(Reboot) Pokemon: Beyond the Tall Grass

Decoda hadn't done much more than explore the farmland one more time after Cerise had begun to relax.  There wasn't much else to do or see, and all the Pokemon had settled down from earlier. He returned a short 10 minutes later to find nearly all of his friends fully at rest for the day.  Deciding to join them, Decoda selected a spot by his instrument and new little egg, took off his hat and placed it upon his face.

The hay may have been more uncomfortable than he previously thought, but it was something he could at least sleep on compared to last night's dirt.

Yuno nodded sleepily and cuddled into Catia's side, Fox between them. Within minutes, the white haired girl was out light a light. Catia's mind slowly slipped away, letting her fall into a slumber none too soon after.



In the dark of the night, two figures stood outside the barn, one of them with a pokemon on their shoulder. They whispered something to their pokemon and it grows in size, letting out a loud roar, then spilling flames from it's mouth. It wasn't long before the barn caught fire.

With a bit of laughter, the two figures and their strange pokemon raced off into the night.



Inside the barn, everyone would awake to thick, black smoke, the crackling and popping of burning barn, and the terrified cries of the Glameow as they ran for safety. Several pokemon burst from their balls and begin to alert their trainers to the eminent dangers around them.

Catia awoke with a start from Poochy and Fang barking, chittering and nipping at her face.  Seeing the barn on fire she quickly put all of her pokemon into their pokeballs despite Poochy's protests.  Coughing and sputtering from the thick smoke that was up in the loft, she saw how quickly the barn was being consumed by the flames and looked around desperately for some kind of way to get outside. Spotting a five foot by five foot, thin glass paned and wooden window up in the loft with them, she quickly kneels down and picks Yuno up into her arms with her face nestled into her chest. The adrenaline surging through her body helped her with the girl's weight and before too much longer her eyes had started to glow faintly with her powers before stepped back slightly to get a running start at the window.

"Yuno, this is going to hurt. Hang onto me tightly and whatever you do don't let go!"

She told the white-haired girl in her arms before she gave a small breath and ran at the window. Just before she made impact with the window, she closed her eyes and shifted her body so that her shoulder would take the blow as she crashed through it. The glass of the window exploded outwards as time seemed to slow to a crawl. Seeing the ground beneath her, she started to shift into a slight spin so that she would be the one taking the force of the impact onto the ground as she hit it and roll to minimize her own bodily harm as well as Yuno's.

Cerise awoke with a start as the burning smell of ash filled his lungs. Struggling to see in black smoke, he became aware of a prodding in his side. Looking over, he could make out the shapes of his trio of Pokemon -- Chespin, Goomy, and Pawniard -- all had seemingly been trying to wake up Cerise. He got down on all fours, knowing that if smoke rises, then being close to the floor meant better visibility. He had to be sure the others were alright, and he'd need the help of his team to do so. Remembering something he'd read on Pawniard's Pokedex profile, he turned to the newborn.

"Pawniard, I need you to use your tracking and darkvision capabilities for me -- see if you can find Decoda, Wes, and the others and help them get out of here. Goomy, I need you to go with Pawniard and use Bubble to clear away the flames as best as you can. Chespin, you're with me!" With the responsibilities delegated, Cerise's pokemon set off, with their trainer pulling his poncho over his lower face to help him breath. He crawled forward, trying to see if he could hear any of his friends. He was sure he could hear their Pokemon, and he crawled towards the nearest Pokemon shout, with Chespin alongside him, using Vine Whip to clear away any coming rubble from the duo's path.

"Is anyone there?! Guys?!" Cerise tried to shout out, but he wasn't sure if anyone had heard him. Even so, he pressed forward, determined to help as many of his friends as possible.

As he slept, Decoda faintly recalled a something roaring in his dream.  He couldn't identify its origin, let alone determine what kind of Pokemon or monster had made the noise, but it certainly wasn't kind.  Things began to heat up around him, causing him to sweat as his nightmare continued.  What was going on?!

"Mudkip, Mud!!" screamed the mudfish Pokemon, smacking Decoda's face awake with its paw.  As the panicked teenager got up, he grabbed Mudkip from under him arms, staring at him with a concerned expression.

