Considering Skoll's speed, it wasn't long until the town came into view. A quaint, cheery town, flowers of every colour lining streets and overflowing from cottage window ledges, perfuming the air. Tiny little Flabebes hopped around, giggling and playing, while Hoppips and Cottonees drifted overhead on the breeze, weaving around trees on either side of the paths. Vareena simply brimmed with life.

"Well, here we are," Ramie announced, peering down the main street through bright green hair that whipped at her face. "I take it you'll want to stop by the Pokemon centre to rest up. Our Pokemon will need it, after that." Potions helped, but the machine would heal any remaining wounds and fatigue. She gestured down a path leading off of the main one. "It's just this way."

Oscar nods and steers Skoll down the path and soon enough, they come across the pokecenter. ” I assume you live here? Was that pokemon attack normal around these parts? And have you heard any other such stories? And what of team noble?
” Oscar plans to gather more varied stories and info about team noble and their endeavours as well as other worrying issues.

In response to Oscar's first question, Ramie nodded. "Yep, Vareena's a good place for contest tailors." At his second, her sunny smile dimmed. "Attack? I heard on the news about an attack near Mesalon... It isn't often something like that happens, this area's usually pretty quiet and friendly."

As Oscar mentioned Team Noble, Ramie became pensive. "As for Team Noble... Well there are rumours, and reports of kidnappings, but nobody knows why. League challengers, from what I've heard. Apparently the league's been having to increase its security." She thought back to the stories she'd heard, ones that often contradicted each other. Word even had it that a coordinator around here had had some kind of run in. Yet there hadn't seemed to be any outright attacks linked to Team Noble, not until now.

[color=28eb69]"This attack..."[color=28eb69] She gave a little frown of concern. "You weren't affected, were you? If I'm prying too much, I apologise."

Oscar gives a slight smile to Ramie and gives off Skoll before helping Ramie off of him too. "I wasn’t affected directly. Key word: Directly. There are friends that were affected." Oscar then adopts a sombre face as he recalls Skoll. "Thou I have made my mind up to get as strong as I can while learning about them and their actions to learn their plans"

Ramie's frown deepened as she headed into the Pokemon centre alongside Oscar. "Your friends, are they ok?" She couldn't blame Oscar for wanting to look into the matter himself, but did he know what he was dealing with? From the looks of it, nobody knew much about Team Noble at all.

Ahead of them, a hyped up girl stood by the desk, bubbling about how it had been a close call but she'd finally gotten the Bloom Badge. Ramie looked from her to Oscar. "If you want to get stronger, battling the gym leader will certainly help," she told him. "And speaking of the gym leaders, here's hoping they can deal with all this - but what a position some will have found themselves in." Someone like Saki, skilled as she was, shouldn't have to be involved.

”They are fine mostly thou one of them is tiring and stressing herself needlessly and constantly. I worried about her. I even meant and promised to be here with her but I came here early to have time to myself and have time to think myself and center myself while give myself a direction.”

Oscar gives a faint smile as he looks at the hyped girl doing her personal self victory celebration and thinks back to his first gym battle. ”Well, I have earned my first badge recently and it was a good battle experience and more. I think I will be able to win this one with minimal to medium difficulty depending on typing“

Oscar looks inside himself for a moment. Can he help or succeed where others , even the gym leaders, are failing and struggling? Can he be the person that will be vanguard of this region and prevent any more suffering?

At Oscar's mention of his friend, Ramie sighed. "I've seen that sometimes. Trainers and coordinators stressing themselves trying to be the best. Is it something like that? If you're ok talking about it, that is..." She fell silent, glancing at the desk.

The girl at the counter thanked the nurse and practically danced away. As Ramie headed over to get her Pokemon healed, she shifted to the brighter subject. "Congratulations on the badge though! As for typing, like I said before it does help, but people say strategy is the most important thing."

”It is okay. Don’t worry. It seems like she doesn’t like the thought of failure or being second best to anyone. At least to me.” Oscar lets Ramie heal her pokemon and thank the nurse before asking the nurse to heal his own. He thinks back to his letter and how Sophie is doing and if she won her gym battle.

Oscar snaps out his brooding and smiles at Ramie. ”Well, maybe practicing with some of the gym trainees or for a local contest can give me some ideas for strategies. I think I will use Skoll for the gym and contest but may need some help on attire. Can you help with that ”

Taking back her Pokemon, Ramie waited for Oscar to heal his own. “If you ask me,” she replied, “it’s sad how some people take competition too seriously. But anyway.” She returned Oscar’s smile. “I work at Twineedle Tailors, just along this street. It’s my day off, but I could take you there when you’re ready, so you can put in a request.”

Oscar joins Ramie with his healed pokemon and says with a sheepish smile.
”Please can you take me there? Also how much would a request cost normally? I am not exactly swimming in money currently.”

"Well, it depends what kind of outfit you want," Ramie explained as she led Oscar outside, "but considering how you helped back there, I'm sure you could get a discount!"

@LuckyBlackCat@Typical@Zanavy

Two out of the three of them caught on. This wasn't good to Alexis. She didn't want pity. She hated the feeling of being pitied. It made her feel small, weak, and helpless. It made her feel as if she had to depend on others. She depended on others to admire and praise her, not to pick her up whenever she felt down on something! She wouldn't stand for it. Others are supposed to be either her rivals or fans. That was the way she decided it would work for her aspirations. There would only be competition to push her forward and propel her towards her goals, or otherwise there would be hard-earned admirers. She had no need for companions outside of her team, and the only people that were the exceptions to her views are those she admired and strove to be like.

Luckily for Alexis she didn't need to think of a way to change the subject. The boy -Tie or whatever he said his name was- had given her the perfect question. Not only did it shift the focus of the conversation, but it provided a chance to swap her tone back to how it usually was.

It took only a moment.

"Hmph! How bold of you all to think that I need any say in what Gabby would evolve into. Any path she chooses to take will be more than exceptional."

There. That should be good enough to cover up her earlier attitude for a moment.

"In any case, I will be going with you. It would benefit me to see how the quality of my competition has improved or degraded. Preferably the former."

As the group of trainers strolled across the grassy field and approached the shadowed treeline, Ty heard a sudden pop from his side. Hunk the Timburr appeared unbidden with a determined look on his face.

