(Reboot) Pokemon: Beyond the Tall Grass

Loka stared into the fire, the flames dancing in her single eye. She sighed and turned her gaze up to the sky.


"...It was a rescue mission of sorts. I was infintratin' an enemy base with a friend.Our goal was to get in, free the pokemon that were bein' held captive, then blow it up." She went back to staring into the flames, watching the burning wood intently. "It was all goin' smoothly, but someone tipped us off to Nascour..." She clenched her fists, making the flames in the pit rise. A wild heat radiated from her body as she ground her teeth. After playing with the Pawniard (Who climbed back up onto Cerise's lap), Blitz placed a paw on the girl's leg, whining at her, calming her. "...Right. The explosives we placed were found, an' detonated prematurely. Both of us were caught up in the blast. The base started fallin', so we ran as fast as we could. He an' I managed to free the pokemon and get 'em out. Next objective; Save ourselves. The two of us ran through the collapsin' base, the ceilin' fallin' everywhere. I saw it all fall, an' felt myself pushing him outta the way. I got caught up in it... I-" she paused, taking a deep breath. She didn't want to continue the story, but a quick glance at the interested faces of her group compelled her to keep going. "I was pulled from the rubble by... my friend. We both saw that if the rock 'ere-" she paused again, this time taking her scarf/jacket off and turning around. Every single scar on her back was visible in the light, including an odd crude circluar one; right where her heart is. "-Was removed I woud die. The stone had pierced through my armor, and had impaled me. My friend ran off when several armed CIPHER members showed, leavin' me there with 'em. Their guns were trained on me. A minute of painful bleeding and cracking ribs passed and they placed me on the back of an Avalugg." She shifted her gaze to the team, then added a bit TOO quickly, "I was disguised as one of 'em, so they didn' leave me to die." She stood up and began pacing, putting her scarf/jacket back on. She wondered how they would take the rest of the sotry; it was already pretty harsh. "...I died. I watched myself flatline in their medical ward from outside my own body. Next thing I know, I'm alive and bein' walked outta the morgue with my pokemon at my side. I don' know what happened that I lived. It's all too foggy for me to remember..." She looked up at the cloudless, starry sky and breathed heavily. "I lost my eye, as well as a couple o' friends that day..."

She didn't look at the group as she sat back down, her pokemon sitting up agaist her. Once more she stared into the fire, unblinking.

"...Sorry." she spoke. "I didn't mean to ruin the night with a story..."

Catia listened quietly as Loka easily filled in the holes of her past for her.  Sure it was depressing to learn how she'd gotten hurt like she did, but she immediately knew she was protecting her interests in traveling with the group when Loka started to say that she had been disguised as a CIPHER.  But for once, she couldn't bring herself to really fault her.  This was one skeleton in her closet that she was the most ashamed of and hurt by after all.

After Loka finished her story, Catia shook her head carefully before giving Loka a reassuring smile.  "It's okay Loka.  If anything, we know you a bit better now than we did before."  She relaxes a bit and sits back as she starts to pet Fox behind her ears again softly.  "Your ability to tell us such a thing also means that you're feeling comfortable enough around us to share your past.  That's a step in the right direction."  She tells her, gazing into the fire herself and watching the fire crackle and move.

Her smile fades as she remembers everything that she had found out about Loka through her various sources. Now the pieces to her past were finally falling into place and the more she found out about her, the more and more she felt sympathy for her.  She felt sorry for Loka, to have been through so much pain and suffering, only to be forced into fighting again.  The two of them wanted the same thing out of life: to settle down and live out the rest of their lives in peace.

She looks up to everyone then, the happiness that she had felt faded from her face.  "Decoda, Cerise, Loka....I know you want to ask about what Arceus said to me but...."  She takes a deep breath before continuing.  "So long as we're here, I think we should follow Loka's example just now and share about ourselves.  Even if it's just something as small as a memorable moment from your past or something as painful as loss and death, every bit of ourselves that we share only brings us closer together as friends."  She smiles again slightly.  "So....can we talk about Arceus later?  I'll still tell you what he told me.  You guys deserve to know what was said."  She asks everyone.

“Great!  Thank you!”

As he hung up, Decoda beamed with excitement and eagerness to get to Saffron to pick up his prize.  It would be a great opportunity to see Marley, Hagi and Zoe again too, unless they’d be busy.  He exhaled, staring into his gear and tried to calm down.