"What are you doing out of your ball?!  What's wrong?!" he demanded, until he noticed the black smoke around them.  Chimecho was only a foot or so in front of him, flailing about to try and blow away the trio.  She looked so tired, as if she had been doing this for a few minutes now, and here Decoda was, just sleeping away!  What happened?!

One whiff of the smoke was enough to let him know that this barn was on fire, and immediately he took action.  Grabbing his guitar case, the safely encased egg - thank Arceus it was in there - Mudkip and Chimecho, he stuffed part of his hat into his mouth to try and minimize the amount of smoke he inhaled.  He shouted through his teeth and hat at his Pokemon, giving them orders on what they could do to help.

"Mudkip, use Water Gun as much as you can!  Try to see if you can find the location of the fire!  Chimecho, cry out to the others with Growl!  We gotta find out if they're awake and okay!"

As the Pokemon jumped out of his arms and into action, Chimecho picked up on the Cerise and the cries of his Pokemon, as well as the glass-breaking sounds from Catia and Yuno.  Telepathically, she told Decoda, who was using his jacket to air out the smoke, "I can hear them!  They're over here!"

Following the psychic type without words, Decoda hurried to find his friends in the burning barn, keeping the egg and his prized instrument  close to his body all while making sure his two Pokemon were safe from harm.  It was then that they saw Pawniard and Goomy!

"Pawniard, Goomy!  Where's Cerise and Chespin?" Decoda tried to ask through his badly made smoke-guard.

Wes crawled across the floor, staying under the smoke as he made his way about, trying to find the others. Over the crackling and hissing of the fire, and the terrified cries of his companions, he heard the shatter of the window in the loft. He nodded to himself, needing to compliment Catia on her thinking to break the window. It gave the smoke another exit, and would help everyone in the long run. 

"Master, I have located everyone's mental signals. They are alright, and are currently seeking a way out."

"Good work, Es. Go up into the loft and help the girls out!"

"As you command!" Espeon quickly disappeared, then reappeared just as fast. "The girls are outside, however, Blonde one is currently incapacitated!"



As Catia fell, her actions saved Yuno and her pokemon. However, it resulted in the sickening crack of her shoulder breaking against the dewy ground. The white haired girl rolled off of Catia and into the grass, a little winded but safe. She immediately crawled over to Catia and carefully dragged her a safe distance away from the fire. 

"Galopa! Charge through the door and give everyone an exit! Then return asap!" She shouted, throwing her pokeball. The ponyta burst forth, and began to kick and paw at the door. Due to it being weakened by the fire, it wasn't long before the doors were bashed open and fire and smoke rushed out. Galopa then turned and trotted back to Catia and Yuno.

"Good work!" she pet her pokemon, then shouted. "FIND YOUR WAY TO THE DOOR! IT SHOULD BE CLEAR!"



Between the efforts combined of Goomy and Mudkip, the fires near the door were now contained, giving everyone a way out. Unfortunately, the source of the fire was no longer able to be located. 

"LET'S MOVE!"

Catia's head was instantaneously assaulted by two things upon her body hitting the dewy ground outside of the barn: a loud ringing in her ears and an immense amount of pain that was not unfamiliar to her thanks to her brutal training that she put herself through so much. Hearing her left shoulder break against the ground confirmed her own suspicion's about her own injuries. Upon finishing her tuck and roll across the ground and feeling Yuno come out of her grasp immediately gripped her mind with concern over the precious girl's injuries. But after feeling herself being dragged away a safe distance from the fire by the same girl she'd been concerned about, she then focused on her own breathing having finally noticed that there was a lack of it. It took her a few moments to finish gasping and coughing while her lungs tried to grab at what air it could get before she was finally able to breathe without much difficulty. She gritted her teeth and gave a small cry as she felt for her broken shoulder, the mere touch of it making a big pulse of pain tear through her body. Yeap, it was broken alright.

After a moment or two of her collecting herself and her thoughts, she feels herself being set down and she looks up at Yuno and gives a pained groan as she reaches up to her face with her good shoulder and hand.

"Are you....Are you okay Yuno?"

