The earthquake that struck the Sinnoh region was devastating, collapsing buildings, eliminating electricity throughout entire cities, and killing or injuring hundreds of people. Four teenagers in particular gained the knowledge of who was responsible for the devastating tragedy, Running into a pair of men calling themselves members of an organization called Team Rocket. Defeating the both of them in a fiery Pokémon Battle, the pair fled, Hinting about a location somewhere in the northern portion of the region that held their headquarters. After a long night of tears, weariness, and attempts to cheer each other up, they bonded together and agreed to track down the villains and stop them from using the mysterious object that had allowed them to create earthquakes again. Each of them have their own reasons, the injury of loved ones, The death of family, injuries to their partner Pokémon, Revenge, but all of these things helped them create a friendship that would last them over the entirety of their journey.

The new day dawned bright, despite the devastation of the previous day, The laughter still lingering around the campsite as the small group of friends busied themselves in the chill of early morning, working together to clean up their gear. As one, They moved towards the Pokémon Center, it's red roof standing out among the darker neighboring buildings, in agreement that they would make one last visit to the unconscious professor Palm. With Poppy cradled gently in his arms, Scott was the first to enter the small room they had set aside for her, Moving over to the bed where the woman lay seemingly asleep, wires and tubes connected to her arms and face. The little Piplup chirped sadly and he instinctively lifted one of his hands to place it on the back of her head, rubbing the downy feathers comfortingly.

It's going to be alright Poppy. They say that her body just need some time to heal before they can let her wake up." Scott whispered to his partner, Meeting her vivid blue gaze as she turned to look up at him. He smiled reassuringly, eyess soft. "I promise that she'll get better and be so happy to see you when we visit her next time." This seemed to cheer up The little water type, A series of short chirps and squeaks issuing from her tiny beak as she gratefully nuzzled her trainer's hand.

Hesitating in the doorway, without any reason to grieve over the unconscious stranger, Alice found herself smiling a little at the gentle tones she heard Scott using with his Pokémon, using this as evidence that he would one day become a strong and caring trainer. This made her tighten her grip slightly around her own Pokémon, the little Zorua grunting softly with the pressure and turning questioning icy colored eyes up at her before snorting softly with a flick of a pointed ear and turning his attention back towards the curious scene before him, confused why they were there in the first place. "she's Rai's and Scott's friend. They wanted to say goodbye before we left." She explained as she watched his brow furrow, meeting his eyes as they were turned back in her direction, a light of understanding within them at her explanation. Gently running her fingers through the plume of red fur between his ears, Alice glanced towards Tobin, Giving him a small but reassuring smile.

It almost looked like professor Palm was dead. The woman's skin was deathly pale and wires and tubes of all kinds connected her to a beeping machine. If it wasn't for the rise and fall of the professor's chest, Rai would have rushed to call a nurse.

Seeing the woman in such a state made the girl flare up with new-found hatred for the rockets and she lingered by the doorway, unsure of what to say or even do. The Quilava in her backpack poked it's head out from under the flap, and he looked around the room, freezing when his eyes flitted to the unresponsive professor. Rai wasn't moving away from the entrance either, she just stared ahead and watched as Scott approached the bed. Flame pressed his head against his trainer's shoulder and let out a soft 'quil', urging her to move forward. This would be the last time they saw the professor in a long time and Rai wasn't going to leave without saying her goodbyes.

Last night the four of them had made a decision. They'd go after the rockets, inform the authorities and try to get to the bottom of everything. How exactly had they caused a quake as strong as that? It had shaken the entire region...there had to be more to it than they had heard. It had to be something colossal and what that was, well, they were going to find out and they were going to help the officers as much as they could, whether or not their help was wanted.

The trainer listened as Scott and Poppy conserved. One day, he was going to be an awesome trainer, she could tell by the way he treated his pokemon. He loved them and that would get him far. "Mhm, you better listen to your trainer, Poppy." She stretched leisurely a reassuring grin appearing on her face. The girl sounded and acted a lot more chipper than she actually felt. Rai placed a hand on Poppy's head and ruffled the Piplup's feathers. "Prof Palm is really, really tough. This ain't knocking her down, that's for sure." Her eyes flitted to the unconscious woman before she turned to look Flame in the eyes. The Quilava had both paws on her shoulder, half his body now out of her bag. "Hey, Flamey, remember that time when the Taurus broke lose? Prof Palm handled the situation with ease and fixed the problem with barely any help. Flame and I were amazed." There was no missing the girl's respect and admiration for the professor. "Believe us, she'll pull through." Rai stated, hoping that she could believe her own words too.