“I feel so jittery!  Maybe I should go jump in the water for a little bit,” Decoda announced, but just before he stood up, Cerise’s egg finally hatched!  When the young Pawniard popped out and started trying to impress the other Pokemon, Decoda couldn’t help but laugh.

“Wow, amazing!” he said in between breaths.  “I’ve never actually seen an egg hatch before!  Congratulations to both of you!”  Decoda started clapping, but stopped immediately once Loka began to speak.  The chipper mood began draining from his body the more he listened to her sad tale, a thousand questions shooting off in his mind, but no gall to ask any of them in fear of being insensitive to her situation.  He watched as Blitz tried to comfort her, as she revealed her scars and wounds from that fateful day, as her eye drifted from the rest of their contact.  All he could feel now was terrible.

“I’m sorry Loka… I wish I knew what to say or do…  I… have no words for this…” he spoke sadly, his posture bent in his seat and his eyes watering.  He felt guilty for harassing her earlier, demanding to know who she was after the explosion at the Game Corner, and for thinking she was a horrible person upon first meet.  He hadn’t felt this bad about something in a long time.  He rubbed away a formulating tear quickly before looking up at Catia to answer her question.

“That’s fine.  It’s not like we have much else to discuss.  We’ve barely encountered anything about the teams we’re supposed to try and stop anyway… there’s no plan of action to create right now,” he said, his voice low to emphasize how realistic he was aiming to be.  The only thing “team related” that they had found was Loka and Wes themselves and that abandoned Rocket hideout he had found Chimecho in.  There really wasn’t much to talk about there.  Why not actually try to get to know each other for once this whole mission?

“Please, continue, Catia,” he nodded to her, knowing she had a story to tell.

Catia heard Decoda's gesture and broke out into a blush. "Wha me? I-I um...." She felt so flustered that she was being asked to go first. Truth be told, she had been kinda hoping that Decoda or even Cerise would go first. She had a lot happen to her in the past too just like Loka, but none of it was as painful as what she'd been through. As much as it hurt, the two of them still wanted nothing short of an end to their fighting so that they could finally settle down and do what they actually wanted with their lives. It wasn't much of a goal really, but it was something that would make them happy.

Catia took looked at Loka with a kind of 'help me' look but soon shook it off and sighed. "O-okay. Although mine's not quite as bad as Loka's, my past wasn't any better or worse." She sighed and let Poochy and Fang curl up against her again, both of them eager to hear their trainer's story. "My father kinda left on a mission when I was eleven and didn't come back. He was a Ranger you see. We never were told what had happened to him so we all had to assume the worst. Then I discovered my powers shortly after he left. I remember how happy my mother was to see me doing such incredible things with them. I really liked being able to clear rocks and stuff and help out around the house and with my mother's breeding work. It was really fun." Then her face grew dark as she stared into the bed of the fire and watched the already burnt wood glowing now as just mere embers, entrancing her. "Then the local kids in Mauville nearby....they found out. They started teasing me. Calling me names and throwing rocks at me, trying to get me to do something to them. I used to cry all the time and beg them to stop it. But no matter what I did, not one person tried to stop them. One of them called me pathetic, a girl named Krow. She kept telling me that if I wanted them to stop doing it so badly then I should get up and run off instead of hiding in a corner and crying my eyes out." She clenched her fists and Poochy whimpered at her, pawing at her cheek from her lap and giving her a worried look. She soon relaxed and smiled at the little puppy pokemon, praising it for calming her down with a scratch behind its ears to let it know that she was alright. "Eventually, it just got to a point where I really couldn't deal with it anymore. By that time I was nearly sixteen years old. I couldn't bring myself to lay a hand on any of the kids that kept teasing me and doing such nasty things to me. It just....I didn't want to hurt anyone."