"Hey, Big Man," the puzzled trainer greeted. "What're you-"

Without warning, Hunk charged a few steps forward and hurled his plank as far as possible. He watched it collide with a tree in a violent THWACK and tumble to the ground.

".....Oookay?" Ty commented, growing more confused by the second."HEY-!"

The fighting type ran up to the treeline, searching all around for something. Ty began speed-walking to catch up to the Pokemon, but Hunk held a stern hand up, gesturing to stay back and let him do... whatever he was doing.

"...Okay, man," the blond said hesitantly. "Don't go too far."

Hunk's search kept him close to the treeline, but within a couple minutes he wandered around a corner and out of sight. The fighting type quickly scanned the underbrush. None of these fallen branches fit his high standards. Finally, Hunk spotted a log of perfect size and coarseness! He triumphantly picked up his find, but to his dismay, the bottom part was rotten and crumbled away beneath his grip. Hunk kicked the rotting log in frustration, sending a bunch of mildewing chips flying. Maybe he would have to rip a branch off a living tree...

Just as Hunk looked up toward the treetops, a Tackle from the side knocked him over. He squirmed around to see a Litleo holding him down, fangs bared. The fighting type scrambled to kick the predator in the stomach. As the yelping Litleo went flying, Hunk stood up... only to take a scorching Ember to the back. The Timburr backed up against a tree as he saw two- no, four Litleo stalk toward him. Maaaybe he should've found a replacement log before throwing away his old one.

Hunk bellowed a cry of alarm. With luck, his allies would arrive soon. Along with a type advantage, the Timburr's disciplined martial training helped him stay focused and fight with precision against the pride of wild predators. He focused on one at a time, quickly knocking out the most eager enemy. Hunk held his own... but a four-on-one battle could wear down any Pokemon fast. The Timburr's breathing grew ragged as he fell back into a last-ditch defensive stance, just trying to predict the next strike...

"Hang on, bud!" called a voice from the near distance. "We're coming!"

The Litleos' ears perked up at the sound of a human voice. One of them sniffed the air. It immediately roared at the other Litleo. They began to run away but stopped when they remembered their fallen friend. The panicked fire-types looked at each other for a second. Then, the oldest Litleo yowled at the others. The pack looked stunned. One growled a short argument. But the rushing footsteps of humans could be heard now; there was no time to argue. Two of the wild Pokemon grabbed their fainted ally by the scruff and dragged it into the treeline, hiding in the shadows of the brush. The oldest was left to distract the humans.

"We're here," Ty exclaimed as he finally spotted his Timburr. He gasped when he saw the scene before him.

"Oh... a fire type! AWESOOOME!"

The staggering Timburr gave Ty an indignant look. That's what his trainer got out of this situation?? But the punk was too busy sizing up the Litleo to pay much attention.

"It's already hurt. One more Pound should do it. Don't go overboard."

Hunk lurched toward the Litleo and punched it in the chin, making sure to go overboard. The feline Pokemon fell to the dirt, barely conscious. It puffed out a feeble Ember, but Hunk was able to dodge the brunt of the weak flame.

Ty grinned as he threw a Pokeball. The Litleo was sucked inside. The Pokeball wiggled a bit. But the fire type didn't put up much of a fight, and soon the ball emitted the satisfying -ping!- of a successful catch.

"WOOO!" Ty celebrated, picking up the newly occupied Pokeball and waving it through the air. "Sick job, Hunk!"

The battered Timburr slowly sank to the ground and crossed his arms, a sour look on his face. He did not look happy to have a new teammate who just tried to EAT HIM.

@Typical @Zanavy @OtomostheCrazy @fer1323 @Heckno12

Hunk's reaction may have been lost on Ty, but not on Amber as she rushed towards the sound of cries and roars. "Careful there!" she called to Ty, but the first thing he did was throw a Pokeball, capturing the feline attacker.

"Uh, I have to say..." she commented. "I don't think that was a friendly battle. Wow, nature is quite something." Giving the Timburr a potion, she looked around at the group. "Does anyone else have any healing items?" In hindsight, it would have been a good idea to stock up better before leaving, preferably on stronger medicines.

Sophia rolled her eyes at Ty, but was quick to head over. "Yeah, a fire type that seems to want a barbecue." She crouched and took an Oran berry from her bag. "It's not much, but it'll help," she told Hunk, giving him the revitalising snack. "The sooner we get to that Pokemon centre, the better." Most Pokemon gradually learned to behave, or so she'd learned, but some were tougher to train than others. Her own cat, Grimalkin, was proof of that, as was of course Fantoccino. Sensing the Ghost type sneak behind her, she glared over her shoulder, into the seemingly empty shadows. "You know that won't work on me." Fantoccino materialised from under a thicket, scowling, as Lacey giggled.

Amber's lips twitched. "Another reason to watch out." Venturing further into the woodland, home to a myriad of wonders and dangers, she let out Aeshna. "Hey, you wouldn't mind keeping a look out for any trouble, would you?" The sharp-eyed bug darted this way and that, but stayed close by her trainer.



The walk took the best part of an hour, the sun high in the sky by the time buildings came into view. Sophia sulked the entire way, between Oscar's broken promise, Fantoccino's antics, and her frilly skirt constantly catching on brambles. It didn't help that the last of her injuries were acting up. Ty's Igglybuff had mostly healed her, but her bruised ribs and knee were feeling the strain of the long journey. Not that she was going to slow everyone down. She was better than that. And the Litleo incident was a reminder why everyone needed to stick together. Everyone, including a certain lone wolf they were looking for in the first place.

"Finally," she muttered, squinting into the light and rubbing her forehead. She'd had to keep on high alert, with Fantoccino repeatedly having tried and failed to jumpscare the group. Lacey, by contrast, stared in fascination at the flower-lined streets ahead, holding on to Sophia's shoulders like a child piggybacking on their mother.

The Gothita wasn't the only entranced one. Throughout the journey, Amber had resisted the urge to stop and take notes. A good few photos had been inevitable, considering the many kinds of Pokemon in the forest. Aipoms swinging from trees, Tympoles splashing in the stream, Beautiflys snacking on nectar and berries. "So many more species here than in Kanto," she remarked, eyes widening as a pink and white 'fruit' suddenly jumped up and skipped away from a puzzled Beautifly. She turned to Aedre. "Have you ever seen so many? It's said Kosei is one of the regions with the most kinds of Pokemon."

