl explained that she and her partner had apparently already been out in the wasteland for a couple years already. She definitely didn’t look like she was from a station (or at least, fresh out of one) but he was almost certain that some part of what she said was a lie.

“I’m sure you can,” Jude replied with a growing smirk, “but if you’re so capable of surviving by yourself, I doubt you’d like company. Being so tested against the wilds, I’m sure you’re totally okay with just having that weird Sableye as your only company ever.”
He pulled the scarf around his neck out more so that it almost covered the tip of his chin. Turning to the left to prepare to leave, he glanced at the girl one more time. Jude had tried to seem relatably friendly, just so he wouldn’t squander this meeting, but if she was going to lie to him he had no reason to be nice.

---

Dustin sighed. It seemed like a nice place to head to first, but Cerulean City was pretty much dead. He rarely found anything of interest in anywhere he checked, nothing really happened in public, and he hadn’t really met anyone face-to-face yet. It was almost… too quiet. All the trainers before him were warned of bandits and the weather, so the idea that that was the reason Cerulean was so ‘abandoned’ lingered in her mind. Buuut, if it WAS so dead, there wouldn’t be reason for bandits or thieves or whatever to even be there!

Aeita meowed in a warning fashion when she turned a corner in front of Dustin, putting both of them into a defensive stance. Listening harder, he heard a metallic rumbling gradually getting louder. In a panic he forced himself to the wall and motioned the Meowth close to him. His heart felt like it would literally fly out of his chest as the sound became ever so closer. The hand grasped firmly around Dustin’s pocket knife had whitened knuckles. The metal clanking was so close it felt like it was literally behind him…

Both of them breathed a long sigh of relief when several Rattata looked at them from inside of a rolling trash can. Dustin cursed himself for being so paranoid to be scared by some clever rats. As he got up, he listened to the rolling trashcan slowly fade away. Unfortunately, the sound was quickly replaced with distant commotion. Far away enough that it was faint but close enough that it could be noticed casually. With one hand supporting him on the sand and the other poised with his knife, he quietly over to a spot where he could hear it better and pinpoint the direction the noise came from. Before he even managed that, he noticed a small trail of sand sprayed into the air. The already faded prints in the sand lead straight into another alleyway, the one to the left of the pile of abandoned wood he hid behind. Just before he sunk back into the corner, Dustin caught a glimpse of a short black shape quickly head into the alleyway. Hopefully it hadn’t seen him as well.

The fear Dustin felt was a different kind than earlier. This wasn’t just a paranoid, tense fear… It was more of a ‘threatened’ kind of fear. A dangerous fear. Not before long he heard, unmistakably, human speech. Why were they in an alleyway, was the question that Dustin posed on himself. Were they bandits, or maybe just explorers like him? The answer was an enigma to him, and the time he had to mull over it was cut short when he caught the sound of feet walking. The dead silence was still except for his suppressed breathing and the hard-to-identify signs of life headed past him.

Just as he prepared to make a daring escape from the scene, Dustin accidentally shifted his foot to the wrong place and stepped on Aeita’s small paw, producing a sharp yelp from the Pokemon. His heart sank for two reasons: he had just hurt his faithful companion, and he had probably alerted this unknown adversary to his presence. The feeling he had when this happened was indescribable. An immense feeling of regret and dread.

"Well, I..." Jezabel became quiet, unsure of how to respond. He had pinned her in a mental corner with his words, and she was left simply trying to think of a response. She could say she didn't need him; it was probably true, considering she handled that Ekans decently. Though she did like the idea of having someone to socialize with that didn't respond by chewing on rocks and shaking it's head. "Of course I'm okay with it! It's a good bonding experience to rely on one-another." She managed to say, though saw he was planning on walking away. She bit the inside of her cheek as he turned.

"But!" She spouted out, almost regretting it. "I don't get to talk to others too often aside from the occasional trader." She explained, trying to salvage the situation as best she could. "So maybe having another human around wouldn't be half bad... Besides, you're fresh out here, yeah? I'm sure partnering up would benefit both of us." She smiled, putting her hands together. "I get somebody to actually talk to, and you get some help learning our simple way of life up here!" She glanced back at the open sands that she had actually never ventured into before, then looked back at the boy in front of her. "Your move. Feel free to leave if you want, I've got treasure-hunting to do."

'Please don't leave, please don't leave, please don't leave....'