Tobin wasn't as familiar with the professor as the other two, so like Alice, he lingered by the doorway, a look of concern plastered his face. "They must care about her very much." He whispered to his friend. The Zorua peered at the room and Alice explained before giving Tobin a smile. The young man smiled back, scratching behind the Zorua's ear as he did so. Watching the two say their goodbyes made him feel sad and a part of him felt like he was intruding, so he kept his eyes focused on the floor and lowered his voice so only Alice could hear him. "Alice," he said in a wavering voice, "do you think she's going to be alright?" Supplies were running low, the electricity was unstable and the professor looked pretty bad. A part of Tobin couldn't help but fear the worse. "I really, really hope she will be." He took a step away from the doorway and sat on a chair just outside the room. He wasn't the bravest, that he had to admit, and seeing all the wounds and bloodstained bandages were making him feel a bit sick.

He fiddled with the sleeves of his jacket. The early morning air was chilly and in a way the warmth that his jacket provided was reassuring. "We'll be sending help from the next town to Twinleaf won't we?" He eyed the survivors huddling in corners then frowned at the conditions. "These people need help...I was wondering after we send in help, what's next for us?" Where would they go. Rai's and Scott's idea wasn't exactly the most logical one. They wanted to track down the rockets, but Tobin thought it was rather risky. Still, the two wouldn't stop and so he and Alice decided to tag along. The least they could do was try to keep the duo out of trouble. He let out a defeated sounding laugh before an amused smile crept up his face. "Those two are really interesting...aren't they, I guess we'll just have to follow." He exhaled then gave Alice a warm smile. He'd make sure no one ever got hurt.

Tobin peered into the room and noticed Rai holding Professor Palm's hand tightly.

"Well, I guess...I'll see you when I see you, Prof. You better take care, okay." The girl declared before giving Scott a weary grin. "I'll make sure to show him the ropes and Flamey will keep Poppy out of trouble too." The girl continued on, even though the professor couldn't respond at all. "Good bye for now," she gave the professor's hand one last squeeze then let go. They had a long journey ahead of them, but if there was one thing she was determined to do, it was to get to the bottom of this and bring the rockets to justice. "C'mon Scott," Rai called out as she walked out the door. She gave both Alice and Tobin a determined nod. "Mhm, so which town are we headed to next?"

Surprisingly, Dusk was The first to respond to Tobin's distress, the small fox squirming out of Alice's arms and leaping nimbly onto The Coordinator's lap. He stared up at him with his icy blue eyes a long moment before quite suddenly pressing the side of his face into Tobin's stomach, small paws momentarily gripping at the fabric of his artistic hoodie. It caused a bubble of joy to blossom within Alice's stomach at the sight, A warm smile touching her lips. Her baby Pokémon was not usually known for his kindness or warmth, Usually preferring to be distant to anyone but her and likely to nip at any unfamiliar fingers. So for him to voluntarily offer comfort to A friend was quite the rare treat. Momentarily pressing her fingers to her mouth as she savored the moment, the young trainer then moved over and sat down next to Tobin on the small bench pushed against the wall. "I think that the professor is going to be just fine . Rai's willpower alone is probably enough to keep her going until she can get better, our fiery friend wouldn't have it otherwise. " She said confidently, though A small twinge of concern still nagged at the back of her mind. After a second of consideration, she also reached out to comfort Tobin, draping her arm across the back of his shoulders.

Her soft green gaze then also passed around the room, touching on familiar faces and feeling the taste of sorrow at the back of her throat. All of these people truly needed help, but she wasn't sure that a handful of teenagers could be able to do much more than what was already being done. They could bring any supplies of what could be spared, But she also didn't feel that it was right to separate from Scott and Rai, Not when they could run into Team Rocket again, especially with them being willing to kill children. She tightened her grip around her friend briefly before turning slightly and meeting is gaze.

"I'm sure that Twinleaf would eventually need help, yes, but I believe that our place is with Rai and Scott... I'm worried that Team Rocket is going to show up again...." She shivered A little at the idea. "They're headed to Jubelife city, so we should go along with that too. I don't want them to get into trouble."

"Glad to know you've got our backs Alice." Scott chuckled as he exited The professor's room, causing Alice to squirm slightly and go pink in the face. "We would love to have you both come along. Right rival?" He continued with another soft laugh, turning to lift both of his eyebrows at Rai.

"Did I hear that you four are planning on heading to Jubelife?" Another voice interjected, a young man stepping forward and looking slightly concerned as he cast his eyes around the group.

"Yes... Is that a problem?" Scott asked uncertainly, wary because of the expression on the man's face

"normally, it wouldn't be." The stranger explained, scratching at the side of his chin. "but I was out there not too long ago with a couple of my friends and we found out that the earthquake did something fierce to the land out there. Split part of it right in half and made this huge cliff wall that we couldn't find a way around."

