(Reboot) Pokemon: Beyond the Tall Grass

"O-oh, um, thanks Yuno!" Cerise managed to stammer out, taken aback by the girl's unexpected gesture. A flush of embarrassment momentarily washed over his face as he finally came to reciprocate Yuno's hug, the faintest of smiles now playing across his face. His eyes lingered on her for a moment after they broke apart -- he quickly averted his gaze in response. After pushing his glasses up so that they were closer to his eyes, Cerise pulled out his Pokedex to identify Quilladin's data, recording what was known about the hedgehog into the encyclopedia. As reliably as ever, a robotic voice rang out as Cerise pointed the screen at Quilladin.

"Quilladin, the Spiny Armor Pokemon. The evolved form of Chespin. The solid shell around its body is so sturdy that it is able to withstand the impact of even something the size of a tractor-trailer truck without even flinching. Quilladin strengthen their lower bodies by running into each other, but they are very kind and won't start fights. Their shell repels attacks while they strike with their pointed spines."

Cerise nodded to himself, mentally noting this new information that he'd been given from the encyclopedia. He looks over at Yuno again, motivated by the growth of his partner -- he'd need to evolve himself as well. The fleeting image he'd seen when Honedge took his hand bubbled back to the surface of Cerise's memory -- a male figure wielding a sword and shield. His hands clenched, a radical idea now forming in his mind as he smiled at Yuno. "So... can we do more shield training after the pizza? ...And can I bring Honedge along?"

Upon hearing Espeon's question, Quilladin thought for a moment, not entirely sure of how to articulate its thoughts. "W-well, I... feel the same... but also different. It's, uh, not easy to say, but... By golly, I feel like I could take on the world now! Almost like getting a second wind after running for a while, but... No, that's not quite it either. Shucks, I really don't know how to say it! Have you ever evolved, Espeon?"

Yuno blinked at the request, but it quickly broadened into a smile. 

"We can definitely do more training! As for Honedge..." she thought about it, and was close to saying no, but remembered what Cerise was doing. The sword scared her, but she needed to trust Cerise's work if they were going to persevere. "Only if you're confident in keeping him in check. There's actually a small trick that I've been working on, and I'd like to test it out as well."


Espeon sat down, her tail swishing back and forth. She chuckled at Quilladin's question. 

"Yes, I did evolve; from a small pokemon known as Eevee. Eevee has the capability to evolve through 8 different ways, the easiest being through Fire stone, Water stone, and Thunder Stone. If the bond between an Eevee and it's human is strong enough, it Can become what I am; Espeon in the day, and U-umbreon... in the night." she takes a breath, shaking her head as she continues. "Eevee can even evolve in certain weather conditions; In a blizzard or a frozen rock it'll become a Glaceon. On a sunny day in a forest, or at a moss covered rock, it'll become a Leafeon. And if the Eevee loves it's human enough, it will become a Sylveon." She looks around at the party, seeing them in much higher spirits then before. "There are many other forms of eevee that are hard to find, or even evolve into, but I know we'll see them some day."

As the ultimatum left her lips, everything fell silent around Decoda while the piercing sound of his pulse filled his ear drums.  His blue pupils shrunk and his levity withered within seconds, and his vision of Catia blurred intensely.  He stopped leaning over her and picked himself up a little, his flesh going pale.  In this moment, he realized what she was saying; she wanted to give him a dead stranger’s memories.

Aside from the fact that this concept alone was insanely creepy, he was somewhat intrigued.  He could gain some insightful information about this person or what they’ve seen or heard, or it could just be for the sake of making her happy.  Though Kar wasn’t around for long at all, he clearly made an impact on Catia.  Perhaps he was someone special, maybe more than Decoda gave credit for?  He somewhat felt bad for instantly dismissing this option, so maybe, opening his mind up - literally - to the possibilities that this could be a good thing, would be beneficial overall?

As his eyes filled up into a normal size, the sounds around him began to return to their regular volume and the sound of his pulse faded.  Catia’s face became clear as she looked at him, holding Poochy in her arms.  His returning expression teetered between serious and smiley, as he nervously spoke between his teeth.

“Sure.  I’ll take them.”

Outside the Pokemon Center and dashing down the road, Mudkip kept an eye out for suspicious looking humans or odd-looking Pokemon.  It understood that Avatars were rather… quite nicely coordinated with their Pokemon forms.  Coming to this conclusion, it began the search for humans that looked like Pokemon, either through color, shape, size and clothing.

‘Just gotta be careful not to confuse real humans for them… wait!  Avatars can understand Pokemon, right?  So if I talk directly to them, they should hear me!’ Mudkip said to itself, bounding around the area and looking at all the people it saw.  It then started yipping, ‘HEY!  AVATARS!  IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, COME OUT OF HIDING!  I HAVE TO TALK TO YOU!  DON’T JUST IGNORE ME!  I KNOW YOU HAVE A HUMAN AND POKEMON BODY!  I DON’T CARE WHICH FORM YOU TAKE FOR THIS CONVERSATION, BUT YOU JUST GOTTA ANSWER MY QUESTIONS!’

Mudkip could hear snickering from the trees and something small and orange revealed itself to him. Victini grinned and sat on the ground in front of the mud fish. 

"I heard ya talkin'! I, the great Victini, shall be your guiding fire! I shall lead ya to... Victoryyyy~" he gives a peace sign and laughs. "I heard ya got questions! Lemme answer them! I betchya I can!"


Victini seemed to have a personality similar to Rotom, but at least he could answer questions. He gazed at Mudkip with wide blue eyes, awaiting the questions the pokemon had.

Catia's face quickly turned into a bright smile as she used her good arm to almost leap at Decoda, wrapping the limb around his neck in the best hug that she could muster. Tears started to form in her eyes from her happiness from Decoda's answer as she closed her eyes and held him tightly. "Thank you Decoda! I'm so relieved that you said yes!" She lets go of Decoda and pulls away, her face now inches away from his. "Thank you so much....Now I can feel better knowing that I won't be the only one who remembers him...."

After a moment of silence, Catia blinks for a moment and quickly realizes that she was incredibly close to Decoda's face. She stops and almost shoves Decoda away as her face breaks out into bright red from embarrassment, needing to take a moment to compose herself before she could look at him again. "Ehehehe....L-Look the pizza's here!" She glances at the waiting pizza guy and gently sets Poochy down onto the ground before standing back up. She looks back at Decoda, doing her best to change the subject matter as quickly as she could, lest the two risk another awkward moment. "I-I'll go and get the others if you'll pay the pizza guy!" She reaches into her bag and withdraws a small amount of money and hands it off to him. "I almost forgot my cut of the money. You can keep the change!" She tells him, waving to him as she practically runs through the doors outside.