A few tears fell from her face as she continued to drift off into her memories, her friends and pokemon around her slowly fading from her sight. "I....I made a mistake. I tried to paralyze myself so that I would never be able to use my powers again. I thought that maybe if I couldn't do that stuff anymore, they would stop. I almost did it too...." At that point, Catia reached behind her back and untied some of the strings that were keeping her one piece suit together, turning around to show everyone her back. In light of the fire, there was a deep scar running jaggedly across her spine, looking as if it had cut it in half at some point or another but healed too roughly to not leave a more shallow marking. "My father came back just in time to catch me as I hit the obsidious rocks at the base of the volcano. I was bleeding and badly hurt but I was alive. I woke up a day or two later in a small cavern inside the volcano, my father smiling at me. He told me that he was happy that he'd caught me when he did, else my injuries would've been much worse than they were. His hands and wrists were cut up pretty bad too. I assumed it was from catching me." She tied her suit back together and turned back around, facing the others again. "I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him and he told me who he was. I couldn't help myself. I buried myself into his chest and cried. His only response was to tell me that everything was gonna be okay and that he was here now to be with me. I was so happy." She said.

Then her eyes drifted off again and she stared at the coals at the bottom of the makeshift firepit they'd made. "He stayed with me for the next two weeks, helping me recover. He fed me and helped me do physical therapy to get better again. All while making me smile and laugh. I felt like a little kid again." She laughed a little bit before her smile instantly faded, being replaced with sadness. "Then my mother and some of the townsfolk found us. They'd been searching for me the whole time I'd been missing. And just as I thought everything was going to work out...." Her face grew dark and she spaced out again. "....There was a rock slide. Everyone panicked and ran to get to the village and to safety. My father did everything he could to make sure I was able to follow closely behind him and my mother. I tripped and all I could do was watch as I saw a boulder barreling down the mountain after me. Just as I'd closed my eyes to wait for it to crush me...." Tears fell from her face as her hands clenched again, this time not in anger, but sadness. "He threw me out of the way. My father....he saved my life. But the boulder crushed him instead. All I could do was watch and beg as he slipped from my life in my arms. It wasn't fair...."

It took her a moment this time to regain her composure, Poochy, Fang and Fox all having detected their trainer's grief and doing their best to try and comfort her. After a few minutes of her crying, she finally wiped her tears away as best as she could and returned her attention to the group. "The last thing he told me was to live my life with no regrets. To be a good girl for my mother and for my little sister. I visited his grave everyday on top of the mountain and I trained harder and harder until I was finally able to fend off those kids that had picked on me once so long ago." She grinned as she held up her arm and made a strong armed pose. "I remember one boy tried to throw a rock at me again. The look on his face when I caught it and threw it back was awesome! It made me feel so great to finally be able to fight back after years of just letting them pick on me like they did."

She seemed to relax as she started to return to petting Fox behind her ears again. "Then I got the professor's message and Poochy here. My mother told me to go despite my little sister not wanting me to. Now here I am with you guys." She finished, a smile on her face for the first time in a little while. It felt good to be able to share that story of her past, depressing as it was.

Cerise couldn't help but let out a cry of glee as the egg burst open to reveal a young Pawniard, who quickly began to explore its new surroundings. Cerise's smile faded a bit as he watched the newborn puff out its chest at Houndoom and fall over. For some reason... when he laid his eyes on Pawniard, he'd felt as though he'd forgotten something? Something important? As Pawniard crawled back into his lap, Cerise pursed his lips in thought, noting that the sensation was vaguely familiar. Although he hadn't realized it at the time, he'd felt the same way when helping Zoe's Bisharp not too long ago. There had to be a connection somewhere... right?

He halted his musings as he heard Loka and Catia recount their stories of their pasts, now feeling uncomfortable. Was he also going to be expected to share some kind of sad story with the others? Cerise was certain that he didn't have any! He began to carefully stroke the side of his Pawniard's face as he thought to himself. What kind of story could he share in this situation? His gaze lingered intently on the dying fire, the hushed pause in silence after Catia's story filling the air for a moment. As the salty ocean air breezed past, Cerise began to speak.

"I can't say I have stories about my life like either of you two, but..." Cerise pauses a moment, recalling Catia's question from before. He looked down at Pawniard, who stretched its arm blades as Cerise scratched under the newborn's chin. The faintest of smiles crossed his face as he gazed at the baby endearingly. "I might have a story of interest, considering the circumstances."