There was a soft popping sound as Alice's mouth fell open with surprise, quite stunned at the revelation. She couldn't imagine the land changing so dramatically, having been so focused on the damage done to the objects on the surface. It was hard for her to wrap her brain around the information. "so there's no way that we can get into the city?"she squeaked, heart sinking at the idea that they might be stuck in Sandgem for a long time yet to come.

The man blinked, looking a little confused. "I didn't say that you couldn't get to the city. I'm just letting you know that you can't go via route 202. But we did find out that there is a way to get to the city if you circle around to the lake."

Scott looked relieved, glad to hear that there was still a way for them to continue on their journey. It would have been quite awful if they had to call it quits before even having a chance to get started. "thank you." He said to the man sincerely, offering him a small smile. "we do appreciate the help."

"that's going to slow things down..." Alice murmured A slightly worried expression turning down her mouth as she looked back towards her friends. "but maybe that means that it slowed down the Rockets too...?" A spark of hope lit her eyes at this idea. "what do you think Rai? Tobin?"

"Thank you," Tobin gave Dusk a soft and affectionate pat on the head. The gesture was appreciated and the fear that had begun to build up inside slowly ebbed away. Feeling, the baby pokemon's warmth and knowing that Alice had his back made him feel a lot braver. As long as he had his friends with him, everything would be okay. Alice sat down beside him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Why wasn't he as brave as them? Tobin swallowed his fear and returned the gesture. He gave Alice a firm and comforting squeeze on the shoulder then smiled kindly at her. "You're absolutely right, it was silly of me to be worry." He was so lucky to have her as his best friend.

Alice peered into the room before declaring that their place was with Scott and Rai. Tobin nodded his head, it wouldn't have felt right, leaving those two to chase after team rocket. Rai was fiery and hotheaded and Scott, he would be a great trainer someday, but now he was still inexperienced. Those two would need all the help they could get, so Alice was right. "Safety in numbers. That sounds like the best choice, and we can't leave them." Tobin was smiling kindly at the duo, he and Alice hadn't known them for long but they were nice people and over the course of the day the four felt like they had known each other for much longer than they really did. It was as sad as it was true, tragedy pushed people together. The quake and loss were what brought the four of them together.

Before Tobin could say anything else, Scott walked out the door, glad to know both his new friends would be coming along. Tobin laughed softly at the flustered Alice before giving Scott a tap on the back. "You can't shake us off anymore." The coordinator joked.

"Mhm, glad you guys will be coming with us." Rai grinned brightly at both Alice and Tobin. "The more the merrier after all, besides, with all four of us together this'll be a piece of cake. Ain't that right, Flamey?" Rai was just as eager and confident as ever. The Quilava poked his head out from under her bag's flap before it blinked at her unconvinced. Chasing after the rockets wasn't going to be a piece of cake...didn't she understand this wasn't a game? The it was real and dangerous and far from a walk in the park?

"Ouch, don't give me that look, squirt." Rai's grin turned mischievous as Flame rolled his eyes at the teasing nickname. "Have a little faith, we're going to kick rocket butt, aren't we guys?" There was a glint of determination in her eyes and Tobin chuckled, raising both hands in mock surrender.

His new friends were full of spunk weren't they. "We'll do our best to aid this noble cause." He gave both of them a playful salute then turned to Alice with a smile. However, the group's silly banter was cut short when as man asked them if they were headed to Jubelife. He sounded concerned and worried and it made Tobin tensed and on edge. Scott asked the man if there was a problem and he explained how the route to Jubelife had been cut off due to the quake. So, it had hit other places just as bad? The coordinator had a thoughtful look on his face, had the quake hit the entire region of Sinnoh? What about the rest of the world. He'd ask for information at the nearest lab, his parents were all the way in Hoenn, but he'd make sure to call them as soon as he found a signal. Unfortunately, Sandgem had lost communication with the rest of the region. He guessed it was the same anywhere, but took in a deep breath and hoped for the best.

"What?" Rai stared at the man with a look of bewilderment. Had it been that bad? Her mom was in Johto and her dad in Kanto, so she hadn't worried about them. In fact, they were probably the ones worrying about her, but there wasn't a signal anywhere so there was just no way to get in touch. "No way?" Rai stared at the man intently. She refused to be stuck in Sandgem! Not while team rocket was parading around, there was no way in hell!

Alice asked if there was any other way to Jubelife and the man stated they could circle around the lake.

"Is the route safe?" Tobin looked to Scott then Alice then Rai. "I don't want us to jeopardize our safety."

"Thanks a lot," Rai grinned at the man then turned to face her friends. "It should be pretty safe, Tobin. I mean, there are four of us and we've all got our Pokemon to help out." Rai's energy was contagious, but Tobin couldn't shake away worry and it lingered, but he nodded, not wanting to stop his friends. Perhaps, he was just being a worrywart.