Once outside, she lets out a breath of relief as she spots Cerise and Wes. She smiles and waves to them as she sees the newly evolved Quilladin out of the corner of her eyes. She smiles and walks up to be next to Yuno, hearing the talk of training as Poochy wanders off to investigate what sounded like Mudkip speaking to someone he'd never heard before.... "Hey guys! Pizza's here so we should probably head on back inside." She tells them, looking over and smiling at Yuno. "Did I miss anything important?" She asks the pale-skinned girl, still watching the strange new Quilladin out of the corner of her eyes. She wasn't sure but the sight of a new pokemon within their group meant she probably just missed something pretty big!

Poochy spots Mudkip farther away from the group and looks back towards its trainer before carefully sneaking away to see what was going on. He didn't know who the newcomer was but it never hurt anyone to be careful! The dark colored puppy pokemon trotted over to where he'd spotted Mudkip talking and spoke, interrupting on purpose to make sure his presence was known. Hey Mudkip....Have you got a new friend there? He asked the mudfish pokemon, keeping a watchful and cautious eye on the new arrival.

"Yuno... You'll really help me?" Cerise felt a smile cross his face as Yuno agreed to his request. There would need to be trust between the different members of the party if they wanted to prevail over the trials that were soon to come. Yuno had plenty of reason to fear and hold disdain for Honedge, but holding onto such things would only further split the group apart. Cerise clasps Yuno's hand in a spur-of-the-moment phase of excitement. "Then this training can benefit us both! Thank you so much, Yuno... I, uh, really appreciate you being willing to do this with me. I promise, I won't let you or anyone else down."

Seeing Catia approach, Cerise realized that he still was holding onto Yuno's hand, and he quickly released his hold on her. Murmuring a quick apology to Yuno, he made his way inside the Center. Primarily, he was looking for his shield. Honedge was already waiting outside, having been a witness to Cerise's battle against Wes. The trainer felt pretty confident about leaving Honedge by itself for a bit -- the Sword Pokemon was primarily interested in seeing the outdoors, and he doubted it would run far off. Besides, many other members of the traveling party were also present, all of whom were capable of keeping an eye on Honedge. Finding his collapsible shield on the floor of the bedroom by his other belongings, Cerise hoisted it onto his back and made his way back downstairs. First, he'd eat. Then, he'd put his newly-forged bond with Honedge to the test.

"By golly, Eevee sure is a special kind of Pokemon then, huh?" Quilladin was lost in thought for a moment before the shouting of Mudkip shook him out of his thoughts. The mudfish was dashing down the road a ways off, seemingly conversing with a strange Pokemon that Quilladin had never seen before. A part of Quilladin worried for Mudkip's safety around the stranger, but remembering how quickly the Water-type had dispatched Honedge put the hedgehog's fears to rest. Mudkip would probably be fine, but it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on the situation. Especially now that the youngling Poochy was involving itself -- there was a tendency for many younger Pokemon to overestimate their strength, especially when facing the unknown.

Decoda's face burned with the intensity of a spicy tamato berry as Catia expressed just how happy she was.  Being so close to her allowed him to see the fresh tears of joy about to drip from her ducts; it was faintly familiar to him to feel such an affectionate embrace, but he couldn't figure out where he felt such warmth before...

By the time she got off of him and handed him the money for the pizza guy, he finally exhaled, smiling as he put a hand to his warm forehead.  Looking down at the money Catia had given him, it looked like she definitely covered the tip and a little more, but reached into his pocket to take out his wallet anyway.  Waving over to the pizza guy once all the money was out and ready for the exchange, he started looking around for his Pokemon, hoping it'd seen everything.

"M-Mudkip, man, you'd be proud just how long I held my breath there!  I didn't say anything stupid, either!  Hahaha, ha, haha... Mudkip?"

"Did you lose your Pokemon?" the pizza delivery guy asked curiously.  "I did see two Pokemon running around the city before I got in.  One of them was blue and the other was gray.  Were they yours?"

"Are you serious!?  Oh shoot!!  No way!!  Okay!" Decoda screamed, slamming the money into the delivery guy's hands and swiping the boxes from him.  Immediately, he bolted further into the Pokemon Center and cried out, "Keep the change!  Son of a--!!  Mudkip!!!  Mudkip!!"


Noticing Poochy's presence, the mudfish replied, 'It's an Avatar.  The one Decoda has isn't satisfying to talk to.  Come on, listen in with me.'

Mudkip refused to wince in fear of Victini's voice, gripping the ground with its tiny feet to halt on a dime.  When the Legendary appeared, the blue Pokemon nodded approvingly.  It wasn't what it expected, but it was good enough for now.

'I want to know more about your kind.  You're not like typical Pokemon, and you can become people.  You also are way stronger than typical Pokemon and can speak the human language.  For the past week, my human companions have been struggling to know more about you since they first met one named Entei.  Now, we talk more and more about this, and it seems like everyone has a connection to these super Pokemon...' it calmly explained, trying to sum up everything concisely for Victini to grasp.  'Tell me, why do you Avatars involve yourselves in the lives of seemingly random trainers?  Decoda and his friends had nothing to do with this until now...'

It was clear that Mudkip was getting a little upset by hinting at its true feelings about these legendaries.

"Such a good question!" Victini giggles and starts floating. "We show ourselves to humans that we think can help completely bridge th gap between humans and pokemon~" He makes another peace sign. "Your Decoda and his friends have a great road ahead of them! That they do~ They're gonna be the ones who save everyone~"

In a burst of fire, Victini enters his human form. He sits on the ground and grins. 

"You and the other pokemon will fight alongside them, and help them! Next question?~"



Yuno blushed a bit when Cerise grabbed her hand, but smiled at him. It made her happy to see him smile. She had to trust everyone, even the pokemon. This was the perfect time to start. Catia walked in and announced that pizza had arrived.

"Lets go eat then!"


Espeon smiled at Quilladin. "All pokemon are special, Quilladin. Even you. There are great things ahead of you and Cerise... I can feel it. I'll be with you every step of the way to make sure of it!"

Poochy blinked at the avatar when it assumed its human form, something it had never really gotten used to ever since its master had become an Ascended herself. But that thought reminded him of her stories and that her powers made her upset for some reason....