She asks her, more concerned for Yuno than she was about herself. If she had to she'd take a second fall like that one to make sure that she was safe.

Pawniard and Goomy began to tug at Decoda's pants, urging him towards the closest exit instead of answering his question. The duo tried to help navigate Decoda and his Pokemon through the burning barn, looking for the safest route through the blazing inferno. Whenever possible, Goomy would unleash a flurry of bubbles to keep the flames at bay, but it knew that using Bubble was only a temporary solution at best.

Meanwhile, Cerise spotted Wes also crawling across the ground nearby. His eyes were starting to water from the burning sting in the air -- he couldn't stay in here much longer. With adrenaline pumping in his veins, he crawl-followed Wes towards the exit, Chespin right alongside him. The hedgehog found itself using Vine Whip on any flaming debris that could obstruct the trainers' path towards the exit. With the bashed open door that Galopa had broken in sight, Cerise pushed himself onward.

Decoda initially tried to fight against the Pokemon pulling him away, but when Chimecho started to tug on his arms in the same direction, he understood that they were trying to help him, first.  He was happy that they cared, but concerned because they were all so young and noble!

Mudkip continued to check Goomy's back, making sure there weren't any flames creeping up on the gushy Pokemon.  It was then that Yuno's Ponyta kicked down the door, and Decoda and the Pokemon saw the exit.  By this time the smoke was very painful to Decoda's eyes, throat and nose, causing him to hack up and vomit a little onto his hat.  He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take!

Finally, he stumbled outward, collapsing onto his front several feet away from the disaster.  The egg rolled out from under his arms, still very much protected by the secure casing.  He dropped everything else too; it was then that he noticed some of the charred markings on his clothes and guitar case, as if the flames had licked them so slightly.

Breathing in the cold night air was not enough for Decoda to overcome his coughing fits.  In between gasps and opening his smoke-stained eyes he could see the others had all safely escaped with their Pokemon.  Mudkip and Chimecho then quickly dominated his vision, the hopping mudfish and psychic type nudging at him to try and stay awake, even squirting water into his face.  This didn't help too much, but it was enough for him to choke out a few words.

"Thank you...you really hel-helped us out there... we would've been goners if you hadn't... done that..." he told them, finally rolling onto his side to get better control of his breathing.  "I have... such brave... friends."

Wes and Cerise met up there on the floor, their pokemon guiding them out into the crisp clean air. Once they were a safe distance away, Wes rolled onto his back and sat up, taking a head count. Everyone was out, and aside from minor burns and smoke inhalation... Catia was the only one to have been hurt. Wes looked about, seeing Yuno pull glass shards from the fighter's hair as well as her own. Decoda was praising his pokemon; something all of them deserved. Despite how young all of these little creatures were, they acted and worked together as if they've been alive for years. Cerise was tending to his pokemon, and checking for any wounds on them as well as himself. Espeon, who was covered in soot, came running up. 

"U-Umbreon... He's still in there!" she broadcasted aloud.

Wes got up and began to run back into the fire, but didn't make it too far as the structure collapsed before his eyes. He dropped to his knees and extended a hand toward the fire. 

"No..."

There were a lion-esque roar and a series of barking. From the raging fire and burning rubble, leaped a Luxray and a Houndoom. The Houndoom looked rather strange in the glow of the fire, but on his back was an unmoving Umbreon. It deposited the dark type onto the grass in front of Wes then took a few steps back, surveying the rest of the team. The Luxray nudged Wes, who picked up his pokemon and took him to the rest of the party.

"Sparx... If you and Blitz are here..." he looked around, then realized the the houndoom wasn't Blitz. "..Who are you then...?"

Umbreon weakly climbed out of Wes's grasp and hobbled over to Catia. He let out a pained groan and rested his head on her lap and closed his eyes.

"I... I am sorry..." He choked out, opening one eye to look at Catia. His eye slowly glazed over. "Not all h-humans are bad... I should have a-accepted your help h-had I known you were t-true about it..." 

Umbreon closed his eye again, and let out a final breath.