Then Alice said something that fired Rai up even more.

"You're absolutely right! If we leave now there's a chance we can catch up to them." The trainer gave Alice a determined nod, despite Flame's apprehension.

Tobin wanted them to play it safe, but it was three against one and if they all thought it was no big deal then it had to be fine. "Alright, that sounds like a plan to me...but, promise me, we'll be extra careful in everything we do, please?" The last thing he wanted was someone getting hurt. Tobin didn't like to admit it, but he was like a mother goose of sorts, always wanting to make sure everyone was alright and nobody got into trouble. That was probably the reason he chose coordinating over battling in the first place.

"Now that it's settled, let's go! C'mon we're burning daylight." Rai hooked her arms with Scott's and Alice's before practically dragging them out the door. Tobin simply laughed and followed after the energetic girl. Despite the chaos the quake had left behind it was a sunny day and clouds that looked like Mareep rolled lazily across the blue sky. The trainers made their towards route 202 and it was a slow day filled with chitchat, jokes, silly banter and talking. Eventually they reached the route and saw that the road had been divided by a deep fissure that led to who knows where. "So this what was the guy was talking about, do we turn here?"

Tobin frowned, eyeing the map in his pokedex. "It says we take a left then when we reach the lake we head north." The teens continued to trudge on as morning turned into afternoon. They stopped for lunch beneath the shade of a couple of trees before continuing on however they never came across the lake. "Oh, this is bad." Tobin looked at his friends with a sour expression. "The pokedex has been giving me the wrong coordinates. The broken communication towers have been interfering with the GPS." He stared at them with a look of distraught, the sun would be setting in a few hours and getting caught in the road at night wouldn't be very smart, not when the rockets were out and around.

"I guess we'll have to keep going then," Rai frowned. "Do any of you know where we are?"

The day slipped away around them as the four friends finally started their journey that would change each of them irrevocably, the hours of walking lost amidst the laughter and stories, The childhood memories and the jokes. The ravine that gaped up at them from the ground quickly became a shadow that they shoved to the backs of their thoughts, Believing that the city was just around the corner. And that it wouldn't matter that the obstacle lay in their way and forced them into a detour. No, for now it was laughter and smiles, Snacking on traveling food, and consulting the Pokédex as they waited for the glorious city of Jubelife to rise up on the horizon and signal that they had made it over the first hurdle.

"Do any of you know where we are?"

Rai's question made Scott's heart sink as they all looked around at one another, having stopped briefly to consult the electronic device in Tobin's hand. They should have reached the city by now but it was becoming glaringly obvious that they had been traveling in the wrong direction as they consulted the map, Quickly discovering that it was not functioning properly. They had no indication in which direction the city was or even where exactly they had wandered off to. One thing was very obvious.

"I think we're lost."

Alice sounded considerably glum as she said this, frown tugging down the corners of her mouth as she shaded her eyes against the setting sun, squinting in several directions in an attempt to spot the city and point them in the right direction. She wasn't having any luck however. Even Dusk was helping out, slowly walking around his trainer in a circle and sniffing at the ground for clues. Poppy waddled over to the dark type and began helping him, though she didn't understand what it was he was searching for and started to offer him small rocks, thinking that he had dropped one that he had liked, but this only caused the Zorua to flatten his ears and look at her mutely in exasperation.

Sighing in a short huff, Scott glanced around at their more immediate surroundings, the roll of hills and the scattered clumps of trees. A short distance from their current location, He spotted a solitary oak that reached much higher then the other trees and an idea popped into his head at seeing it there, branches swaying gently in an unseen breeze. "Hey, I just thought of something!" He announced excitedly, turning back towards his friends. "I can climb up that tall tree over there and take a look around before the sun goes down. What do you think? I'll take Tobin with me and you girls can look for a place where we can camp just in case I can't see anything."

"that might work." Alice agreed, clearly not volunteering herself to climb the tree instead. By the way she had blanched and gone white as a sheet back at the ravine, it was quite obvious that she wasn't fond of heights.

"Flame could tag along too if that's alright Rai." Scott continued, glancing towards the Quilava and lifting his eyebrows in question. "Poppy can stay here and help you find a good camping spot, she's good at that sort of thing."

Immediately, the little Piplup began squeaking excitedly, hurrying over to Rai and tugging excitedly at one of her pant legs, Giving her a wide eyed expression of pleading, Clearly saying: Oh please?

There was no denying it, they were hopelessly lost.