The puppy pokemon sat down calmly and stared at the Victini with cautious eyes. My master, an Ascended of....Entei I think she said? She's gone through a lot of trouble with you lot. I know that some humans would give anything to do what she can but she always seems so upset when she thinks about the things that she can do. There's something else too....A boy that she says was killed by Arceus because of an unfavorable future outcome between her and him....

The puppy pokemon takes a moment to relax as he felt a growl rising in his throat when he remembered the pain on its trainers face whenever she tried to talk about past events. After taking a moment to compose himself, Poochy continued. I guess what I'm trying to ask is; Is everything you lot do really for the better? It always seems to me and....forgive me if I get this opinion wrong, all of the other pokemon and masters here that surround my own master, that you all tend to cause more harm than good. He finished, satisfied now with the extent of his explanation of his question. While he truly wanted to be on the same side as the pokemon world that he knew he belonged to, he couldn't help being skeptical of the events that were going on around him.


Catia blinked at Cerise's rather abrupt exit after having realized that he'd been holding Yuno's hand, looking to Yuno and giving her a teasing smile. "Yunooo~ You're doing that thing again where your face is all red." She teases her, holding out her hand for Yuno to hold so that they could go off and eat together.

"Aw, Espeon... You're far too kind! I sure do feel special to have made a friend like yo-" Quilladin stops speaking as its gaze returned to the stranger that Mudkip and Poochy were talking to. The hedgehog's eyes hardened as it saw the strange Pokemon transform into a human -- which meant it was an Avatar, most likely. Wanting to be sure Espeon had seen the Avatar as well, Quilladin quickly motioned towards the stranger, feeling it was most likely in his best interest to follow her lead. As one as well-traveled as she, Espeon seemed more likely to know how to best handle the situation. The Avatar didn't seem like it was threatening Mudkip or Poochy... but Quilladin was still highly suspicious.

Having now acquired his shield, Cerise slowly made his way down the stairs, his mind drifting around various issues that had occurred recently. The rescue of Loka and Marley notwithstanding, there was still the mystery of how the barn had caught on fire... and the question of how Honedge had been trapped in Pokemon Tower, and the revelation that Yuno wasn't even entirely human...

"Yuno..." The name escaped his lips in a soft utterance. He'd been holding her hand mere moments ago, and hadn't even thought twice about it... but that wouldn't happen. Despite the question Yuno had previously asked Cerise and Wes regarding the struggle of her truth and Catia's ideals, the fact remained that she was still with Catia. And Cerise had no place in tampering with that -- and it would honestly be best to see if they had patched things up. Mentally noting to ask about that later, the sound of Decoda's yelling greeted Cerise's ears.

"Son of a--!! Mudkip!!! Mudkip!!" Hearing the shouts, Cerise furrowed his brows as he reached the bottom of the stairs, now in full view of the sight of Decoda running around the Pokemon Center in a frenzy, the boxes of pizza in his hands. The pizza guy was standing near the front doors, his face full of confusion at the situation. And Cerise couldn't quite blame the poor guy.

"Decoda, what's going on?" The younger trainer finally piped up when Decoda was close enough to hear him. "What happened?"

Decoda's quaking body began dripping with fresh shiny sweat as he hustled around the center, still carrying the pizza boxes.  After seeing Cerise, he hustled over to him gripping the boxes tightly in his hands.  He looked absolutely horrified!

"Mudkip's gone!  It won't respond to me, it's not in the Pokemon Center, it's not in its ball, it's nowhere!!" he yelled, now hyperventilating between statements.  "I can't believe how distracted I've been, doing everything but taking care of my partners!  I feel so ashamed to call myself a trainer - I have to find it, immediately!"

He then thrust the pizza boxes into his friend's arms and looked him directly in the eyes.  "I'm sorry I'm such wreck, Cerise.  I hope you don't think any less of me because of my mistakes!"

Releasing the boxes and bolting outside the Center, Decoda continued to call out for his Pokemon.  Running through the streets, Chimecho suddenly appeared out her Pokeball and began flying alongside him, looking very worried.

'Decoda!  Let me help you find Mudkip!' she telepathically told him.

"Chimecho, that's a good idea!  Cry out as loud as you can and maybe it'll hear us both!" he commanded, almost tripping over himself as they turned a corner.  The Psychic type did its best to use its powers, hoping to reach Mudkip; among their yelling and telepathic communication, Chimecho did pick up a second Psychic signal.

'Decoda, I'm sensing something!  It's a strong Psychic energy, coming from over there!' she explained, wrapping her body around his arm and pulling him in the direction she felt the energy.

He stopped her and threw up his free arm in confusion.  "But that's not gonna help!  Mudkip's not a-"

'I understand, but the energy is overwhelming!  It feels like something powerful, like Rotom!' she cut him off, glaring at him directly.  After watching Mudkip previously act sternly with their trainer, Chimecho was acting more aggressive with him too.  It was sometimes the only way to really reach him.

The red head inhaled audibly, then held his breath as he reluctantly nodded.  Another Avatar in this area?!  Maybe it was Arceus?!  After what Catia told him, there was a good chance it was listening...  Was it not an omnipotent Pokemon?  Instead of dwelling on it further, he decided to follow Chimecho, still tracing the energy.

When Victini answered its question, Mudkip sighed.  All of these Avatars were masters of telling them about something really important, but skimping out on the details.  Though, it had to admit, maybe with such an incredible sense of foreshadowing, the details were difficult to make out... Mudkip let is slide for now, while Poochy asked his question.

'He has a good point.  You guys make it so hard to do anything, anymore!  Is it all just a test of strength or worthiness?' Mudkip questioned.  'And another thing, it's hard to trust you!  Do you like doing this because you think its fun, or do you take commands from someone stronger than you?'

Victini tilted it's head before returning to it's pokemon form. His wide blue eyes glistened.

"It's quite difficult to tell you, everything, ya know~ But, We test those we think are worthy!" He makes another peace sign. "I know it's hard to trust me, but after all, you just met me! Its understandable~" Victini's gaze then became serious. "My job isn't fun. Judging those who we think are worthy of power, taking them from a normal life and throwing them into the chaotic world of Avatars, and terrifying abilities... I take orders from my dad; Arceus. A lot of my brothers and sisters think he means well, wanting what's best for people and pokemon alike, but others just aren't sure anymore. I think he means well... he just needs a bit of help."