An exasperated moan from Sophia snapped her from her thoughts. "Dammit Amber, quit dawdling! I swear a Shelmet would get through these woods faster. Remember, we've got to catch up with a certain smart aleck."

Amber gave a strained smile. Admittedly she had become rather sidetracked, but they were pretty much there. "Ehh, not much further now. We should certainly come back later though, and take a better look around, if anyone's up for that."

With that, the group headed out of the forest, into the almost equally foliage-filled Vareena Town. Amber gazed around at the public gardens and flowerbeds, buzzing with Cutieflies and Combees. "Of course, this looks like a good place to explore too..."

"Amber!"

Amber rubbed the back of her neck. "Again, I meant later," she said, checking the map on her Pokedex for the Pokecentre's location. It had, after all, been her suggestion to stick together. With a slight frown, she looked back. It was a shame not everyone had been able to travel together, but she didn't know where Rheese had disappeared to. As bad as she felt for leaving someone behind, hopefully he'd catch up without incident.

@Typical @Zanavy @OtomostheCrazy @fer1323 @LuckyBlackCat

Rheese opened his eyes groggily. It felt his whole body was unresponsive, every attempt at moving was met with nothing. At first he thought he was dealing with sleep paralysis or something...until he looked around. The sterile walls and equipment first reminded him of his earlier brush with the hospital, but his gut told him he was dead wrong. He struggled to recall how he might've gotten here, managing faint memories of getting jumped by a couple of oddly dressed people that reminded him of...Team Noble. That didn't make sense though, what would they have to gain from-

As if to answer his question a door he couldn't turn his head to see slid open and a rather annoyed woman strutted in with a clipboard accompanied by a couple of grunts. Their muffled voices didn't pierce the mental fog that Rheese was experiencing, but it sounded like the grunts might've been being chastised. Rheese struggled to listen.

"-swear he was hanging around the gym leaders before. He was the furthest away from the others so we thought..." The grunt trailed off

"You didn't think, none of you imbeciles ever do. What if they had followed you? Whatever, you've already kidnapped him so I guess we should extract any information we can before dumping him back in Mesalon. Mesprit, release. Azelf, let him speak." The woman sternly commanded some unseen presence.

Suddenly, Rheese felt as though his mind was dropped back into his body. He jolted, yet his body still didn't budge.

"Now." The woman said, her tone softening considerably as she leaned over the metal bed that Rheese found himself in. "We're going to have a short chat, then, if I'm satisfied with what you have to say I'll see to it that you find your friends and get back to fighting gyms or whatever trainers do these days." The end of the statement sounded like a joke, but Rheese couldn't shake the feeling of imminent danger that absolutely radiated from this woman.

"A-and what-" Rheese coughed. It was like he hadn't spoken in days. The woman held a glass of water to his mouth and helped him drink a bit. "What are we chatting about?" He asked, keeping his words brief to dissuade another coughing fit.

"Firstly, your encounter with a round man with an Aerodactyl. Did you...notice anything odd? Aside from such an incompetent wielding a powerful pokemon like that."

"N-no I don't think so." Rheese said, he wasn't going to mention that Sophia had noticed something weird about the Aerodactyl. If his intuition was right and this lady was with Team noble, that information would probably put her in danger.

"See, I'd love to believe you kid but your face betrays you. You saw something, or one of your friends did...but to be honest the fact that your psychic friend can see shadow pokemon's not what I'm after." She said, taunting Rheese with the fact that she already knew all about Sophia without divulging how they had found out. "I'm talking about a certain pink pokemon, one that has the DNA of all others, Mew. Mesprit make him more compliant."

"O-oh." Rheese said as his mind seemed to mellow out slightly. "Mew, yeah I remember seeing it. The big guy chased it away after it pissed the Aerodactyl off. The guy got mad so I guess it got away or something." Rheese's words just kind of slipped out. Any will to inhibit what he said just kind of melted.

"As I thought, you don't know where it went I suppose. Odd that it decided to protect you all instead of fleeing right away, but I suppose the only one that could explain why that is would be Mew itself...Noted." She said pacing slightly. "On to the second bit of business. What do you know about Team Noble?" She asked and Rheese could do naught but answer.



Rheese could lift his head again as the woman that had interrogated him had allowed him to move once more. "What now?" He asked as she seemed to have no more questions left.

"Well, I told you very plainly that we would take you back to Mesalon and let you figure out where your friends are...but I suppose that wasn't entirely truthful. You see, you might be a weak fledgling trainer now...In fact you most certainly are, but you did prove yourself to be relatively competent when compared to our run of the mill cannon fodder here. So I'll make you a deal, if you join us I'll fast track you some. The job pays well enough and all you've got to do is capture the occasional pokemon, lure the occasional sap to get grabbed as you did, and maybe on the occasion deal with people." She offered him the job as though it was just some cubicle gig, no fuss.

"No." Rheese said, it wasn't even slightly tempting, plus with Mesprit's influence he couldn't bring himself to lie even though it would probably guarantee his safety.

"Figures." The woman said simply. "Alright, well plan B then. You there, grunt. Bring Uxie in." Squeaking wheels were heard as a small pokemon strapped to a strange device was brought in. "You know, the lake trio were the first legendaries we got our hands on. Admittedly, turning them into shadow pokemon hasn't exactly worked out just yet...but it's amazing what you can make pokemon do with technology." She said putting the Pokemon directly in front of Rheese.

"Why are you still telling me this stuff? Unless you're about to kill me with that Pokemon or something."

"Oh nothing so barbaric. Consider this Pokemon, Uxie, to be your only ticket out of here. As for why I'm still divulging information...You'll see, or I guess you won't. Let's just say there's not much harm in explaining things if you won't remember any of it. Oh and don't worry about any side effects, in a few hours you'll wake up as good as new." She said, typing something on the device. Uxie writhed in discomfort with every key clicked before the woman hit an enter key and its eyes shot wide open and glared directly into Rheese's.

The psychic type's abilities combed through every moment in Rheese's brain and removed every mention of Team Noble. Rheese's eyes glazed over slightly as he was escorted out of the room. His pokeballs were placed back on his belt as they walked him out of the building and began prodding him back down the route and out through Vareena. For some reason, random passerbys just kind of ignored the short procession.