"This isn't good." Tobin tapped his Pokedex lightly as a frown tugged on the corner of his lips. The sun would be setting soon, and after that, it would no longer be safe to travel. He tapped his Pokedex again, hoping that the device would somehow work. However, due to the broken communication lines, it didn't and the coordinator let out a defeated sigh. "Sorry everyone, but Alice is right. We're lost and the maps on our Pokedexes won't be of any use." The boy deflated, his eyes flitting to Dusk and Poppy.

The baby Pokemon were so innocent, it just wasn't fair, them having to endure this. It wasn't fair at all and despite his dislike for grudges and vengeance, he wanted the rockets to pay for what they had done as well and for the pain they had caused everyone.

"This sucks," Rai folded both hands over her chest in a defiant manner before turning to look at Flame. The Quilava hopped out of her bag and made his way towards the younger Pokemon. "Should we just keep walking, we're bound to get somewhere, right?"

"No, we'd reach somewhere eventually, but where...well, we won't know. It's not very safe, Rai." Tobin frowned.

The trainer sighed in reply. "Alright, alright, any bright ideas, guys?"

Scott suggested that he and Tobin go find a tree while the girls find a place to camp. Rai stared at the boy before a grin lit up her face. "Mhm, sounds like a plan. Good idea, Rival." She beamed before giving Scott a thumbs up and an eager nod of the head.

The coordinator wasn't fond of the idea, but it was their best bet so he agreed as well. "Nice thinking, Scott."

Then Scott asked if Flame could come along and Rai turned to look at her partner. The Quilava stared back, as if saying that it was her call. He was eager to help their new friends, but if push came to shove, he would have preferred tagging along with his trainer. "So, whaddya say, pal? You up for it, you could help keep wild Pokemon away from the tree." Rai gave him a smile. "It'd be a big help." Flame stared back for a few moments before nodding his head and making his way towards the boys. "Don't worry Scott, we'll take care of Poppy. Both of you better not fall, alright?" With that said the girl turned to Alice with a smile. "Let's do this."

The little water type ran up to her and Rai ruffled Poppy's feathers affectionately before picking her up. "Aww, isn't she adorable, Alice?" The girl asked with a chuckle before she began walking off. "So, where do you think we should set up camp? There? There? Or maybe up on that hill?" The trainer began wandering farther away without a care in the world, anyways they knew where Tobin and Scott would be so it was no problem at all.

"Deciding is harder than I thought, any ideas?" She ran a hand over the soft feathers of Poppy's head before pausing so Alice could catch up. Rai turned to the baby water type, "Poppy, if you like, you can ride in my bag." She offered kindly before she and Alice resumed their walk.

The duo continued walking for some time before Rai looked at Alice with a grin. "Hey, that grassy place looks good. There aren't any trees so it'd be perfect for star gazing and setting up camp." They were kind of far from where Tobin and Scott were, but Rai figured it would be worth it.

Meanwhile Tobin and Scott made their way towards the tree. The coordinator looked at the newly dubbed trainer with a kind smile then at flame. "We better be careful and thanks for the help Flame. If we get high enough we should be able to see farther, but we shouldn't go too high or else the branches won't be as sturdy." The quilava nodded it's head before it circled around the tree protectively.

Little did they know, everything could change in the blink of an eye.

Tobin stared at the setting sun, then at Scott. "Are you ready, Scott?"

A delighted series of squeaks and chirps issued from Poppy at the suggestion of riding along in the backpack, something of which she had been curious about and dying to try out. She held still just long enough for Rai to hold the flap up and slip her inside before she began to squirm once again however, Experimenting with ducking in and out of the opening and looking over each shoulder, Just as she had seen the Quilava doing on previous occasions. The entire charade had Alice giggling and she happily hooked an arm with Rai, Enjoying the opportunity for it to be just the girls for a few minutes. "she's quite adorable! Scott's lucky to have gotten such a cutie." She said affectionately, reaching around and giving the downy feathers she could reach a quick rub. Dusk huffed in her ear once, but otherwise seemed contented to sit quietly on her shoulder throughout the search.

Skimming their surroundings as they put some distance between themselves and the boys, Alice found herself absently chewing on her lower lip as she considered in different locations. There was a hill nearby that have been pointed out that was relatively clear of debris and would make an excellent camping location, But she didn't like that one side of the formation suddenly cut off in a sheer dropoff, A feature that made her skin crawl at the idea. The flat clearing that was pointed out not too long after that was more appealing to her taste, grin brightening her features to show her approval.

"I think it will be perfect! I loved looking at the stars together last night." She said sincerely, steering their footsteps in its direction. But just as they reached the halfway point, she felt a wave of vertigo overcome her body A moment before the world seemed to lurch beneath her feet. Everything began to tremble and groan, Knocking everything off balance and sending rocks dancing across the dirt.