The noises were too great to ignore.  Tired and feeling weak, Decoda slowly got to his knees, grabbing the egg that fell from his body and looking behind him as he witnessed the barn collapse.  The roaring and barking of the new arrivals that retrieved the injured Eeveelution created a sinking feeling in Decoda's stomach, his Pokemon staring with him in horror and shock.

"Oh no... not now..." was all he could mutter under his breath.  He tried to listen in to what Wes was saying but could only make out: "Sparx... Blitz... who are you then?"

As Umbreon spoke his last breath, Mudkip hobbled over to the dark type, trying so hard to hold back tears.  He was only a couple feet from him and bowed his head down in respect.

"You will not be forgotten, Umbreon.  Arceus, please watch over him."  When Mudkip backed off and slowly made his way back to Decoda and Chimecho, who was crying her eyes out, the red head gently put his hand on the mudfish's head.  There really wasn't much he could say or do to help this...

"Rotom," he began, referring to his broken Pokegear.  "Call an ambulance...We need to get everyone to the nearest hospital..."

Catia watch as Umbreon was carried out from the rubble of the burning barn and her heart skipped a beat as she watched the dying pokemon climb out of his owner's grasp and come to her.  His apology being his dying breath should've made Catia tear up and more than anything she wanted to comfort the poor pokemon and let it know that it didn't matter so much as he thought.  But before she could even reach to the pokemon's head and touch him, he was gone.  A few tense moments passed by without Catia saying a word, her mouth open slightly and her breath being stolen from her by the event.  A moment later however, her face darkened and she silently sat up with a grunt of pain.  She pet Umbreon's head gently as she carefully set him down on the dewy grass in front of herself.  Poochy, Fang and Fox let themselves out of their pokeballs after sensing something from their trainer and soon the tiny pokemon began to realize what had happened.  Fox's first reaction was voiceless shock and fear while Fang merely bowed its head as Poochy gave a loud, mournful howl over the older pokemon's body.

Catia however, didn't say a word.  Despite her body's protests, she stood up and walked over to an open patch of field nearby, about ten feet from the group.  She stood there for a few moment's, not saying anything before suddenly her right hand began to glow with her powers and it started to spark with her clenched fist.  She gritted her teeth and raised her glowing fist before giving a loud, angry yell and slamming her supercharged fist into the ground.  The resulting impact created a small crater around her as she punched it twice more, each strike weaker than the last before she collapsed onto her knees and let her tears fall.  She didn't face the group, fearing their judgement above all else.  She had so many emotions flying through her body and wanted more than anything to just let them explode from her.  Anger, sadness, grief, regret....all of the negative emotions that she'd had bottled up were trying to let themselves out of her body all at once.

And now she was finally letting them free.

Gasping for crisp air to fill lungs, Cerise yanked down his poncho as he rested his hands on his knees to catch his breath. This didn't make sense -- the team didn't have any fire-types with the kind of power needed to burn down a barn, and Cerise was pretty sure that there weren't any flammable objects in the barn when the group had inspected it earlier. He took off his glasses for a moment, wiping the soot and ash off of the lenses when the sudden roar of flames the collapsing barn rumbled through the air.

Nearly every outside noise faded as Cerise watched Wes' Umbreon collapse from the trial of fire, already being able to tell that the dark-type had reached the end of its rope. Seemingly oblivious to the tugging of his pants by his reunited trio of Pokemon, Cerise looked away. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a Pokemon die, and it was naive to think that going on this journey would mean that the reality of death would be left behind. Closing his eyes, the egg hatcher slowly knelt onto both knees, hands clasped together in silent prayer.

After a moment of quiet, Cerise stood up, his gaze focused on the barn as he put on his glasses again. "I'm... going to let the ranch owners know what happened."

Nikki and Lucas approached swiftly on the back of a Dodrio. When they were close enough, Lucas jumped off and sprinted to the group, genuine concern on his face.

"We heard something, then saw fire! What happened? Is everyone alright?"

Nikki led the Dodrio a bit closer and extended a hand to Cerise, to help him up onto the pokemon. (Cuz he offered) Lucas then hopped back onto the bird.

"Our uncle is worried for everyone, so we'll take Cerise in to assure that everyone's alright. We'll be back for the rest of you."