---

A sudden loud yelp from behind alerted Maul, causing him and Blight to turn with the Pidgey still in his grasp. Maul narrowed his eyes as he stared at the source of the sound that had somehow ended up directly behind him. He glared towards the source, honestly not believing he missed him on the way. He was glad a mistake was made, as he now spotted what appeared to be a man that was a bit taller than he was. "What are you doing sneaking around?! Come out and don't do anything stupid if you want to end this while you are still all-together!" Maul said, tightening the grip on his food. If they even thought of trying to take it, they'd be in a living hell. He was very protective when it came to food, and wouldn't let it go if he could stab somebody first.

He glanced at Blight for a moment, she simply seemed to be on guard in case they attacked. Maul was proud of this, and looked back towards the possible enemy before him. Even though they were possibly going to get into a fight, Maul continued plucking the feathers of the Pidgey he held, wanting to feast on it early, especially if he had to fight before he devoured his lunch. Of course...

'If worse comes to worse, I can always eat whatever made that noise.' Maul considered just taking that option, as he could feed it to Blight and keep the Pidgey for himself. Though he wasn't exactly a good person, he wasn't immoral. He'd give the person a chance at least before taking action. But if any hasty tricks happened, Maul planned to show no mercy. He wouldn't deserve it at that point, and was on thin ice anyways.

"So," Eric turned around, looking at various buildings that were once bustling with life. "What should we do first?" He looked up at Carmen, still up on his shoulders. "Maybe we should have come up with some sort of a plan beforehand." He scratched the back of his head, but grinned mere moments after. Planning far ahead wasn't like him at all. "Alright, here's the flight plan. We should probably get out of the city sooner rather than later. Then locate ourselves a food and water source. I doubt we'll find a tasty buffet waiting for us here." It would be pure luck finding anything laying out in the open, considering all the scavengers that passed these streets throughout the years.

"You know what else we can do?" He smiled as he walked further down the street. "Find ourselves another companion." Eric was actually referring to another person, as there are bound to be other people around. But Carmen actually lit up at the prospect of having another Pokemon to amaze with her singing. "But!" Eric quickly corrected himself, putting his finger in front of Carmen. "Don't go straight into opera mode when we find them!"

She almost bit his finger in response, but Eric managed to move it away fast enough.

"Now... do you think we'll be able to find a cute girl around here somewhere?" He put Carmen down and instructed her to help him search. Of course, he did not have any real hopes of finding a cute girl, but it would give Carmen something to do while they make it out of town. Or at least until Eric really figures out their next course of action.

The young ball of joy jumped from crack to crack, searching for her trainer's target. It was around good ten minutes in the search that Carmen heard something around the corner and thus moved straight for the source. Her Pokemon senses were far greater than her trainer's, thus she was able to pick out a conversation close by. Moving so fast was a bold move. Not exactly smart, considering Eric did not even notice her leaving his plane of sight, but bold nevertheless.

Behind the corner, though, was a jackpot.

A jackpot in form of two people and their two respective Pokemon. In retrospect, the straightforward Jiglypuff would've probably been better off not rushing into the open while there was a stare-off between two not-looking-like-best-friends trainers. Then again, if they did not notice her just standing there, their Pokemon surely would. And soon.

Almost a comical drip of sweat made its way down the pink balloon that was Jiglypuff and ended hitting the ground. It seemed far louder to her than it probably was, but she couldn't help it, especially not being experienced in situations like this. Of course, she could have turned around and left before anyone noticed her, but her tiny legs froze in place. She wanted Eric to show up and get rid of her anxiety for her, but he didn't seem to be coming.

Not knowing what else to do, she breathed in and got ready to sing, should anything bad go down.

***

"How could they screw things up so much?" Fractal thought to himself as he passed what was once a Poke-center. As far as the stories went, the Surface was a place full of harmony and joy. People living in unison with Pokemon and even with people taking more and more of the world to themselves, the wild Pokemon were kind to them. The Pokemon showed great spirit and heart by letting people do what they wanted. Which is exactly why Fractal wondered - what exactly could people screw so much that Pokemon would turn on them? Although Fractal did not mind people suffering for their wrongdoings and being forced to live in the sewers below the ground, he heard that a lot of Pokemon died in the process of change as well.

It was a revolution. And every sane person knows that there are a lot of casualties when one comes around. But, if there were no people to begin with, there would be no need for a revolution. It would be Pokemon living on their own, like they deserve. Without some "higher" disturbance.

Deeply immersed in his thoughts, Fractal walked down the street, his hands in his pockets. That's when he noticed a figure in the corner of his eyes. He almost got too careless and missed it. Which was a ticket to getting injured, or worse, if the Surface was truly as dangerous as people portrayed it. Without trying to be stealthy, he turned around and faced it.