"Not again!" Alice cried, stumbling forward as the shaking intensified in strength and landing hard on her hands and knees, Pebbles biting harshly into the tender skin of her palms. She barely had time to register the sting and the flair of heat in one of her knees before the ground unexpectedly tilted forward beneath her, sending her toppling forward and rolling head over heels into the waiting hole that had been freshly ripped open, plunging her into the darkness with a screen bubbling out of her throat.

Gritting his teeth together and rubbing The palms of his hands against his pant legs, Scott nodded once in affirmation. "Ready." He hadn't had all that much experience in climbing trees as he was growing up, living in a mining town such as Oreburg. It had to be at least a little similar to climbing rocks though... Right? Reaching out, he grabbed one of the lower branches, bracing his foot against the sturdy trunk as he levered himself up into the tree, trying his best to ignore the bite of the bark against his skin.

"I hope that the girls are having an easier time." He huffed as he paused to take a break, twisting his arms around a nearby branch to keep himself in place. Squinting his eyes against the glare of the sun, he looked back the way they had come, hunting for any sign of his friends. But they had been hidden by the role of hills and the distance between them. "Climbing trees is tough work!"

Laughing softly and giving his head a shake, the young man turned back towards the tree, reaching up for the next branch. But just as his fingers touched the bark, he heard an unsettling rumble beneath him that made his stomach twist in apprehension, His eyes widening a moment before things began to shake apart. Time became infinite as he desperately clung to the trunk of the tree, Teeth vibrating in his skull as the world shook angrily in the aftershock. He didn't know how long it had been since the shaking started, but it abruptly came to an end as he heard something in the trees groan with the sound of creaking would followed by a sharp crack that made his muscles jumped and something heavy hit him hard in the back of the head, sending him into abrupt and silent darkness.

Poppy ducked in and out of her bag and Rai couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, she's adorable. Scott's gonna have a hard time saying no to this little cutie." Rai reached behind her back and ruffled the Piplup's feathers. When she got older, the water type would probably learn how to use her charm to her advantage, and when she learned that, Scott would be in trouble. The thought made Rai laugh. "You've got a dashing little fella with you as well." The girl added before giving Dusk a bright grin. They were getting farther and farther away from the boys, but that was because their were no good camping sites nearby.

The girls continued walking, and eventually wound up in a flat clearing. It was pretty and despite the destruction around it, looked unharmed by the quake. There was a drop off not too far away, but aside from that, the area looked fine. Alice stated it would be perfect and Rai gave her friend an eager nod. "You betcha, it even has stream for Poppy to swim in." The girl turned her head, so she could give the Piplup a smile. "So, what do you think Poppy?" Rai waited for an answer then turned to Alice who spoke excitedly about stargazing. Last night had definitely been a treat after everything that had happened. Just staring at the sky, chatting away, and fooling around with Scott, Tobin, and Alice had felt so good and it made things seem so much better. During that short span of time, their problems were nearly nonexistent.

"Let's camp here then, we can stargaze later, and it'll be just like camping--!" Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet began to shake. Instantly, she took of her bag and hugged it close to her chest. Her first instinct was to make sure she kept Poppy close and her second was to rush towards Alice, but before she could do that the shaking intensified and she found herself struggling to stay on her feet. "Crap, Alice, just stay calm!" Rai yelled as she hugged Poppy close. The trainer made her way towards her friend but before she could get there the ground below Alice collapsed and she watched as her friend disappeared into the earth. "Alice--!" Rai called out desperately as she ran forward, but the ground beneath her feet shifted and before she knew it, she was on the ground, the wind knocked out of her. The girl let out a sharp curse before curling herself around Poppy, she needed to help Alice, darn it! But at the moment, the most she could do was keep Poppy safe.

The ground beneath them split apart and soon they too were falling. The ground came up to greet them and Rai landed on her side, taking most of the impact. The air had been knocked out of her lungs and sharp sting shot throughout her entire body. The ground shook, her vision blurred in and out of focus, and a loud crash echoed throughout the cave. Rai floated around in a state of semi-consciousness, the pain fogging up her thoughts. She held Poppy close, and the world tilted as black dots swum across her vision.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Ready?" Scott had asked.

Tobin stared at the tree, then at his friend. He wasn't ready, but they had to do it. "Ready," he answered before giving the Quilava a small smile. Scott began climbing and Tobin followed, he planted his foot on the bark, held onto a low branch and pulled himself up. He managed to do it, but the thought of going higher frightened him. Still, he forced himself to be braver and climbed a little higher. "I can't see anything from here just yet," he reported, preparing to climb higher. Scott was just a bit higher up and he mentioned how climbing trees was tough work. The little comment made Tobin laugh. "Indeed, I'm out of breath already." He reached out for the closest branch. However, before he could hold onto it, the ground below them began to shake and the tree swayed from side to side, the leaves shaking violently.