"When I was about... 6 years old, I believe, my father's grandparents sent me a present for my birthday. They came to our house on that day on the Nimbasa subway system, and catching rides to my hometown of Lacunosa. They handed me an egg that was covered in green cloth, saying it was a memento from my father. I never knew the guy-- my mom had said that he'd been off on a journey of enlightenment after a few global incidents had occurred involving these rogue teams. I didn't understand at the time... I still don't even now? But my father's parents came on my 6th birthday with this egg and told me that it was a precious gift from my father. A father that... didn't care enough to stand by his family in times of trouble and decided to drop off the face of the planet just for fun? I watched my mom cry for days as a kid after she told me what happened to him. Naturally, I didn't want this egg."

At this point, Cerise pauses. He takes a breath, realizing that he'd risen his voice in his anger. After an exhale, he continues, "My mom works as an egg hatcher, and my Grams is an egg breeder, so neither of them could fathom just leaving an egg unattended, even though both they knew who it was from. My father's parents left not long after, and my birthday came to an end... but I still hated that egg. Every strip of its green cloth blanket made me want to... To... Every time I saw that egg, I saw my mom's crying face and I didn't want her to be reminded of that guy. My Grams tried to teach me that it wasn't the egg's fault that it came from a person I disliked-- that egg was still its own being, and didn't deserve to be hated for things it couldn't control. But at that time, I really didn't care."

"A night or two after my birthday, I snuck out with that egg and headed to the nearby forests with it. I'd planned to leave the egg out there somewhere, and I'd thought that the egg deserved it. But I'd gotten lost in that forest, and all I hadn't thought to bring a flashlight with me. I remember feeling so scared and alone, and feeling as though the forest was so tight and tall that it was closing in on me. I could hardly breathe because I was so scared. At some point... I bumped into something and was attacked by a Vespiquen. I think I'd disturbed its nest, because as I was running away, I could hear the buzzing of Combee and Beedrill behind me. And all I had with me was this little egg in green cloth. Just when I was about to give up... that egg hatched."

At this point, Cerise looks over at Chespin, who returns his gaze with a nostalgic expression of its own. The trainer smiled at his starter, already feeling his eyes water as he tried to fight back his tears. "That night almost 10 years ago was when I'd met Chespin for the first time. At first, we weren't seeing eye to eye, mainly because I'd always hated him... but at one point, Chespin took a Leech Life for me and almost died... and that was when I realized that my Grams was right. Even though he was a gift from my father... to treat Chespin like I would my father was unfair. I tried to protect Chespin, but we both knew it was a losing battle. When all seemed lost... a Pokemon came to save us. I was pretty scared at the time, so my memory is a bit patchy... but it was definitely a fire-type. The only thing I really remember about it are the flames on its neck... It defeated all of the bug-types in one move and I'm pretty sure it carried us back to Lacunosa Town. The next thing I remember after passing out in the woods is being in my bed with Chespin right beside me. I'm still not sure what that Pokemon was... or where it came from."

"So, Chespin was the first egg that I'd hatched, and I've hatched a few more after him, though they usually go off to adoption by my uncle's Day Care center. Or... what used to be his center, anyway." As Cerise's story came to a close, he stared out at the ocean wistfully, his thoughts now elsewhere. He didn't quite notice when Pawniard picked itself up to join Chespin and Goomy in building their sand castle when Chespin gestured for it to come over. The three build up the castle a bit more, making castle walls around the north and south entrances.

(OOC: Holy crap that wall of text! I do believe I got outdone sir! xD)

Catia listened quietly as Cerise told his story, finally smiling at him once he'd finished. "It sounds like you've got a pretty amazing partner there Cerise. I'm glad the two of you finally became friends. If you hadn't, it sounds like you wouldn't be here talking with us now." She tells him. Though she was curious about the fire type pokemon that he'd mentioned, there wasn't really anything she could do or say about it that could really get him to remember exactly what he'd seen.

She looked over to Decoda next and nodded. "I guess that means it's your turn then huh?" She asks him rhetorically. While she waited for him to tell his own story, she quietly took out her pokegear on her wrist and opened up her messaging system to Loka. She knew that she was right next to her, but this was something that she'd rather keep from the others in case Loka didn't want them knowing what she was about to ask her.

Arceus told me about that whole thing in the hospital. I know what happened and why you're alive now. I also know what's to come in the future or....at least what's supposed to happen. Problem is, I don't know if you want to know about it or not. We've got a room together tonight again like usual. If you want the information, all you have to do is ask. If not, then I won't push anything onto you. You've been through enough.