The shop was only a short distance away, ivy growing up its walls, flower-filled hanging baskets by the door. The windows displayed elaborate suits and dresses, along with an array of collars, scarves and other accessories for Pokemon. Opening the door to a comfortably rustic interior, Ramie smiled at the suit-clad man at the desk. "Hey! I brought you a customer, along with supplies," she giggled, handing over the basket. "And I hope you don't mind, but this young man helped me when I ran into trouble in the woods just now, so would a discount be possible?"

The other tailor nodded. "Certainly! How did it all go, are you ok?"

Ramie nodded. "We're fine, thanks. Hmm, I might need a Fire or Flying type though..."

The two frilled jellyfish Pokemon floating by the man, one pink and one blue, drifted over to Oscar. "Frill? Frill-ish?" Slowly, they circled him.

The man laughed. "Oh don't you worry, for all the stories you might've heard about Frillishes, Rex and Rhiannon won't hurt you. They're really friendly." The blue Frillish turned round, using Psychic to open a desk drawer and pull out a measuring tape, which unrolled and floated like a streamer. "Now," the tailor continued, "how can we help?"

Oscar smiles at the warm welcome from the royal duo before taking a moment or few to think about his request, looking at all the suits and dresses. He thinks back to songs generally heard in previous contests and his childhood in general. He could only think of one that stands out to him that would be great to his current team should be able to pull off spectacularly.

”I am looking for a suit suited for a desert and sandstorm protection but looks like it is well used and battered. I would like an outfit and saddle of the same theme for my arcanine if possible. I am willing to help and work off my debt if too expensive.”

Oscar hopes it is not a tall order and not too expensive as it will make the contest idea harder without the outfits as they are a big part of the plan.

The man nodded. "That's doable, I'll just need measurements, for you and your Arcanine." He took his notepad and stood, gesturing to a spacious, empty part of the shop. As Rex and Rhiannon floated around Oscar, taking his measurements, the tailor noted them down.

"For a matching trainer and Pokemon set," he told Oscar, "you'll get another discount. And it'll be ready in two days, so in time for the contest, but if you need it for rehearsals, we can try to have it done before then."

Ramie, meanwhile, sketched in a notepad of her own. "Is this what you're looking for?" she asked, showing Oscar a rough design of a weathered-looking jacket, shirt and trousers combo that wouldn't look out of place in a post-apocalyptic movie.

Oscar lets out Skoll so his measurement can be taken as well from the two jellyfish. It takes some effort from Oscar to keep Skoll from playing with the pokemon taking his measurements or the man taking them down. Skoll is panting and wagging his tail cos of the chin scratches and other attention from Oscar while attempting to lick Oscar’s face. Oscar manages to lessen the severity by dodging or deflecting Skoll’s licks.

Both tailors chuckled. "Well, you're quite the playful one, aren't you?" the man addressed Skoll, stepping back to avoid being bowled over. The Frillishes giggled, continuing their work despite the considerable difficulty.

Oscar Looks at Ramie’s notepad and nods while being satisfied at the design ”That will do perfectly. Thanks a lot.” Oscar smiles as everything seems to be going smoothly.

Ramie beamed. "No problem! I hope you like it when it's done!" She showed the other tailor, who nodded and set about calculating the price. The Frillishes, done with their measuring, watched the Arcanine while keeping a safe distance.

"A Pokemon that lively is going to love contests, I just know it," she commented. It'd be a great way for Skoll to use that pent-up energy, even if he still needed to get used to his new form. "If you want to get your registration in, the contest hall's right at the centre of town."

Oscar smiles and thanks Ramie and the tailor for their help. He says he will come back to pay for the outfits in two days once he makes arrangements with registration, gym battles and such. He gestures for Skoll to come outside and waves good-bye for now to the tailors. Once outside, Oscar climbs onto Skoll and gets him to run towards the contest hall for registration.

Ty Westgrove

Vareena Town --> Vareena Pokemon Center

@Typical @Heckno12 @OtomostheCrazy @fer1323 @LuckyBlackCat

"What abooout Ash?" Ty blurted. Ty had spent the majority of his hike through the forest alternating between focused, silent brainstorming and throwing out Litleo nickname possibilities - whether his companions appreciated and provided their own feedback or not.

"Hmmm... now that I say it out loud, it sounds kinda cliché, for whatever reason. Maybe I should wait to find out if it's a boy or girl."

A bold, majestic male Pyroar? Or a sleek, elegant female Pyroar? Both sounded LIT. Ty couldn't decide which one to hope for!

The Pokemon Center was so close to the forest edge (it seemed the town had planned well for battered trainers exiting the dense woods), Ty didn't have time to brainstorm any more nicknames before the trainers reached the place of healing.

"I should just be here for a few minutes," Ty explained. "You can wait with me if you want. If you're in a hurry, at least let me know where you're going."

With that, the leather-clad trainer gave two of his four pokeballs to the lady at the front desk.

Sophia Danvers

Vareena Pokecentre -> Vareena Town

@Zanavy @Heckno12

Sophia fumed as she neared the Pokemon centre. "Might as well ask around," she muttered, heading in after Ty. Stumbling, she leaned on the desk, Lacey squeaking in alarm. "Ugh... It's ok." She reached behind her and helped the little Pokemon down. "I've gotta get a grip and find him."

Straightening her back, she addressed the nurse. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have seen this guy in a black and red jacket? A black, red and white thing going on with his whole outfit actually. Dark hair, pale skin, fairly tall, perpetually overconfident expression."

The nurse couldn't help but chuckle at the last bit. "Hmm, I seem to recall someone like that here a while ago, he was talking to someone who mentioned the tailor's store just down the street. Twineedle Tailor's."

Sophia's breath of relief turned into a grumble. If the nurse was indeed talking about Oscar, at least he was safe, but that didn't make his wandering off any less annoying. "Sounds like him all right. Trying to get ahead of us when it comes to contests." Leaning against the wall, she opened up the map on her Pokedex. So the shopping district was the first place to try, and if he'd moved on from there, the contest hall or the gym would be safe guesses.

"To the tailor's it is then," she told Ty. "Hopefully more people can point us in the right direction." With her Pokemon in tow, she stormed outside.