 The victory pokemon turned to Poochy and frowned for once. "I'm sorry for her loss, but not all of us are bad. We try to do things for the better but it doesn't always.... work out exactly as planned. That's how life works, for humans and pokemon alike."



Yuno smiled at Catia and started for the stairs, not taking Catia's hand. She thought about her own words, but wasn't sure on how to say anything. Now wasn't the time for it, especially with people missing, and needing to make time to speak with Reshiram about a flight to Fuchsia. She let out a slightly stressed sigh as she walked down the flight of steps.

Catia's face quickly turns from her previous smile into a very confused and worried expression. Had she done something wrong? Slowly she follows after Yuno, staying a few feet behind her in order to give the girl some space. When she heard her sigh she finally spoke, breaking the silence between the two of them. "Did I say something wrong? Or is it something else that's bugging you?" She asks a bit quietly. At the same time that she wanted to know what was wrong with her friend, she also didn't want to push any issues that Yuno just didn't want to talk about at the moment. It was best, as she'd learned time and time again, not to pry if the issue was sensitive.


Poochy stared long and hard at Victini, his eyes gradually narrowing and the fang protruding from his lower lip slowly scrunching up in displeasure with the rest of his face. Something was fishy here....He could tell that, although it was his first time meeting this particular avatar, though he knew he wasn't lying he was displeased with his father's actions as well. The puppy pokemon looked to Mudkip, his rather grumpy look still all over his face. I think it's time that I speak with this father of ours myself. My master seems to go off and see him enough so I suppose the next time I go with her I'll say something. He looks back at Victini as he was preparing to return to Catia's side. It would seem to me, from what experiences that I've seen within the interactions between my master and your father Arceus, that the best help he can get now is to see an example of another pokemon's devotion to their master. Perhaps seeing such a thing combined with what words my own master has already spoken to him may spark something good within him.

As the puppy pokemon turns away to leave, he remembers hearing someone yelling in the distance a short while ago. He sighs and looks back to Mudkip. One more thing. You may want to return to your master soon Mudkip. I believe the frantic cries that I heard in the distance may have been his figuring out your absence. While my master may not be always keep tabs on her own pokemon like either your master or the others, I believe your master may need your support now more than any of the others do. I'm sure you may have more questions for this avatar in front of our eyes, however it is important that we make our masters happy as much as we make ourselves happy. He warns the mud fish pokemon, taking a deep breath to un-scrunch his face before starting to pad back to the pokemon center. It was a pleasure. Farewell for now. He tells Victini, not bothering to turn back to look at him as he pads away. Though he knew that confronting Arceus may not be a smart idea, Poochy knew that at least he would mean well in doing so. And that's what mattered.

"Oh! Uh, ah, a-alright!!" Cerise manages to stammer out in response to Decoda thrusting the boxes into his hands. As the musician made a hasty rush to the door, Cerise furrowed his brows a bit in concern. Naturally, there was a portion of that worry reserved for Mudkip and its wellbeing, but the words Decoda had used were also concerning to Cerise as well. It certainly seemed that Decoda was much more vulnerable and hard on himself than Cerise had previously thought from the time they had been traveling up until now. Maybe that would be something to talk to him about later on, hopefully in a private conversation when the current issues that the group faced had blown over. Taking a deep breath, he slumped down in a nearby chair, setting the boxes on the table nearby.

Taking in what Victini had said, Mudkip started to believe the Avatar a little bit better.  After all, they'd known Rotom for a few days now, so while he was helpful, he was also limited to a certain extent.  They were only involving the humans they thought would be useful - it just so happened that these useful humans were Decoda, Cerise, Catia and the others.

Maybe Mudkip should be honored by this choice, but it wasn't.  It was scared and weary for what was to come.  It saw weakness in its trainer from the day they met almost 2 weeks ago, and thought it would be beneficial to stick around and help Decoda better himself as a person.  Realizing this, it laid off the questions for a moment and listened to what Poochy said.

Mudkip's eyes widened, shocked at this creature's response.  Turning over to Poochy, it tilted its head and raised an eyebrow.  'You express such a strong loyalty to the 'master' that you've only known for a short while, assuming you met her when that Professor distributed us to these trainers?  The same master that kept trying to push Umbreon into socializing when it didn't want to, and you got scratched because of that?"  Mudkip sighed.  'Instead of telling me how I should behave and to exert all my efforts into my 'master,' who I do see as an equal, not as an owner or even a lesser being, maybe it's time you consider where your loyalties lie.  Work as a team with humans and Pokemon, not for them.  Figure out things with your 'master' and not just take what they say and go with it.'

It then faced Victini and explained its words, 'Don't get me wrong, I care about Decoda and the others to some extent, but I just wanted to talk about this so I can discover my own answers so I don't incorrectly assume and interpret wrongly... I don't want to be in the dark.  I only wish Chimecho and that little Mareep were here to have this chance too.'

"MUDKIP!!  MUDKIP PLEASE ANSWER US!!" Decoda screamed, panting as he stopped to catch his breath on the side of a building.  Tears were slowly dripping down his cheeks and although he rubbed his eyes frantically to stop them from flowing, Chimecho saw them anyway and shook her head.

'Stay here.  I'll find Mudkip,' she spoke telepathically.  While Decoda resisted at first, Chimecho used Astonish to make him flinch and used that window of time to follow that energy she felt all the way here.

Finally, she found the three of them, and sighed in relief.  'Mudkip!  There you are!  We were so worried about you-- it's... It really is an Avatar with all that Psychic energy!" she stated, shocked at Victini's presence. 'What are you--?'

'I wanted to find out more for myself, Chimecho!  No one was telling me what I needed to know, and so I called out for answers.  I got the things I needed, though... so, thank you Victini for your help.'