With that, the three headed off towards the farmhouse. Once inside, Mrs. Persim sat Cerise down and began checking him over for any injuries.

"So son," Mr. Persim started, wiping his forehead on a handkerchief. "What happened?"



Wes carefully picked up the lifeless form of his companion and held it close, as Espeon placed a paw on his knee. Sparx nudged Wes again, then went back to standing with the Houndoom. Now that most of the smoke had cleared, this Houndoom was quite strange looking.

Houndoom:

Yuno gently placed a hand on Catia's shoulder, tears slipping down her face. She hated loss, especially if it effected so many. The white haired girl knelt down in the crater and held the fighter close, being careful of her broken limb.

"Catia... I-is there anything I can do for you...?" 

She'd rather make Catia feel better, then herself. She wanted more then anything to make everyone feel at ease, even if was only a tiny bit...



Rotom wordlessly sent out an EMS signal before zapping himself out of the pokegear. Albeit awkwardly, he placed a hand on Decoda's shoulder as an attempt to comfort the distressed trainer.

"Sir Decoda... The medical agents will be here in T-7 minutes. Would there be anything you require...?"

Catia felt Yuno's hand on her shoulder and she looked down at her fist that she'd punched the ground with. It was dirty and a tad bloody from a little bit of rock that she'd hit under the dirt but she was fine otherwise. She used her good arm to wipe her tears away before taking a deep breath and nuzzling the white-haired girls cheek.

"I'm fine. I just had too many things bottled up and had to let it all go. That's all."

She told her gently as she used the girl's shoulder to help herself stand up. Grabbing her left arm and holding it up slightly to help with the pain of her broken shoulder, she smiled at Yuno bravely.

"C'mon, we should help Wes cope with his loss and help out where we can. I'll take Wes if you can go around and check the other's injuries okay?"

She told the girl, kissing her forehead to reassure her that she was alright before walking over to Wes stiffly. She looked down at Umbreon's lifeless body in his arms and she held back tears. It hurt to see him like this and the fact that she knew Umbreon's last words only made things worse, especially when they weren't to his own trainer. She awkwardly knelt down next to him on one knee and gave him a brave smile.

"He was a good pokemon Wes. I'm sorry that I couldn't save him as well as Yuno. I honestly wish I had."

She told him reassuringly, glancing at Espeon before attempting to say something to her telepathically.

I don't know why Umbreon came to me in his last moments but....if you want, I can tell Wes what he said to me. Is that alright?

She asked her, being careful not to interrupt anything precious she would've had with Wes.

As Rotom spoke to him, Decoda watched the others dart off this way and that, trying to deal with this big event.  He was so startled by all of this that it barely crossed his mind how the fire started in the first place.  He was glad that the meds were on their way, though.

"Thanks Rotom... I don't regret this when I say I'm grateful you're here with us.  I don't think any of could've called that number without acting hysterical," he said, turning to look at the avatar.  He sighed into a tiny smile, then continued, "But I just don't get how it happened.  I thought I heard a roar, but it might have been..."

He turned to look at the very different-looking Houndoom, its bones - or bone armor? - displaying brightly in the remaining embers of the barn fire.  Was it this Pokemon who made the noise and burnt down then barn?  If that was the case, why did it and Sparx rescue Umbreon's body?

"That's Trainer Loka's Pokemon.  I recognize its brainwaves," Chimecho said, trying to stifle its tears.  "I cannot reach through to the Houndoom.  Shall I try harder?"

"Only do what you can," Decoda said, trying to stand up and gather his things before calling to the distressed capture specialist.  "Hey, Wes... Do you recognize that Pokemon?"

Espeon looked from her mate's peaceful face to Catia's distraught one. She thought about her question, then about Wes's emotional stability before answering.

"I picked up on his thoughts while he was crawling to you," Espeon started, her voice shaking. "He didn't want to leave with ill thoughts of a trainer like you. I-it was him letting go of everything that had h-held him back." Espeon began to freely cry, pressing her head against Wes's side. "You freed him, Catia... Now... please comfort my human..."



Wes didn't answer, however, the Houndoom did. In common. As if a person was speaking.