Shoppers milled around, but she didn't spot Oscar among them. If only she were better at sensing individuals. What she did sense, however, was that something was off. A vague yet unmistakeable feeling of wrongness.

It was a few moments later that she noticed it, whereas nobody else did.

She gasped. Being dragged along, barely conscious, by two shady figures, was none other than Rheese.

Right away, Sophia rushed over. "Rheese! What the hell did you do to him?" By her side, Fantoccino glared at the captors, his cloth-like body billowing. Lacey and Clarus took their stances, ready to battle if necessary. Sophia's mouth went dry. It wasn't lost on her that these trainers may be far stronger, especially considering whatever they'd done to Rheese, who didn't respond. He simply trailed along like a sleepwalker. Even so, she had to do something.

"Everyone, quick, Rheese, he's in trouble!" she called to Amber and anyone else approaching. She could only hope bringing the group to people's attention would dispel whatever concealment was on them. Mustering what energy she could, she thought of Ty, still in the Pokecentre, and focused on sending him a telepathic message. "There's trouble, someone's got our friend, get help!"

She staggered, but stayed upright. If that weirded Ty out, so be it. Rheese's situation had to be brought to light.

---

Amber Pine

Vareena Pokecentre -> Vareena Town

@Zanavy @Heckno12

"Just be careful when you send out that Litleo," Amber advised Ty, waiting beside him. "You seem to have a rather aggressive one. Believe me, I can relate with a certain one of my Pokemon." She glanced at her belt, at the Dusk Ball standing out among the other capsules. "Feeding it could help though, there's got to be a cafeteria in here you can stop by."

As Sophia headed out, Amber grimaced. "I should probably follow her." There was no way the search for Oscar would end in anything but an argument, one she may have to defuse. She hurried outside, Aeshna and Tacita fluttering alongside her, and approached Sophia - only to see her stop in her tracks.

"Sophia? What's wrong?" As far as she could tell, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary, just passers-by going about their day. At Sophia's yells, Amber stared around the street. "Huh? What do you...?"

She fell silent, stomach plummeting. There, clear as day, was Rheese, in a sleep-like state as two captors pulled him along. How did people not notice? Sure, she'd admit to getting sidetracked a lot, but no way could she - or anyone - fail to spot something like this. Especially her Pokemon, whose sharp vision had only just registered the scene, judging by their startled reactions.

"Let him go!" She sprinted over, Tacita backing up her cry with a loud hoot. She'd known they shouldn't have left anyone behind...

@LuckyBlackCat@Typical@Zanavy@Heckno12@fer1323

The walk from town to town was not as bad as Alexis had expected. She expected something a bit more rough. Dirt that would get on her outfit, mud that would stick on her shoes, etc. Instead, she got a very calm, mostly uneventful traveling experience that she would never have expected on any sort of pokemon journey. With the exception of Ty's encounter (followed by his near-infectious enthusiasm at catching a new pokemon), the wild pokemon seemed to keep to themselves. This could've likely been a stroke of luck on their end for not crossing into any territories, but still pretty lucky.

Yuki certainly didn't mind the lack of action. After that gym battle, she rather this moment of relaxation in her trainer's arms. The pokeball was okay, but the outside was much more comforting. She also appreciated not having anything to do with the Timburr's battle with the Litleos. Every one of the pokemon involved knew how to whoop her before she blinked. Ah, but what did she care, this was a time to relax...

When they finally reached the city, it was quite a sight to behold. Plenty of different pokemon all around the place, interesting places to check out for possible practice areas and training grounds or otherwise neat little places for the more adventurous to look into. Alexis immediately took to someplace with a bed and bath. Basically, a place to take a few minutes to herself. Since the only distraction on the trip came from Ty catching that Litleo, her thoughts had been heavily focused on her post-gym victory behavior. She couldn't let that happen again, so in this little moment she mumbled to herself,

"You're above them. You're above them. You have to be above them."

A concerning thing to repeat to yourself in whispers, but one she felt was necessary. In her mind, appearances to others and yourself came first. If you want to become something big, you should believe yourself to be capable of it. It was unhealthy, but no one was there to tell her, and she wouldn't let anyone get close enough to do so...

Soon enough Alexis would go out on a walk. She needed to get an idea of where everything important was. As soon as she got to the shopping area, she heard an all-too-familiar voice shout out about a fellow trainer being in trouble. Judging by the way she said it, it wasn't "misunderstanding with the authorities" kind of trouble. Without even thinking, she began running towards the sound of Sophia's voice...





Deneb had already gotten to Vareena Town by the time the others arrived. After winning the badge, there really was only one thing to do, and that was to move on to the next. His goal was nowhere near near completion, and when he had heard there was a pokemon contest hall in the town he had spend a bit of time seeing if it was profitable at all to invest time and effort into. He still didn't know much, but there was always time to decide later.

Edea, on the other had was dead set on trying to convince or manipulate the boy into getting into the contest scene. The Maractus figured her music and dancing would be more appreciated by the crowds drawn there, but her training just so happened to be a child bearing a one-track mind. Said track being in a gold mine with precious gems stuffed in the walls outside the ore veins and a tree that grows money for leaves and fruits with coins as seeds for good measure. Ah, such an image should be comitted to a painting of sorts. Perhaps her trainer simply doesn't realize her artistic expertise! Surely if he did they would come to some sort of agreement where they would get the funds that he needs without her needing to get knocked out or having to suck the life out of others in the process. Such a pleasant thought...Which was immediately interrupted by the sound of shouting.

Both Deneb and Edea looked in the direction. A familiar girl was calling out for help. Deneb approached her out of curiosity...

Team Noble Grunts

@Typical @Zanavy @OtomostheCrazy @fer1323 @LuckyBlackCat

It was a boring job, suited for grunts honestly, to escort the cattle-like Rheese back to where they had snagged him...but at least they weren't Helium's lackeys, those guys were constantly at the mercy of the balloon freak's short temper. Being Argon's subordinates at least meant that they had a competent commander that, even if she was really stern, had no intention of harming her underlings. With the occasional prod, the basically unconscious guy they were leading kept walking with nary a complaint.