(OOC: This is actually a very interesting predicament you put Poochy into Rocky! I like that while the trainers are slowly resolving their respective problems with traveling amongst each other, our pokemon are slowly learning about what drives them to stay with their masters and what makes them so devoted to them. ^^ )

    Poochy hears Mudkip's suggestion and stops on his paws, the words echoing within his head. But as he hears Mudkip explaining them to the avatar, he suddenly growls loudly and whips around, not being conscious of Chimecho floating back. YOU don't want to be in the dark?! How do you think I feel? My master has gone through hell and back and there's not a single thing that I can do to ease her pain and to stop the tears she sheds from flowing! He retorts, now starting to bark loudly (according to human ears). This 'telling you how to behave' business is ludicrous! I gave you a suggestion so that your master wouldn't feel even a small amount of the pain that my own master has because he might think that you're disappearing on him may make him think that he is an incompetent trainer! Did you ever think about how he feels with your disappearance?! I wandered over here, not because of the avatar that had shown itself to you but because I worried that your master might lose what sanity he has left from the very roof over his head burning to ashes in his sleep! The puppy pokemon now seemed to be shaking with rage as it glared daggers at Mudkip, all of its pent up frustration from the many hopeless situations that it had been put in finally coming out in an explosive fit of unbridled rage. There are truth to your words don't get me wrong. Of course I have only just met my own master the same as you did. But you didn't watch YOUR master cry himself to sleep because of the nightmares that he had every night up until recently! YOU haven't seen the pain and suffering she has been through! YOU were not there the night that Umbreon had rejected her offer of friendship! We could only WATCH as he crawled, not to his own master, but MINE with its last breaths! YOU didn't hear what he had said to her while only being able to watch her bear the pain of her injured shoulder and the loss of a friend we had ALL been close to! The puppy pokemon's eyes seethed with anger as it started to crouch low and seemingly prepare itself to lunge at Mudkip. Your trainer has had someone close to him locked up in a place where he cannot reach and yet you don't seem to understand why he is so distraught! YOU are the failure who cannot work with your own master! Don't you DARE tell me that I don't know where my loyalties lie when YOU are the one who cannot try to solve what problems your own master has without wandering off without him! The puppy finishes, his rage finally peaking until he closes his eyes and lets out a loud roar of frustration.

    After taking a moment to calm down, his breathing starting to get ragged from his barking, he huffs through his nose as he finally turns away and starts to scamper off back to Catia. The rage that he had finally let go of tore through his mind as he ran, the puppy finally shedding a few tears for the pain of being unable to help heal his trainer's wounds. As he finally reached the pokemon center, he finally started to slow down near Quilladin and Espeon, his eyes still spilling water as he sits down and does his best to paw them away. He wanted to be strong for his master....strong enough to finally stop her tears from coming ever again.

(OOC: The roar in italics was Poochy actually using Roar from its movepool. Sorry if it hadn't been clear! ^^; )

At this point, Espeon and Quilladin ran up to see what was going on. Espeon looked from the raging pup to the adamant mudkip, to the avatar that was looking just as confused as her. 

"I... should go..." Victini turned intangible and flew up into a tree.

As she caught was Poochy had said about Umbreon her gaze hardened and she stepped into Poochy's path as he retreated.

"...How dare you speak of Him that way..." Her split tail stood straight up as she stood over him psychic energy radiating off of her. Suprisingly, Poochy IS able to hear her broadcast. "Speaking of MY mate as if you and your human were close to him. He wanted nothing to do with any of your masters, yet yours kept trying to get him to open up to her. YOU didn't watch your LIFE PARTNER get shot in the head. YOU didn't have to spend YEARS with him helping him recover. Your master DIDN'T EVEN GET TO HEAR HIS REAL FINAL WORDS BECAUSE THEY WOULD HAVE RIPPED HER TO SHREDS." She snarled and shook, as tears welled up in her eyes before spilling over. 

"...He lied." She stared at the ground. "His last words were a lie."

Espeon turned, her tail falling limp to the ground as she walked off. She paused for a split second, her fur shifting colors until she looked like a mixture of Espeon and Umbreon.

"I blame you and your human for my death. Whether it was or was not your fault."

"By golly...! Can everyone please calm down??" Running up alongside Espeon to the scene, Quilladin's eyes followed the fleeing figure of Victini before returning to the scene unfolding right in front of him. For the most part, the Pokemon of each trainer hadn't really interacting with the Pokemon of the other trainers... So inevitably, it was hard to tell how their own personalities would clash, which was not too different from their own human friends. The hedgehog tried to give Poochy a friendly pat on the back as it surveyed the situation. Unlike Espeon, Quilladin hadn't caught what had been said about Umbreon, nor had he heard the argument that Poochy and Mudkip had had just moments before. All he knew was that Pokemon were crying and feelings had probably been hurt! And quite honestly, he was at a complete loss as to what to do right now! "Let's all just take a deep breath and see where we hit a misunderstandin', alright?"

"I do say... Whatever would all of this fuss be about?" Quilladin felt a shiver crawl down his spine, which was the only signal to herald the fact that Honedge had drawn near, curious about the commotion that the Pokemon had begun to cause. The sword lazily let its scarf-like hand drift in the breeze as its single eye stared at them all intently. Its gaze lingered on Espeon the longest, a glint of glee playing across its words as it continued. "You are all causing a scene. You realize that, yes?"

And Honedge was right. Whatever townspeople still lived in the gloomy town had begun to take notice of the escalating commotion by the Pokemon Center. Still trying to comfort Poochy, Quilladin fought back the urge to squeal in horror as it came to realize the unwanted attention that the group had drawn. It had seemed like everything was going to go great for the traveling group! And in the span of mere minutes, things had gone south. Perhaps this was what it was like for their human friends when they had first set out on their journey?

...Maybe Victini had the right idea.

Catia's eyes widen as she hears the loud roar of Poochy outside the pokemon center. As people within the center began to whisper and chatter amongst themselves, some concern and some worry, she quickly realized that the tiny puppy pokemon hadn't followed her inside of the center. Without hesitating, she does a complete 180 turn on her heels and races outside, hoping that the poor pokemon hadn't gotten hurt thanks to her ignorance. As she reaches the doors to the center and goes through them however, she manages to spot Espeon as her fur changes colors and her loud broadcast is sent out, seemingly to a very upset and distraught Poochy whose path had been blocked by Espeon.

I blame you and your human for my death. Whether it was or was not your fault.

The girl's eyes widen as she hears the broadcast, Poochy appearing to growl even louder now at Espeon. However, no matter how she tried to dismiss the blame of Umbreon's death falling into hers and Poochy's laps, she couldn't deny that it was at least partly her fault. If she had known that Umbreon was stuck within the barn after she'd gotten Yuno out safely, she would've forced herself to get up and return to look for him. Instead, Galopa helped everyone get out safely with minimal injuries and only Umbreon died. In the end, even though she truly wanted to, she was unable to save everyone.