Correction, there were two figures. A Pokemon and its trainer. The trainer seemed to be female and the Pokemon was clearly a Shinx. They were walking away from him, which meant that they didn't notice him standing casually in the middle of the street. That would be good if he wanted to get out of sight while he still could. But he had no intention of doing that.

He could have far more advantages from this potential meeting than disadvantages. And he figured she couldn't have been a trainer for too long. Keeping a Pokemon out of its Pokeball was a sign of someone who didn't have a lot of Pokemon with them. And people that didn't have more than one Pokemon were often beginners. But the real question was how would he approach her, without scaring her Pokemon into attacking.

Fractal quickened his pace until he somewhat closed the distance, before stopping in his tracks, putting on his best kind face and coughing to get her attention. If she was to judge him by his calm demeanor, he wouldn't be surprised if she thought that he was a trainer seeking for battle. Which was good, at least he would be able to see whether her actions befit a beginner or not.

The figure--a boy, about her age, also with a pokemon--stopped right when she told him too. Good. Phoebe half expected him to keep walking. Then she would have to run and hide, or worse, fight with a weak, brand-new pokemon. Briefly, the boy looked down at his pokemon. Phoebe followed his gaze, watching for any sort of signal. The pokemon was an unknown species, brown, and small. It looked like a really fluffy Raticate, with similar buckteeth. Phoebe knew from experience how painful a Raticate bite could be.

The boy claimed he was from the Stations. Phoebe wanted to believe him, but she had no way to verify it. Still, she let slip a little bit of information, along with a healthy dose of lies, "Me too. In fact, I'm from Neo Saffron. I've come back for a visit."

'Back? Must've been out here for awhile if that's the case... Maybe Ah was wrong?'

"Really? Ah'd say Ah just left around... Four or five hours ago, Ah think. Ah figured you hadn't been out here long, but Ah'm apparently wrong. Apologies." David admitted what he figured to just be a mistake and apologized for it, not really that skeptical of other people. It was probably a bad thing, but David was quite trusting and often could feed into other's lies. Thankfully this situation probably wouldn't have a serious effect on him. He wasn't sure if gaining this girl's trust was going to be easy, considering she'd apparently been out here for awhile already. Even if she seemed kind of clean, and pretty pale considering the bright sun above.

Rupert, though at first finding this possibly entertaining, was quickly getting bored. He plopped down into the sand and stared forward, figuring he'd might as well take a nap until this was over. He opened his mouth widely, letting out a silent yawn as he closed his eyes and rested.

"You kno-..." Eric opened his mouth, scanning the area around him. There were no potential threats, that was for sure, but Carmen was nowhere in sight as well. "Oh boy." He sighed as he finished his sentence in the only way he currently could. Quickly checking every single building that he was able to access, he tried to locate his Pokemon, but in vain. An uncomfortable feeling covered his whole body as his mind raced through worst-case scenarios. Turning to his right, Eric saw another building. Not giving up yet, he approached it, stopping in his tracks only when he heard a faint sound. Usually, he wouldn't be able to recognize anything from this distance, but he was so familiar with Carmen and her antics that he immediately knew what was going on.

Peeking around the corner, he saw his Jigglypuff. At first, he was relieved, but then he saw them. Two people nearby, with their respective Pokemon out in the open. The situation didn't look hostile, but it didn't give any indication it was not. Of course, Eric figured, it could turn into a fierce battle any moment now.

He was about to jump in and grab Carmen and get the heck out of there while they still had the chance, when he noticed that one of the Pokemon plopped down to the ground, seemingly not interested in any kind of a fight. That made Eric rejoice - he found some potential company. Then - he saw it!

Carmen - breathing in and getting to unleash her song of yawns. Even if the situation wasn't hostile, it would turn so at any moment now, due to his own Pokemon.

Not wasting any time, he rushed out of the corner and jumped at Carmen, rolling to the side and putting his hand over her mouth. "Phew..." He let out as he observed his surroundings - the two unknown people weren't asleep and their Pokemon weren't breathing down Eric's and Carmen's necks. All went better than expected.

That is, until Carmen bit his hand, making him erupt in a loud scream.

***

No reaction. Fractal coughed once again, but both the girl and her Pokemon just kept on walking. He was slowly getting insulted by the ignorance of that little brat. "Hey there!" he finally let out, but even this time - nothing. She even turned around the corner and left him standing in the middle of the street, his ego completely and utterly shattered.

"How dare she... ignore me like that." Fractal muttered out, before he sharply turned around and returning to the Poke-Center he just recently passed. "I don't need a brat like that, anyways." He spoke through his teeth as he kicked open the door to the center.

Hopefully, he'd find something of use here that would help his ego recuperate.