"Ah, so Sparx here was correct. You are the trainers that my descendant was traveling with. I came with a... task for you all, but it seems that there are other pressing matters currently. I can give you all a proper explanation after everyone is taken care of..."



Rotom smiled at Decoda, then began to survey the area after Decoda told him about the roar. His eyes flashed several different colors as he walked around the wreckage, stopping at a point close to the flame.

"Here. I'm picking up three natural electrical signals. Two human female and one Charizard. Approximately 12 minutes ago." he wandered his way back to Decoda. "If you would like, I can actively search for them the next time we enter a town."

Catia felt Espeon's sadness about her mate's death and how difficult it was for her to talk about it, the girl reaching down and putting her hand onto Espeon's head and rubbing it gently. After giving Espeon the small amount of comfort that she could offer, she couldn't think of anything to really say to Wes that would start up the conversation leading to Umbreon's last words. So instead she started with the best thing she could think of; using her good arm to pull Wes into a hug, watching her broken shoulder which pulsed when it touched Wes' body and made her give a small sound before she smiled at him bravely. She couldn't keep suppressing the pain of her shoulder for too much longer.

"I'm sorry Wes....I don't know why he came to me and not you but....he told me that I made him realize that not all humans were bad people. He regretted that he hadn't realized my intentions when I first showed my kindness to him and he....he apologized to me."

She told him, a tear falling from her eyes at the last part. After saying it out loud, it finally got to her that Umbreon had apologized to her about what he'd done. She closed her eyes and let another tear fall as she held Wes as tightly as she could without hurting herself too badly. Wes could probably feel her body tensing up from the pain of her shoulder but she didn't care. Wes needed the most comfort right now out of everyone.

"I'm not sure how or why," Cerise began speaking slowly, his voice hoarse and dry. "But... that barn somehow... it caught on fire. I... I don't think any of our Pokemon have the kind of strength to do that kind of thing just yet..." He stopped, his eyes watering as he remembered the sight of Umbreon being carried out of the burning building, the smell of charred flesh in the air, the Pokemon's glazed over eyes as it lifted out a paw. "...Not all of us made it out, I'm afraid... My friends called an ambulance, so we'll probably be out of your hair soon."

He paused for a moment, the vivid sensations still lingering in his mind as he squeezed his eyes shut to try to block them out. The burning, the smell, the paw. The sounds of terrified screams as collapsing piles of smoldering wood fell from above, the overwhelming burning in his lungs as ash filled his nose. It was taking everything in his power not to fall apart right there.

"I'm... I'm really sorry about your barn... Is there any way I could possibly help make up for what was lost?" Cerise finally said, in soft hushed tones as he tried to look at the Persim family, but he found his eyes drifting to the ground. Twice, Cerise and his friends had been caught in burning disasters, and twice had there been terrible aftershocks because of it.

Decoda finally was able to walk closer to the monstrous-looking Houndoom, but stayed back farther than Wes and Catia.  Listening to what it had said, his eyes grew wide with realization.

"Your descendant... A Houndoom, so what Zapdos said... Loka?  And a task?  What are you, an ava-" he stopped as he felt Mudkip tug at his pants a little.  Speaking of Avatars, if that's what this being even was, Rotom had some new information for him.  Chimecho was already entranced by his glowing eyes.

"Right, gotta tend to the things at hand..." he repeated softly to himself before turning back to Rotom.  His voice grew excited, as he discovered what Rotom picked up.  "You can detect that?!  2 human females and a Charizard...  That's amazing! We gotta explain this to the others!  But if you can scan for them when the get to the next town, that would be even better!  We might be able to catch them and get the cops on this case, too!"

He quickly shifted back to the mysterious Pokemon to nod and exposit, "We'll meet you back in Fuchsia City, er... sir..."

The blue shifted sirens of the ambulance grew closer towards the group.  It would only be another couple minutes before they found the farmland.  The sky also lightened up a smidgen, indicating that the dawn of the next day was on its way.

Wes hesitated at first, but wrapped an arm around Catia and hugged her tightly. His body shook violently as he forced back his tears. 

"...Do me a favor..." he started, not looking up. "Come with me to the Pokemon Tower so I can let him rest... I-I'm sure he'd want that..."