The puppy pokemon starts barking at the strangely coated Espeon, appearing to be getting more and more frustrated thanks to her words. Liar! Why are you dishonoring your mate's name by trying to pin the blame on the human who saved so many lives in that event?! You're despicable! He growled, Catia realizing what was about to happen and instinctively running past the astonished Decoda and the others to block what she knew was coming. She barely made it in time as Poochy, wrought with anger and frustration from Espeon's words, lunges at her, fangs and claws outstretched. Catia however manages to get in front of the puppy's lunge at her, his teeth sinking into her wrist. She cries out in pain but only shuts her eyes tightly, gritting her teeth through what pain was coursing through her arm as blood began to trickle off of her arm and onto the ground from the attack.

Not as soon as Poochy realized what had just happened did the puppy pokemon let go, staring at Catia with wide, horrified eyes. She had not only stopped him after he'd lost his temper, she had gotten hurt now because of his actions. Catia however, only let go of the breath she'd been holding and let her now bleeding wrist fall down to her side, turning to Poochy with a frustrated look on her face. "....Poochyena....return. Now." She ordered him, the tone in her voice now surprisingly stern. The puppy pokemon, happy for the escape to his master's discipline rather than another human's, immediately touches his nose to the button on its pokeball on her hip before disappearing in a flash of red light.

The crowd that had gathered to see what had been going on now started whispering amongst themselves as Catia took a deep breath, her eyes clouded in thought as she spoke. "I have no idea what has just happened between all of you....and I don't care. This day has been frustrating, gloomy and horrible for all of us." She says out loud for everyone to hear. The fox-tailed girl winces as she does her best to stand up again, having fallen to her knees to prevent her own pokemon from attacking another. She takes a deep breath and finally looks at the strangely colored Espeon nearby, her eyes full of not anger or frustration; but a gentle empathy and understanding. A small smile crosses her lips as she looks at her, her tone cracking slightly as she struggled to keep herself as calm as possible. "I heard what you said Espeon....if that really is you in there. And....as much as I want to tell myself that it isn't true, your words are the truth. If I had known Umbreon was still within that barn when I had gotten Yuno outside, I would've forced myself to get up and go back inside to look for him. So you're right....his death is my fault." A tear escapes her eyes, her forced smile still on her face. "It should've been me in that fire, trapped under all of that burning wood and debris. Even though I didn't know him very long, I know Umbreon was a good partner to Wes and a good mate to you. Besides...." She forces herself to smile even more bravely as she continues. "I was such a jerk to you guys anyway....if you had all gotten out, I wouldn't have been missed....I'm an ascended too. One less of those to cause all of you trouble right?" She says, looking to Wes and Decoda now as she uses her sleeve to wipe what tear had escaped her eyes before continuing. "You guys go ahead inside and eat okay? I-I'm not really hungry right now anyways. I'll just go and pay my respects to Umbreon and say goodbye so we can get moving first thing tomorrow morning to go and save our friends." She tells them, glancing at the odd colored Espeon one last time before giving a sort of half wave with her tightly bound arm and hand, heading off to the Pokemon Tower now that she was able to say her farewell's alone. There were a lot of things she had left unsaid to him too....best to get it out of her system now.

((jussayin' Decoda, Chimecho and Mudkip were a few blocks away from the P.C.  They're doing their own thing in an alley-way system, they don't know where Poochy ran off to after his attack.  They don't even know Ches evolved, since Decoda left in a panic.))

Furious from the attacks, both verbal and physical, being thrown its way, Mudkip screamed in a rage, its pointed cheeks hardening into their sharpest possible state.  Before it could take off after the small gray Pokemon, planning on using Muddy Water to catch up, it heard a familiar sound coming from behind it.

“MUDKIP!”

It turned abruptly, the anger clearly visible within its tiny rounded eyes.  Decoda stumbled out from behind a building, not having heard much - mostly because he couldn’t understand Pokemon language - but still appearing to be shocked and shaken up.  He wiped his beet-red face and tear-stained ducts with the edge of his damp gloves.  His hair was a mess underneath his sideways-facing hat.  His jacket was off, as he’d forgotten it, not expecting to have to go so far out to chase down his partner.  Even so, he wasn’t looking happy in the slightest.

“Mudkip… What… what happened?” he asked in vein, hoping to get some form of answer out of it.

‘…Even if I tried to say I was defending you, I’m going to fight my own battle first,’ Mudkip responded, turning around to face him in full.

Chimecho shook her head.  Decoda looked to her for a translation, but she refused to say anything to him.  Instead, she floated forward, towards the angry Mudfish.

‘Mudkip, if it’s a fight you’re in need of, don’t attack someone so confused and uninformed.  Violence like that makes beings more afraid.  I know this from the last time those awful people were in that hideout you found me in… I was afraid, I got hurt.  Bravery doesn’t make people immune to pain, but showing that you are afraid after taking pain instead of standing up stronger… that’s what we need to do.  I’m learning that now, being with Decoda and his human companions,’ she finished, glancing at Decoda during her last statement.

“Chimecho, I didn’t-“

‘We feel influence from those we decide to partner with.  Mudkip and Poochy were not given a choice, but they were assigned to you for one reason or another.  Poochy already felt influence, Mudkip just… Mudkip feels like it should decide for itself,’ the Psychic type nodded to her trainer.  ‘Decoda.  This is your time to give Mudkip that chance.  I will fight beside you and together we will regain Mudkip’s trust!’

The look in her tiny golden eyes filled Decoda’s heart with energy, determination and positivity.  He then looked at Mudkip, who looked much darker and angrier, like it didn’t want to be talked about in this way.  In a sense, that sort of confirmed how it was feeling.  Without much more thought, he stepped back and stood in a battle-ready stance.  The little alley-way square they occupied was just enough room to have a battle in.  Mudkip took to the other side, understanding his decision.

Chimecho lowered herself onto the field.  She felt she was breathing with Decoda, and they began to understand how each other felt, even if they were just standing like this.  He didn’t realize how in tune they were until he commanded his first attack.

“Chimecho, Growl!  Knock down it’s attack power as much as possible!”

A loud screeching chime came from the Psychic Pokemon, blaring into Mudkip’s ears.

‘Idiot,’ the Mudfish sneered, sprinting forward into a Tackle attack.  When Chimecho dodged just before Decoda could say to, the trainer’s heart skipped a beat.  Instead, he changed his instruction to another Growl.

When another harsh chime sounded, Mudkip winced, preparing and firing a Water Gun at the white and red Pokemon.  This time it was a direct hit, knocking Chimecho into the wall on the opposite side of the field.  When she broke free, Mudkip charged again with another wild-but-visibly slower Tackle.  Chimecho realized she couldn’t take much more damage, but didn’t know if she could dodge this one.