"You know, there's no way the commander would find out if we just dropped this guy off in the forest right? Worst case we say we lost him in a wild pokemon attack and get a light talking to." One grunt mentioned to her friend who looked back unamused. "Kidding, I'm kidding. Not like there's much else we could do with that time saved, and I'd like to get back to base and report a success even if it's just a menial escort."

"You should feel lucky. We're literally getting paid to walk to Mesalon without any chance of getting interrupted or intercepted. With whatever Argon did to Mesprit, just about every job we do is safe and simple." The other grunt responded with a sigh. "I honestly don't get why you bothered bringing your pokemon, only person that I'd say could make this an issue would be that psychic gym leader...and honestly unless Argon herself was here I don't think we could stand a chance anyway."

"Really? You're chastising me for bringing my Torracat? I see your Politoed's pokeball there, you're such a hypocrite Ozzy."

"Hey! He gets lonely if I don't take him along." Ozzy retorted, looking at the pokeball. "Besides, we're not supposed to say our names in public Alicia. Just because people aren't able to pay attention to us doesn't mean we can just ignore protoca-"

Suddenly things went from boring chatter to panic as a young girl pointed them out and shouted for her friends. The duo glanced at each other nervously. The townspeople still didn't pay them any heed, but this girl and her friends were clearly able to see them. One of them had to be the psychic girl that they had been briefed on, but seeing past Mesprit's power? Weren't these kids supposed to be in Mesalon still!?

"Snap out of it, we're gonna have to battle or book it!" Alicia said her stance and the fact that her Torracat was already out and ready to go making it clear what camp she was in. Ozzy sighed and let Politoed out. Their commander was curious about the psychic girl anyway so grabbing her could mean a bit of a bonus anyway.

"Oi!" Ozzy shouted to the group. "We're just bringing your pal back where we found him, this doesn't have to get ugly." He said, grasping Rheese's shoulder to stop him from wandering forward as well as signal that they held the cards in this altercation.



Rheese for his part wasn't exactly processing anything that was going on at the moment, but he was aware of his legs moving in this trance-state. His mind was in a sort of crisis mode, making sense of what it could of its suddenly missing memories. Piecing together what could be, like a patchwork of parts threaded by fragile threads, pieces of his memories didn't sound right but it was how he remembered. He internally went through some of it with his limited consciousness.

He had arrived in Kosei a few days ago, sleeping on the plane instead of watching the television(?), not speaking to anyone until he met a psychic girl named Sophia. He thought it odd that every television they passed flickered on and off with some insufferable guy that called himself Hammer(?) He met a few others as well before they left for Mesalon in an ambulance as another new companion, Alexis, was injured. The trip went smooth until some wild pokemon attacked them and left him injured(?) Mesalon went well until that Hammer guy showed up and harassed them. The man's words were jumbled and made very little sense, but Rheese chalked it up to the guy being a meathead. Some powerful psychic guy dealt with him He caught a minior, got his badge...then he was in some sort of hospital again...but something was off, then nothing? Something had to lead to him walking like this, but part of his head said it didn't matter.

Ty took Amber's advice with a polite nod, though he had no need for it. The stunt trainer already had a careful protocol for introducing new members to his team. Though he might have Hunk standing by this time just in case the Litleo did turn out to be particularly feisty.

Hmm... Feisty? Hm... he'd add that name to the growing list.

Ty took a seat in the lobby and chilled for a bit. He pulled out his C-Gear and snapped a few photos of his new gym badge, finally deciding one of them looked shiny enough. He considered sending the proud photo to his family. But then Ty thought better of it and put his device away for the time being. If he sent that now, his mom would probably call constantly until he picked up the C-Gear for a thirty minute conversation. Better to wait until he was settled in for the evening.

"There's trouble, someone's got our friend, get help!"

The blond perked up for a second and then tilted his head in a mixed look of confusion and concern. The... the heck was THAT? A hallucination? Or some kind of great intuition? But why would his intuition speak in Sophia's voice? .....Yeah, he was hallucinating. That was a bad sign.

Ty pulled his C-Gear back out and started fiddling with the settings, attempting to take his mind off the hallucinated problem. But he couldn't concentrate on anything, and his fingers began to drum nervously. That hallucination did sound pretty anxious...

Ty let out a long defeated sigh and walked just outside the Pokemon Center. He looked a little embarrassed as he released Reaper.

"Hey," the punk began with a weak smile. "It's probably nothing, but can you fly up and check on Sophia and them? They went to the shopping district, over that way. Come back when you see them."

To Ty's relief, the Scyther didn't question his trainer. He was just happy for a reason to get out and stretch his wings. The bug zipped into the sky, doing an obligatory barrel roll before heading off toward the shopping district.

Ty frowned and walked back into the Pokemon Center. Well, if he was having hallucinations, at least this building full of trained medical professionals was a decent place to hang out. Ty glanced down at his single remaining pokeball, wondering if the Igglybuff's training included how to tell if a person was going crazy.

Sophia Danvers

Vareena Town

@Heckno12 @OtomosTheCrazy


Sophia's surroundings wavered, but she stood her ground as two Pokemon sharpened into focus. A Torracat and a Politoed. "Y-You leave him alone!" she said, defiance masking fear as she gripped a Pokeball. Even if these two trainers were stronger, a battle was unavoidable. "Arcturus! Deal with the Torracat, use Water Gun!"

In a burst of light, the Staryu spun into the fray, shooting water at the cat. "Lacey, defend with Reflect! Fantoccino, Night Shade!" The two Pokemon backed up their teammate, Lacey spreading out her stubby arms and setting up a wall of light, Fantoccino's eyes glowing crimson as he prepared his attack. "Clarus, careful, take on the Politoed with Confuse Ray!" The Bronzor drifted away from the Fire type, towards Politoed, golden orbs circling from its body.

In a rush of footsteps, reinforcements arrived - Alexis, as well as the quiet desert boy she'd seen in Mesalon. "Weird question, but you can see what's going on, right?" Sophia asked, her initial relief soured by a jolt of panic. The more people to deal with this, the better, but considering what these thugs had done to Rheese, what if others got into trouble?

At the telltale buzz of more backup, she glanced over to see a familiar Scyther draw closer. It looked like she'd gotten through to Ty after all.

---

Amber Pine

Vareena Town

@Heckno12

"Rheese, can you hear me?" Amber called. No reply. He didn't even look their way. Lips pressed together, Amber stepped forward. "Aeshna, hit the Politoed with Sonic Boom!"