She typed the last of that message out to her and carefully pressed the send button without looking at Loka. She calmly returned her full attention to Decoda, eager to hear whatever story he'd decide to tell them.

Loka listened to Cerise's story, quietly staring into the flames. The pokegear on her wrist buzzed once; incoming message. She opened it and read it, suddenly feeling sick. She covered her mouth, stood up, and ran off. She didn't dare look at the bewildered faces of her teammates. Once she was away from people, she opened a trash can and threw up. How much did she know? WHAT exactly did she know? Why would Arceus tell her this? this thoughts whirled around her head, making her dizzy. 

She didn't want to know. She wanted to find out herself.

As his hand swiped down his face, collecting a mixture of sweat and fresh tears, he inhaled deeply and slammed a fist onto his chest to release the breath.

"It's more of a recollection of pieces of memories, rather than a single unified story," he chuckled, trying to hide his miserable feelings under that fake smile he wore.  "But if it still counts..."

He cleared his through a little before speaking again, but stopped when Loka ran off suddenly after looking at her gear.  He began to become worried, completely unsure if he should continue or not.  He felt compelled to go after her and see what was wrong, but felt pressured to stay and talk.

"What... what just happened?!" he said with a concerned voice.  "What did she get?"

Catia doesn't say a word, only watching Loka out of the corner of her eyes. Was that in reaction to her message? What odd behavior from receiving a message like she'd sent her. As much as she wanted to check on her to see if she was alright, Catia knew that it was probably best just to leave her alone. If past experience's were any indication, this was probably the best way to get her to calm down.

She shakes her head. "It's probably something she ate earlier. Want me to go check on her?" She asks Decoda, still watching Loka out of the corners of her eyes.

"Someone has to go make sure she's still alive - she could be choking to death on food if that was the case!" he said, worried that it had less to do with food and more to do with what she might have seen or heard in whatever it was that got her to read her Pokegear.  It was weird, and he'd never seen a reaction like that before from just looking at a screen, but it could have been a number of problems.

One thing was for sure that Decoda was not about to ignore something like that just to tell sad stories.  He got up off his towel and followed Loka's trail himself.

"I'll go and check.  If she's in trouble, I'll call you guys to come over and help me."

Catia nods to Decoda.  "Alright, just don't get yourself hurt."  She tells him, watching him out of the corner of her eyes.  Poochy paws at her face and whines, Fang sitting on his haunches and watching her as well.  She grins and reaches into her bag, pulling out the poffin's that they'd picked out in Saffron.  She opens the bags and gives a blue one to Poochy who quickly eats it and rubs his head on Catia's hands for more.  She giggles and gives Fang the green one that he'd picked out, Fang promptly nomming on it before exhibiting the same behavior as Poochy.

Catia giggles and scratches the both of them behind their ears before wagging a finger at the both of them.  "No more you two!  It's getting late so you should sleep!"  She scolds them, the both of them looking a bit disappointed before they finally nod in acceptance, curling up against her as she gently picks up Fox and lays down onto her back.  After setting Fox down onto her stomach, she stares up at the stars above her head.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Cerise says as he slowly stands up as he watches Decoda leave. Seeing how Loka had reacted, Cerise wasn't too sure if she was in a position to talk to anyone right now. She certainly didn't look like she was feeling well...

Decoda stopped after taking a few steps, turning part way around to Cerise.  An unsure expression dominated his face, but after all he heard, he felt like everyone deserved to be taken care of.  He wanted to be the one to carry them all to the better side of life.  Granted, he hadn't witnessed too much of the better side himself, but he wanted to help, nonetheless.

Maybe they wanted to help, too, though?  Improve their own lives a little?

He sighed lightly before saying, "Alright.  Fine, but stay behind me.  If she burns me, I don't mind.  I just want to make sure everyone else is okay."

He returned to his hurried walk, hoping she wasn't passed out somewhere on the beach about to be washed out to sea.  He knew she would be smarter than to let herself drop wherever, but when you're weakened, anything could happen, and the unknown was the sometimes the scariest part of life.

"Loka!  Loka!  Where are you?!" he called out, trying to keep composure in his voice.

Sai raced out of an alleyway, barking wildly. He lept at Decoda, knocking him to the ground, and licking his face. He jumped off the trained and ran towards the alley, then running back. Sai seemed to want Decoda to follow him. After staring at a confused looking Decoda, Sai lept at Cerise, who he hoped would have an easier time understanding him. After barking at Cerise, he ran for the alley, this time not turning around.