“Chimecho, Astonish!” Decoda cried out, getting worried.  One of his hands drifted to his belt, and the only other ball he had on him - Meep, the low-leveled Mareep.  The poor thing wouldn’t stand a chance in this fight… Chimecho had to do this!

Flicking her tail upwards at Mudkip to Astonish the blue Pokemon, Chimecho was able to flinch and damage Mudkip, just enough to escape and slide back over to Decoda’s side.

‘Mudkip, please, try to think about what you’re doing!  Prioritize your anger and redirect it to finding our friends instead of fighting them!’ Chimecho tried to reason, but Mudkip hadn’t listened when it landed.  Instead, it screamed as if it were in gargantuan amounts of pain and agony.  It distraught Decoda on a deeper level than he ever imagined he could feel, but his emotions changed to shock as he witnessed a bright glow envelop the Pokemon in full.

He recognized this glow.  This was evolution!

Mudkip’s size and shape began to morph, the particles of the glow shattering as its new body stood where its old one was.  Now standing two feet higher than before, with arm and leglike fins protruding from its sides rather than two sets of stubby feet; with its color ratio changing to complete its look, Mudkip then became Marshstomp!

“Mudkip is…” Decoda murmured, whipping out his Pokedex and scanning the creature with golden-orange eyes.  It looked furious, very different from the derpier picture displaying on the Pokedex.  Even with its upright posture, Mudki— err, Marshstomp hunched over and began to summon a ball of brown liquid in between its hands.  Unleashing this as Muddy Water, Decoda ordered Chimecho to dodge.  The trainer was knocked over by the blast of dirty fluid as the Psychic type shot upwards, evading just by a few inches.  It was clear that this Pokemon did not feel any remorse for hurting Decoda.

“Mudkip…Did you evolve out of anger?  Contempt for me?” he nervously asked, outstretching his other hand towards the disturbed Pokemon.

‘You’re clueless!’ Marshstomp yelled back, opening its massive mouth and squirting a strong stream of water out at both Decoda and Chimecho.

Just when Decoda braced himself for another water attack, covering his face with his arms and hands, Chimecho puffed out her cheeks and zipped in front of him.  Concentrating all her power together, the Pokemon began to glow a faint purple color.  Radiating this strong psychic aura, she echoed out a Confusion attack, preventing Marshstomp from blasting them with water.  With the Confusion attack acting as a shield, Decoda could uncover part of his face and witness his other Pokemon using a new move.

“That’s a new one!  Great job, Chimecho!  Let’s end this fight with another one of those!” he shouted, hoping his energy would support his defending creature enough to finish the battle.

‘Marshstomp!  I’m sorry!’ Chimecho cried out, using another Confusion at her opponent and pushing both attacks back into it.  Marshstomp was directly hit, and the Pokemon was slammed backwards into the wall behind it; even after a few seconds waiting for it to get up, it wasn’t moving.

Thinking the worst, Decoda dashed past the heavily breathing Chimecho and ran for his other Pokemon.  Was the attack too strong?!  Did he accidentally—?!  Kneeling down beside his fallen Pokemon, he lifted it into his lap and put his fingers up to its neck… he couldn’t detect a pulse, but he definitely felt the cool air of its breath on his chest.  He shivered out a sigh in relief, fresh salty tears flowing out of his ducts.  It would be okay.

“Please wake up… Please…” he whispered to his partner, slowly watching its large eyes flutter open.  Seeing him crying, the newly evolved Pokemon sniffled and lightly smiled.

‘All of this just because I wanted you to communicate with me, because no one told me what was happening… Now I understand,’ Marshstomp exhaled, putting a weak hand on his chin and wiping away a few tear droplets.  This made Decoda smile, grabbing his partner’s hand and holding onto it.

“I’m sorry if I hurt you, and I’m sorry if I’m a bad trainer.  I just want to protect everyone and do all kinds of things, but Brock was right… if I spread myself too far thin, I won’t focus on what’s really important to me.”

Chimecho then came sliding up to them, both human and Pokemon turning to see her.  ‘If we work together and respect each other, we can help protect one another and focus on our dreams!’ she beamed.  ‘Marshstomp, will you please join us on our quest?’

The blue Pokemon used Decoda’s knees and shoulder to get up, but after doing so, it nodded.  ‘I choose to do so!’

The redhead grinned, hugging his mudfish before pulling Chimecho into the embrace.  “Thank you both, so much!  Thank you for helping me!!  Meep has some great examples to follow, now!”

With everyone feeling alright enough to walk/hover, Decoda stood up on his feet and started to take his two battlers back to the Center to heal up and collect their things.  It wasn’t too bad of a walk back, but it probably felt a lot faster now that he felt more confident about being a trainer.  Hopefully, that would transition into confidence for rescuing Loka and Marley.

((Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to get Mudkip to evolve and provide some form of character development for my team!))

Espeon turned around and trotted back to the pokemon center, using psychic to open up the doors and make her way to the room that Cerise was in. She trotted past confused people, a worried Yuno who was sitting on the front steps, and even Wes, who looked concerned and bewildered. When she entered the room, she hopped up onto the bed and laid down, burying her face in the pillow. 

"Cerise... We need to get out of this town..." Espeon peeked out from under the blanket. "...There are many terrible vibes here, and I believe it's influencing everyone's actions, even my own. Look what's happened to me."

She slowly pulls off the blanket and shows Cerise her new-found coloring. 

"I... I have something I need to tell you, but..." She sighed, looking down at the floor. "Wes cannot know."


Yuno and Wes are sitting on the front steps of the Pokemon Center, watching Galopa and Bansheeon run about and playing tag.

"Espeon..." Cerise furrowed his brows, looking down as worry played across his face. This town and the events surrounding it had been strange from the get-go, and to hear Espeon confirm as much, despite its strange new appearance... The trainer looks up as Espeon finally unveiled itself from the cover of the blanket, finding that it needed to tell him something. "...I understand. What's going on?"

As the situation outside finally exploded, Quilladin was knocked backwards as Poochy lunged past it to attack Espeon -- an attack that was quickly thwarted by Catia running in the way of it herself. The hedgehog, however, had been knocked into a nearby lamppost headfirst, which might have hurt if he were still a Chespin. Being evolved, his shell was able to absorb the brunt of the impact, but the hedgehog still felt the impact of the collision ripple throughout its whole body. With the wind knocked out of him, Quilladin caught brief glimpses of both Catia running away to the Tower, and of Decoda and Chimecho confronting Mudkip a ways off. Its eyes drearily closed, the impact now finally catching up to him and bringing the hedgehog into a state of unconsciousness.