Aeshna zipped over, with a loud buzz that intensified as she hovered in front of the Politoed. The buzzing reached a crescendo, a white shockwave sweeping from her wings towards her opponent. Amber's fists clenched. The move choice wasn't just a battle strategy - if Rheese was under some hypnotic effect from a Pokemon, would the sound be enough to jolt him out of it?

In any case, it seemed to lift the veil even further. Passers-by stopped and stared, shouts rippling through the street. Their own group steadily reassembled, trainers and Pokemon gathering to face the reason why they needed to keep together.

"Now, Tacita, follow up with Leafage!" At Amber's command, Tacita rose high into the air, sending a flurry of leaves at the Water type.

Alpha Steele, the child prodigy. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about her life back in Kanto. Even though she was used to travelling she still missed the feeling of home. Or maybe it’s just that she wasn’t used to travelling on her own like this. Well, mostly alone. The Zorua that had been travelling on her shoulder was definitely enough to keep her company and keep her from going crazy on her first solo journey. Even if at times the tricky little creature drove her absolutely mad.

It had only been less than a week since she had arrived in the region and she finally finds herself in Vareena. Specifically she went straight towards the pokemon center in the town. She had been trying to train up the Axew in her party, Behemoth, who had gotten himself fairly injured on the way over. The little guy had a surprising amount of energy and anger in that tiny body and it made it a little hard to train him sometimes. They had just finished healing the poor guy when she and Cheshire’s attention got drawn by an odd patron of the same center. A blonde guy walked out of the building, let out a scyther, then watched as it flew away before deciding to walk back into the building.

Alpha watched the guy for a second to try and discern whatever it was that he was doing. Unfortunately there was nothing noticeably odd about what he was doing other than staring at a pokeball. “Uh hey, you okay there dude?” She asked concernedly as she approached the strange guy. “I saw the thing with that Scyther and just… I don’t know seriously, are you okay?”

@LuckyBlackCat@Typical@Zanavy@Heckno12@fer1323

The situation seemed to have developed a bit faster than Alexis had expected. As soon as she made it to where Sophia was, the rival had sent out her pokemon in a bold, but honestly sorta rash attempt to save their friend mutual acquaintance. Alexis saw the way the two foes held the mentioned individual, however, and knew that she had dragged herself into a very stressful situation.

"I...Darn it! Powder Snow them! Try to keep them in place! Meditite, get ready to chase them and fight! Everyone else assist!"

Alexis sent out her current team to help out, though she doubted that they were going to be enough unlesss they ganged up on one at a time. Another problem was the part where they still had their friend acquaintance as a hostage. They needed way more help, and it couldn't just be a random group of kids alone...Well, there was another way to possibly get police and people here. A shout for help gained some help, but maybe more cries for help might make this a bigger situation. Get these two noticed, and they might panic. So Alexis took a breath and let out a loud, shriek-worthy scream as her pokemon followed her commands.

Meanwhile, Deneb had simply walked on over at the wrong time after returning his own pokemon to her pokeball. The scream hit his ears in full force, and though his expression and lack of physical reaction made it seem as if he didn't mind, he did let out this:

"...Ow."

Ty Westgrove

Helping Very Much at Vareena Pokemon Center

Ty jumped a bit when an unexpected voice spoke up. This one seemed to be real, at least, though it came from someone the leather-clad trainer didn't recognize. Ty blinked as he took a second to register the girl's words and then put on a small smile.

"Uhh, yeah. Um... my group went on without me. I sent Reaper out to find them."

Technically, neither of those statements were lies. The stranger still looked at him, though, seemingly unsatisfied by his best performance in the role of "okay." Ty's brown eyes glanced away as he absentmindedly fiddled with his eyebrow piercing.

"So... Pokemon Center, right? Had any tough battles lately?" Yes, good deflection, people love talking about their Pokemon.

@TheDemonHound

Team Noble Grunts

"Hey that's cheating!" Alicia shouted in response to her and Ozzy's pokemon essentially getting jumped.

"I don't know what we expected them to do given the circumstance." Ozzy said, clearly frustrated about the situation himself. In one fell swoop not only had they been swarmed by these fledgling trainers' pokemon but the insistence on confusing Politoed as well as setting up defenses in turn had effectively thwarted whatever level advantage the pair had. These kids were lucky that neither of the two grunts had the stomach to make good on the threat they had made on Rheese's life before this had all broken out.

"We're gonna have to figure an exit strategy O-I mean Agent Osmium." Alicia said, now very much regretting her and Ozzy not bringing their actual teams. "Luckily, I...brought these!" She said quickly whipping out and applying full restores to both Torracat and Politoed without getting caught in the crossfire.

"Got it, Politoed hydro pump straight up. Actinium, have Torracat hit that with a flamethrower quickly!" Ozzy shouted, planting his boot on Rheese's back and shoving him directly between his and Alicia's pokemon and their attackers.

Once the two powerful attacks collided a giant cloud of steam exploded from the impact and completely obscured the already fleeing grunts that had also tossed a couple of smokebombs the others' way for good measure.

"YOU BRATS WAIT TIL THE COMMANDER HEARS ABOUT THIS!" Alicia shouted back menacingly. Realistically nothing would probably happen as a result, but reporting that the psychic girl was here might at least prompt some interest from their admin.



Rheese was almost shaken from his stupor by a combination of Alexis's shrill shriek and the loud buzz from a yanma's sonicboom. It felt like the fog was clearing before something laid it back on thick...and then he was suddenly shoved forward from behind. The sensation of falling forward was immediately followed by a burning sting on his shoulder as the brunt of the steam caught him slightly before he hit the ground.

His pokeballs rolled in front of him, his eyes focusing for just a moment on the three spheres. Surely this burn wasn't from something that was gonna find itself in his fourth pokeball. The more lucid part of his mind made him smiled in slight amusement. My capturing methods...really are...the worst.

Rheese fell unconscious on the ground, not out of pain but just in an oddly relaxed slumber. It was almost like hitting the ground was the trigger for something to make him fall asleep.

Sophia Danvers

Vareena Town

@Heckno12

Sophia doubled over coughing from the steam and the smoke. She backed away from the heat, lost her balance and fell to one knee. Through the hiss of vapour, she heard Actinium yell one more threat. Her blood chilled. The commander? Was this the maniac with the Aerodactyl? Or someone even worse?