Loka slid to the ground, back to the alley wall. Her palms were sweaty, and her vision was blurry. She could feel her heart racing uncontrollably, as she put a hand to her forehead. If Catia knew all of this, what did the others know? What would happen then? She liked this little group; hell she loved it! 

"This.. ain't what I wanted..." she whispered to herself, staring at her hand which ignited instantly.

Cerise nodded at Decoda's cautionary warning before jogging to keep up with the other male. He kept his eyes nearly everywhere that he could, trying to see some kind of clue that could lead them to where Loka was. He bit his lower lip as the darkness became more noticeable in the silence of the night. Honestly, he was starting to feel a bit jumpy. It certainly didn't help when Sai leaped out of the shadows.

Cerise shrieked in surprise, backpedaling at first before falling flat on his butt. The young male's eyes widened as he recognized the Pokemon, who tried to get Decoda to follow it. Apparently unsatisfied, the Mightyena scampered over to Cerise and barked before dashing back into the shadows. If Sai was here, Loka had to be nearby, right?

"Decoda, she's gotta be close to here!" Cerise said quickly as he stood to his feet and ran after the Mightyena. "Loka?! Where are you??"

As they walked from beach to city, the darkness of night closed in on the day.  He kept calling out to Loka as Cerise did, but was sad to find that she did not respond.  He jumped up in surprise when Sai came running out, easily letting himself fall to the big K9's push.  He would have enjoyed the loving licks more so, but the situation called for him to switch his light laughter to a more serious return to his feet.

"S-Sai!!  Good boy, good Mightyena!  What are you doing over here?  I thought you were-" he said as he started to roll onto his knees.  He watched Cerise fall over too, but then saw the black and gray Pokemon rush over to the shadows of the alleyways.  Now he was both confused and concerned.  What did Sai want them to find?  What would he find behind that darkness?  He began to shake and tremble from nervousness as he dashed after Loka's Pokemon.

"Loka!  Loka!  We're coming, Loka!"

Sai led the two males down the darkened alleyway, whining and yipping. He led them to Loka who was on the ground, against the wall, staring blankly at her flaming hand. She didn't seem to hear them approach, nor react when Sai licked her face. She looked like she was in shock. The pokegear on her arm was open, and she whispered quitely.

"I didn' want this..."


Sai whined sadly at her, then looked at Decoda and Cerise. They were friend, they should be able to help! He nosed his head under her unflamed arm as if to help her up, then looked to them. There was a pleading look in his eyes.

Cerise slowly walked forward, cautious at Loka's blank stare. It was clear that Sai's actions weren't reaching Loka right now. Maybe that was why Sai had led them here? Upon further inspection, her cheeks were slightly wet... Had she been crying? What had she seen on her PokeGear that had upset her this much? Barely hearing her words piqued Cerise's interest, but getting to the heart of the issue was easier said than done.

"...Loka? It's me, Cerise... and Decoda's here too." Speaking softly, he takes a few slow steps further, watching Loka's movements closely for a signal that he should stop walking towards her. The smell of nearby vomit filled Cerise's nostrils, and he took a quick breath. This was much more serious than he'd anticipated... but at least Loka wasn't hurt. At least, not physically. "...Is there any way we can help?"

Loka slowly looked at Cerise, her blank stare ever so slowly filling back up with emotion. She shook her head gently, the flame of her hand finally going out. 

"N-no... There isn'." she spoke looking down. "...Thanks for comin' to check on me, you two. ...It's nice to know who I can trust in this world."

She staggered to her feet, using the wall as support, but fell against Decoda. She looked at him and frowned a bit, looking a bit upset; mostly with herself. She was incredibly weak right now, and she hated weakness. Loka closed her eye and sighed, also upset that she made them worry so much. This wasn't like her...

"...Sorry for making ya'll worry... and disruptin' story time... and runnin' off like I did... I-" she stopped, trying to put words together. Her thoughts were blurring a bit. She squinted a bit to try and clear them; which didn't work. "I would like to hear yer story, Decoda..."