Flame let out a warning, and the flames on his back flared up. He couldn't climb trees, so he stared on worriedly.

"We're okay!" Tobin's voice was higher in pitch than usual and he clung to the nearest branch for dear life. "Hold on tight Scott!" He yelled, but before his friend could respond, there was a sickening crack and a branch snapped, fell, and hit Scott in the back of his head. The boy began to fall and Tobin reached out, managing to grab onto his friends arm with one hand, while he held on the tree with his other, but he wasn't strong and he couldn't keep this up for much longer.

"Caterpieeee!" Suddenly, a caterpie fell on Tobin's head. He let out a shriek before falling off his own perch. Both boys fell onto the grass before and Tobin coughed and sputtered before jumping to his feet. Thankfully, the had been pretty close to the ground when they had fallen. There was a dull ache, but nothing more than that. Flame rushed towards both boys before his eyes flitted towards the forest. Tobin stared at the Quilava as fear ate away at him they needed to find Alice and Rai--and was Scott okay?!

He tapped his friend on the cheek. "Scott," Tobin mumbled, his friend's breathing was normal, but had he gotten a concussion. This was bad...very, very, bad. Tobin shakily got Scott to his feet. He pulled the trainer's arm over his shoulder, then got Scott standing through his support. "Flame, we need to find them." He walked as quickly as he could we an unconscious Scott leaning against him. Tobin's heart pounded in his chest, what could he do? "Scott," he whispered again, this time in a much more desperate voice.

He could only hope his friend would wake up soon. Slowly, he walked into the forest. They needed to regroup!

"Alice!" He screamed. "Rai! Poppy!" Over and over again, Tobin called, but there was no answer, only silence.

Something point he was repeatedly jabbing into her forehead and cheek, persistent and unwavering. Alice fervently wished it would stop. With a groan, her green eyes blinked and then slowly opened. She was momentarily disoriented by the thick darkness that hung suspended in the air, smelling of damp rock and dust. After a moment however, her eyes seemed to addjust and she could barely make out a faint line of orange light overhead. But just as she noticed this, she was once again poked in her cheek and she quickly turned her head, receiving a sharp pain shooting down her neck, but she finally noticed Dusk staring at her worriedly.

"Ow... What happened?" She moaned, struggling to sit up. She was met with a sudden and painful sensation in her left wrist and a stinging above her eyebrow. Reaching up with the hand that wasn't throbbing, she touched a hot spot on her forehead, her fingertips coming away covered in wet blood. "Oh, wonderful...."she said sarcastically, squinting to inspect her wrist. It was rather swollen and hot, but she didn't think anything was broken, not with what little amount of range she was able to move her hand when she tried, though she quickly stopped when doing so increased the amount of pain. Her best guess was that she had fallen onto her arm and had sprained her wrist in the process. Biting at her lower lip, she looked up at the distant crack overhead, remembering vaguely the sensation of the ground falling out from beneath her feet.

"...Rai... Rai!" Alice suddenly cried out as she remembered her friend, turning as far as she could to look around the dimly lit section of cave they had fallen into.

Her Zorua tugged on the leg of her pants, drawing her attention to him before he pointed his paw to his right, her eyes falling on the figure of Rai lying on her side on the floor of the cave, a concerned looking Poppy barely able to peer out of her position from within the backpack still in between the girl's arms. With a huff and a gasp of pain, Alice struggled to her feet, careful only to use her right hand, and stumbled over to her fallen companion. Dropping onto her knees as soon as she reached Rai's side, she reached out with a shaky hand and grabbed her shoulder, giving it several shakes. "Rai. Oh, please wake up." She managed to say brokenly, panting a little with the effort. Worry began to tighten within her chest, a knot over her heart. "please be alright.... Rai!"

With a sudden loud gasp, Scott's eyes flew open, almost falling over as he stumbled. His arm instinctively tightened around whatever it was he was holding onto, quickly discovering that it was Tobin who was supporting his weight. Blinking rapidly, his vision still dark around the edges, the young man looked around him with confusion, bringing their stumbling steps to an abrupt halt.

"...Tobin? ... What happened?" He croaked, wincing and touching the back of his aching head with his fingertips, carefully inspecting a gash surrounded by half congealed blood that dripped down onto his neck and the back of his shirt. The last thing he remembered was being up in the tree and the rumbling from the ground... Had the loud cracking sound he heard and something breaking before that same something had hit him in the back of the head?

Shifting his weight carefully, he blinked once again that their surroundings, wondering just how far they had gone with him unconscious. Flame was still with them, the flames on his back and head ignited and casting a soft flickering glow on the rapidly darkening surroundings. A wave of dizziness struck him and he had to sit down hard, mumbling an apology to his friend as he did so.