Espeon heard the sirens in the distance and looked up, watching the moon disappear as the sun took its place. Her ears flopped back and she sat down, watching the moon for as long as she could.


Mr. Persim scratched his beard and though for a moment. He walked into the kitchen then came back with a glass of water, which he handed to Cerise.

"That old barn was gonna come down sooner or later. Planned on building a feed storage shed where it was!" he chuckled, going over to the window as the fire entered it's smoldering stage. "Once that land is cleared, it'll be good as new! So the only repayment I'd need outta you young folks is the reassurance that you're all safe and sound." he sighed and turned back to Cerise. "Our condolences on your lost friend... Anything we can do for you kids?"

"We should get you back out there once we're done here." Lucas peered out the window, seeing two ambulances rumble down the road to the barn. (When you answer Mr. Persim, you can place yourself back with the group.)


The houndoom chuckled, stepping over to the smoldering ashes. They were still incredibly hot, but it didn't really bother him. 

"If you're heading to Fuchsia, be very careful. It isn't very safe, since there currently under the control of an O.R.T, or an Outer Region Team."

The sirens grew closer and louder, the lights approaching over the hill, coming up the road that led to the barn. 

"Or if you'd like, I can accompany you."


((Seeing the map HERE, and considering that you are all on the approx. of Rt 13, Lavender Town would be the closest. I'll move you guys there so it gives You guys a little time to have your characters recover, do anything with any NPCs, etc. Aftwards, I'll do a small timeskip to get you all outside Fuchsia, where the story shall continue.))

Catia gave a loud yell when Wes hugged her so tightly, her body's adrenaline having finally worn off so that she got the full brunt of the pain in her broken shoulder. She moved away from him as quickly as she could after he'd asked her to come to the Pokemon Tower with him and she gave him an awkward smile, holding her now painfully pulsing shoulder.

"S-Sure....ow....My shoulder's busted up so I need to get it looked at first....but I'll go with you to say goodbye. I promise."

She reassured him, gingerly nursing her shoulder from the hug she was just given.

"Thank you..." He slowly stands up, hands in his pockets. "I just want to thank you for your hospitality. Sorry again that this happened." He didn't have much more to say, as the sirens of the ambulance had finally arrived. Seeing the vehicles approaching, Cerise began to make his way back to the others.

The redhead clutched his egg tightly against his slightly charred body, listening to the sirens come to a stop as they rumbled up to the driveway.

"Wait for us there.  I don't want everyone to feel so rushed all of a sudden," he told the Houndoom.  "Mudkip, Chimecho, return."

Withdrawing his Pokeballs to collect his upset friends, he watched as Cerise came back to the group.  Everyone looked beat and sad; there seemed to be no way in sight to get everyone back to their typical chipper state.  In the back of his mind, he was almost glad Loka wasn't here to experience this with them.  She had known Wes even longer, and thusly, his Pokemon.  She would have been torn to shreds by this incident, as Wes had been slowly stuffed through a shredder machine.  He was also incredibly grateful that it wasn't any of their Pokemon, and knew that Umbreon lived a much fuller life than the younger ones.  He counted his blessings as he waited for the medics to leave their vehicles with stretchers, wheelchairs and their traditional equipment before arriving to the aid of the trainers.

Within minutes, everyone was on their way to Lavender Town to get fixed up.

"As you wish." Houndoom spoke before running off, Sparx following close behind.

Everyone was loaded into the ambulances; Catia and Yuno in one, and Cerise, Decoda, and Wes in the other. While on their way to Lavender town, the sun fully rose. Catia's arm was placed in a temporary sling and everyone was asked questions.


In the small town of Lavender, everyone was placed in different rooms so they could be properly treated. The guys mostly for smoke inhalation and first degree burns, Yuno for glass that was embedded in her arms and legs, and Catia so her shoulder could be properly treated.

Several hours passed and everyone now seemed to be alright. Yuno hand bandages wrapped around her arms and legs and Catia with her arm tightly bound in a sling. Everyone was a little tattered, but alive and safe. Wes immediately headed off for the tower, carrying Umbreon wrapped in a lack cloth with a gold moon on it.