Decoda was distraught by what he saw, trying to process the idea that this was the same girl who introduced herself with a fearsome gaze and a whip.  She looked empty, helpless, and physically exhausted.  It was scary knowing that even the strongest member of the team had such a crippling weakness.  He pined for the answers, why she became so sick - did it have to do with what she saw on the Pokegear or maybe just a delayed effect of explaining herself the way she did?  He couldn't bring himself to ask now.  It was much too soon to press for the truth.  She had already given too much today.

"L-Loka, i-it's... it's gonna be alright," he said as he let her fall against him.  Even though he knew she wasn't fond of embraces, he couldn't help but to wrap his arms around her.  He pulled her in closer and inhaled deeply before telling her, "It's okay to be this way.  You don't have to be sorry, anymore..."

He then let her go, but held her upright with his arms steadying her posture.  He then looked to Cerise and asked with a serious tone, "What should we do, Cerise?  Should we take her to the Pokemon Center, then go back to the beach and get the Pokemon, Catia and Rizu?"

He switched back to Loka, answering her request with a light smile trying to get her to relax so she could regain any amount of strength.

"I'll tell you on the way back, then.  Can you walk at all or do you need to lean on us?"  He paused and looked at the upset K9 beside them before asking, "I could also carry you, if you're unable to move your legs..."

Cerise nods in confirmation at Decoda's suggestion as the older male held Loka. Making sure Loka was healthy was important, therefore, getting her to the Center seemed like the best move to make. Cerise knelt down momentarily to rub Sai's side, trying to let the Mightyena know that its trainer would be taken care of. "If you've got her Decoda, I'll message the others to let them know she's alright. Then, we get to the Center... And Loka... if you're tired... it's alright to sleep for now, okay?"

"I... I should be a'ight gettin' to the Center..." She gently pushed herself off or Decoda and put a hand to the wall to stabilize herself. Loka walked to the opening of the opening and headed for the pokemon center. She stopped and turned to the two guys.

"Thanks... Fer comin' and stuff."

Sai licked Cerise's hand and rubbed against Decoda's leg before following Loka closely. The two made their way to the center, where she immediately got a shower and crawled into bed, covered by blankets and three large animals. Loka lay there wide awake, facing away from the door.

Decoda watched Loka and Sai leave them as they trudged back to the Pokemon Center.  The red head sighed heavily, finally a lot more calm knowing she would be alright after tonight... hopefully.

He turned to his friend and said to him with a defeated tone in his voice, "Well, mind as well pack up for the night.  Let's go back to the others and clean up."

He led the way back to their place on the beach, Loka's upset face haunting his mind.  While he couldn't ask the dark haired girl about what happened, he thought maybe Cerise had an idea of what really went on.  He was pretty good at figuring things out.  "What do you think did it, Cerise?"

Cerise watched Loka leave with Sai, his hands now clammy. Honestly, he wanted to follow Loka to make sure he made it to the Center safely, but Sai would probably ensure that she'd make it there safely. But even so... Cerise couldn't help but worry. Hearing Decoda sigh, Cerise glanced up at his friend as he spoke.

At Decoda's suggestion to get back to the others, Cerise nodded without a word, his thoughts too focused on Loka. Most of the walk back was in silence, with each teen lost in his own respective thoughts. When Decoda asked for Cerise's opinion, the younger trainer crossed his arms in thought.

"Well... as far as I know right now... it could be the story she told us was a lot harder to talk about than we expected... but before she left, I heard her PokeGear buzz with a message. It might have been something that was sent on her PokeGear, but without more evidence, I can't tell for sure... But it's probably one of those two things." Cerise replied, recounting things he'd observed so far. "You have any ideas?"

Catia sees Loka walk past the camp to the center out of the corners of her eyes and sighs as she notices that Poochy, Fang and Fox had all fallen asleep on top of and curled up against her. Being careful so as not to wake them, she reaches for her bag and returns them all to their pokeballs.

Guess that means the party's over.

She thinks to herself before walking around the campsite and pushing sand onto the fire to put it out. She sees Decoda and Cerise walking back and waves to them, grabbing her bag and walking over to meet up with them. She smiles at them as she gets within talking range.

"I put out the fire at camp for us. Everything okay with Loka?"

She asks, not being able to help but feel concern for the dark haired trainer. She had obviously triggered that reaction from her but she didn't quite understand why she had reacted the way she did. Surely Decoda and Cerise weren't the only ones that had wanted to know about what Arceus had told her?