"where are the others?" He groaned, though he could already guess that they hadn't been found yet.

Scott let out a gasp and Tobin nearly tripped over his own feet.

They had been walking for some time now and their surroundings had already gotten dark. Thankfully, flame served as a sort of lantern and he walked ahead of them, fire blazing and gaze determined. Scott had lost a bit of blood and Tobin had been dreadfully worried. Head injuries were frightening and what made it worse was that he didn't know if Scott would wake up or not, so when his friend finally came to Tobin couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. "You...you have no idea how worried you made me." Tobin came to a stop and turned to look at his friend. "How are you feeling, we can stop to rest, you took a really hard hit to the head."

Scott pressed a hand to his head then asked Tobin about what had happened.

The coordinator's eyebrows creased in concern when he saw the blood. So...he hadn't been able to stop the bleeding, this wasn't good. "We were climbing the tree when an aftershock happened. One of the branches fell and hit you on the head, you passed out." Tobin winced when Scott looked like he was ready to fall over. The coordinator helped his friend sit down and gave the boy a sympathetic smile. "Are you sure you can keep going Scott, if you need to rest. I'll stay with you and we'll take a breather." He was worried about Alice and Rai, but knowing them, they could handle whatever situation was thrown their way and Scott, he needed to rest.

However, the new trainer didn't agree to resting and instead asked about Alice and Rai.

Tobin's expression turned dark and this time he failed a hiding his worry. "I...I don't know, I've been calling out, but there haven't been any responses. It's unlikely that they've gotten far though." He hoped the last part would comfort his friend because having Scott worry and run around didn't sound like a wise plan at the moment. "They'll be okay, Alice and Rai are tough." He forced a smile and placed a comforting hand on Scott's shoulder. "We'll be fine too. We'll find them and get to the nearest city, they'll fix you up and things will be okay, just trust me." Tobin turned to look at a distressed looking flame. "We'll find them."

The Quilava let out a huff before giving Scott and Tobin an encouraging nudge on the leg.

"Okay, just rest, Scott. I'll look around. I promise I won't go far." Tobin began peering at the forest. Trees had collapsed here and there and it was relatively empty and broken. It wasn't a pretty sight. The coordinator walked a little deeper into the forest before a rustling sound became clear. Cautiously, Tobin picked up a stick and gave the rustling bush a poke. Something from behind it let out a snarl and the boy inched back with a frown. "Scott, Flame, I think I found something..."

There was another angry snarl and slowly a Mightyena began to approach.

"Scott, Flame, we have a guest!" Tobin backed up slowly, stick held in shaky hands. He backed out of the forest and returned to where Scott and Flame were resting. The Mightyena followed after him, eyes observing the coordinator's every move. Flame hopped off the rock and focused his own eyes at the wolf Pokemon.

Tobin gulped. "No sudden movements...or it might attack." Before Tobin could say more the Pokemon leaped, pinning Scott to the ground. Mightyena bared his teeth, before snapping his jaw shut just inches away from Scott's face. "Flame back me up!" The boy rushed towards his friend and swung his stick at the wild Pokemon. The Mightyena was knocked off of Scott. The dark type rolled before getting back to its feet and this time charging after Flame. The fire Pokemon leaped back, shooting a stream of flames at the enemy but it was fast and soon it was snarling, eyeing both boys and the fire type.

~X~x~X~x~X~

Someone was calling her...

Rai's eyes shot open and a piercing pain shot through her side. She let out a choked gasp and curled up even tighter into a ball. The last thing she remembered was falling...but everything after that was a hazy blur. She attempted to prop herself up only for another sharp sting to knock her back down. She bit down on her lip and screwed her eyes shut. Why did it hurt so much?

The same voice called out to her again, but to be honest she didn't feel like moving, until she remembered Poppy.

The girl scrambled to her feet, a wave of nausea and pain crashing against her. She choked back another groan before crashing into one of the cave's walls, her movements similar to that of a drunk person. There was still a little light and she eyed the backpack with Poppy inside. It was then when she noticed Alice, crouched down beside the bag. So it was Alice who had shaken her awake. With her back against the wall, Rai sunk down into a sitting position.

"Alice...Poppy," the trainer was having a hard time speaking without wincing. "Are...are you okay?" She wheezed. There was no time to panic, she had to keep soldiering on and they had to find a way out so they could get to Scott and Tobin. She was just about to push herself to her feet when the ground shook lightly and another mild aftershock occurred. There was the sound of falling rocks and suddenly the last remaining shards of light were sealed out and everything went dark.

Rai stiffened in place, fingers digging into the ground below. Suddenly, everything seemed so much smaller. The girl went ice-cold and took a deep breath, but suddenly even breathing became so much harder.