As the cloud dispersed, she wiped her watering eyes and stared at the form slumped on the ground. Rheese wasn't just dazed, but out cold. Sophia crawled forward, her Pokemon approaching. "Rheese, are you alright?" she rasped, even though he clearly wasn't. He was breathing, thank Arceus, but didn't move or reply. "Please, tell me!"

She put her hand on his forehead and closed her eyes. Head pulsing with pain, she drew in her breath, but focused nonetheless. Through the blur of faint energy signals around her, she could just about pick up on his - which felt healthier than she'd expected.

She gave a laugh of relief. "He actually seems pretty ok," she told the others. "Except... wait..." She shuddered as if she'd touched something unpleasant. Which, in a way, she had - she had no idea what that bizarre energy trace was, but it obviously wasn't ok. "Uh, I stand corrected. There's some hint of something weird, something I've never sensed before... This isn't just a typical sleep effect he's under."

Groaning, she withdrew her hand. That was all she could glean.

---

Amber Pine

Vareena Town

@Heckno12 @OtomostheCrazy

"Aeshna!" Amber called as soon as the fumes cleared and she could catch her breath. "Check which way they went!"

The Yanma flew up and circled around, but the duo had already made their exit. As Aeshna descended, Amber sighed. There was nothing they'd be able to do to stop the two anyway. The most important thing was that the grunts had let Rheese go, and hadn't hurt him - well, hadn't further hurt him.

"It's going to be ok." Crouching down, she checked his breathing and pulse. "Help's coming. Alexis, looks like that screaming did the trick." A good few of the surrounding people had their phones in hand, hurriedly relaying the situation, so with any luck, the emergency services would be here soon.

Sophia wasted no time in checking him over, in a rather less conventional way. Amber tensed - it wouldn't help if Sophia passed out too from pushing herself too much. She relaxed a little at the confirmation that Rheese wasn't badly harmed, only to frown at the next statement. So it wasn't simply a hypnotic effect, like she'd thought. "Any idea what it might be?" she asked, but Sophia shook her head.

"We really should have all gotten each other's phone numbers," Amber muttered, gently moving Rheese onto his side. "I'm sorry, Rheese. Sorry I didn't look for you."

@LuckyBlackCat@Typical@Zanavy@Heckno12@fer1323

The steam screen had effectively blinded them, and forced Alexis to command Yuki to cease her powder snow. By the time Meditite had made it past the area of the steam, the two criminals had gotten out of sight. At the very least they managed to save their captive. Alexis had rushed over to him as soon as she could, not caring if her previous cry for help was effective at all. Sophia was looking over him, supposedly using her powers to check on him. Alexis didn't know how to properly respond to what the psychic had said, but chose to say something anyway.

"W-What are you doing! We need to bring him to a hospital or something!"

Her usual haughty self had no place in the current situation, so Alexis had to put it aside. She truly did not know what else to say or do, however. Her journey was not going the way she had expected in the slightest, looking at the supernaturally-unconscious boy in front of her almost put her in a panic attack. The others seemed to have some way to help out. Sophia checked Rheese's (pieces) condition, and Amber tried to find out what direction the escaped kidnappers fled off to. Alexis was just there, trying to find any way to be useful, and not noticing the other individual walking towards them.

"...Oh. You're those trainers from the other town."

"Ah!"

Alexis hadn't actually fully noticed the little green-haired boy until just now. His voice was somewhat unnerving to her so it wasn't his sudden talking that surprised her so much as it was his lack of concern. Focus on that would have to be shoved to another time for now.

Ty Westgrove

Vareena Pokemon Center --> Vareena Town

Reaper spotted a battle unfolding as he flew toward the shopping district. Unfortunately, it ended before he could join the fight. Dammit. It looked like "Sophia and them" were okay now. Though there was some guy passed out on the ground. Hmm. Maybe Ty would want to know about that.



Ty restrained himself to only glance out the door every couple minutes or so. It seemed that white-haired girl had decided to leave him alone for the time being, but Ty couldn't shake the feeling that she was still watching him and trying to figure out what was going on.

The blond perked up and walked to the door as the Scyther landed just outside in a more-epic-than-necessary pose. The bug buzzed loudly with a focused look in his eye. Ty raised his brows in alarm.

"What?" Ty asked as he opened the door. "Are they really in-"

"Mr. Westgrove?" the assistant at the front desk interjected. "Your Pokemon are all ready."

Ty's head swiveled toward the front desk, then back to Reaper, then he pivoted and quickly walked to the counter. He grabbed the two pokeballs with a hasty thanks and headed back toward the door.

"Oh, and sir? Your Lit- sir!?"

Ty barely heard her, though, as he power-walked out the door. Reaper shot up into the air and zoomed away... then turned back to see his trainer following behind at an almost-jogging pace. The Scyther hissed and almost seemed to sag in the air as he slowed to stay within Ty's sight.

"Excuse me!" A meek voice attempted to call out through the chaos to very little avail. Volume wasn't exactly something she excelled in, and it seemed that her quietness wouldn't allow her to tame this situation. "Liligant, use sweet scent!" She said as the pokemon in question emerged from the ball on her waist.

A pink haze descended onto the crowd to calm the unrest so the young trainer could make her way to the unconscious boy. "Team Noble again hm?" She muttered quietly. A gym leader acknowledging the group's presence could incite panic, so she was certain to keep it to a near whisper. After a light sigh she reached into a small pouch at her side and produced two berries, one was pink with a small green stem and the other looked more like a blue-topped acorn. She forced the two items into Rheese's mouth and used her hands to make him chew them. "Unlike with pokemon, the Chesto and Payapa berries are a bit slow-acting on humans. Your friend should be fine, at least within an hour or so depending on his metabolism." The young girl said, sounding more like a wise old woman than the young teenager she appeared to be. "In the meantime, you are all welcome to bring this boy to my gym and explain what happened here while he recovers."

The young girl and her Liligant bowed to the group, the gym leader's pink hair and shrine maiden's attire lightly littered by the cherry blossom petals that surrounded her. "I am Saki Matsutsuki, and I welcome you to my humble town." She said respectfully before turning and walking towards what appeared to be the town's gym.