"Sir Quilladin...? Hello? ...This is far from felicitous." Honedge drifted a bit more closely to the fallen body of Quilladin, prodding the grass-type with its silky scarf to see if he was still awake. Though the sword-pokemon couldn't show it due to lacking commonplace facial features, concern was evident in its voice. With a grunt, the ghost wrapped its scarf around Quilladin and began to haul him back to the Pokemon Center. Perhaps he could help the other Pokemon there? Or at least, try to make Cerise aware of what had happened. Struggling its way past Yuno and Wes, Honedge found itself dragging Quilladin's unconscious body into the middle of the Center, straining its single eye to locate the whereabouts of Cerise. Unfortunately, the trainer was no longer in the Center's lobby, but the whispers among the Center visitors of a strange-looking Espeon and the aroma of pizza were sufficient for Honedge to recognize that Cerise had decided to journey back to the travelers' room.

"Oh my gosh!!"

"What the heck happened out there?!"

Honedge tried to block out the voices of the people in the Center as it continued to drag Quilladin back to Cerise. The hedgehog was immensely heavy for Honedge, and the ghost had nearly reached its limit in stamina by dragging it so far. But the door to the room was only a few feet away now, and was slightly ajar, which would be more than helpful. With a final grunt, Honedge came crashing against the slightly open door, having exhausted itself as it clanked to the ground.

"Honedge!" Cerise sprang up, not yet having heard what Espeon meant to tell it. The trainer blindly ran over to his friend, cradling the sword in his arms carefully before he took notice of the mass that it had been carrying. Cerise's eyes widened as he took in the sight of fallen Quilladin, his heart stopping for a moment. He scrambled over, checking the Pokemon's pulse, hoping against hope that his partner wouldn't be in any immediate danger. The last thing he ever wanted to experience was a death of a close friend -- he wasn't quite sure how Wes had handled Umbreon's passing... But he was pretty certain he didn't want to find out. With both Honedge and Quilladin unconscious like this... what had happened?? The ghost type looked up at Cerise with its single eye, simply glad that it had managed to accomplish what it had set out to do, but Cerise could feel his hands grow clammy with anxiety.

Cerise thought back to Decoda and how worried he had been for Mudkip... Cerise himself hadn't passed a single thought to Quilladin's wellbeing. Maybe it was because he was so used to being with the grass-type that he had grown accustomed to assuming that his friend could take care of himself without Cerise always watching over its shoulder, but now that this had happened...? Quickly, he shook his head violently as he tried to banish the thoughts of death and despair that now permeated his thoughts. His glasses flew off his face, cracking against the far wall of the room.

He waited for the sound of Quilladin's heartbeat.

And closed his eyes.

Beat.

The pulse of Quilladin was still there, dispelling Cerise's thoughts of despair. After all the two had gone through, he refused to give up on his partner, not when so much was at stake. Cerise, mustering as much strength as he could, hefted up Quilladin and Honedge in his arms to take them to Nurse Joy. He glanced back at what he could see of Espeon, recalling that she had wanted to tell him something. "I'll... be heading down to Joy with these two. Feel free to join me, if you want."

The gesture was a way for Cerise to get two things done -- continue speaking with Espeon and take care of his friends at the same time. He was sure that what Espeon wanted to say was important, so part of him didn't want to relegate her words to being a secondary concern. He also recognized that medical attention was required immediately for the two that he now held -- a weight he was sure he couldn't keep holding for much longer. There was also the matter Espeon had expressed concern about before -- leaving the town as soon as possible. Something was definitely off... and if it was truly influencing everyone as Espeon said, then the sooner they left, the better.

As Catia reached the Pokemon Tower and began to ascend the long steps up towards where Wes had buried Umbreon, her mind whirled with everything that had just happened. She sighed as she felt the warmth of the blood trickling off of her wrist from Poochy's bite attack earlier. Though she was thankful that she'd stopped the enraged puppy pokemon from attacking her friend, she couldn't help but wonder if the little pink eeveelution truly saw her the same way that she saw her; like a friend.

She didn't know whether or not that Espeon had truly meant what it had said to Poochy and by extension her (even if it was on accident that she heard her comment). However she did know that she blamed herself for not being able to truly say goodbye to Umbreon properly. She avoided him, something that the dark eeveelution had wanted from her in the first place. But it was only after that she'd told Espeon that she truly only wished to help him shoulder what burdens he'd had in order to make him happier that the creature had crawled to her in its last moments and apologized. He died before she could tell him what was on her mind at that moment;

'It's okay Umbreon....You went through so much in such a short span of time....I'm just happy that you got a second chance to live your life with Espeon....If even for just a little while longer'

She'd wanted to tell Umbreon that she was thankful that she'd met him, even if he never had wanted anything to do with her in the first place. She sighed as she finally reached the floor where Umbreon was buried, walking over to the grave with her eyes clouded in thought. Carefully she sat down on her knees in front of the grave marker where he was buried, keeping her slowly coagulating hand off of her lap and laying somewhat limply off to her side. She stared at the grave marker as her memories of Umbreon flooded her mind. Though they hadn't all been very good ones, she didn't blame him for the way that he'd treated her. She was....admittedly used to it. "Sorry that I took so long to get my moment alone with you Umbreon. So much has been happening without you here....We all miss you a lot....especially Espeon." She said as if she were speaking to the creature's lingering spirit. She knew that he couldn't really hear her words but it made her feel better to finally speak to him and say what she'd wanted to before.

"Goodness what can I say at a time like this...." She said somewhat quietly, mentally beating herself up for the awkward moment she was slowly creating. "There's so much that I wanted to say to you Umbreon. But more than anything I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. You never wanted me to come to you and be your friend yet....I felt myself being drawn to you. You got the second chance in life that...." She takes a deep breath before she manages to choke out her next few words. "The second chance that my....F-Father never did....I got a second chance because of him. Did you know that? He saved me from making a horrible mistake that would've ruined everything that I had in my future. I-If he hadn't saved me....I never would've met Decoda or Cerise....or even Wes. I would've disappeared without a trace."

She takes a deep breath as she continues, a tear slowly forming in the corner of her eye as she smiled. "But when I got that second chance and my father got me back up on to my feet, I realized something; I had been running away when I should've been fighting to pick myself back up. No matter what, keep moving forward. Never stop." She gives a breathless laugh as she repeats her father's favorite words. "That's what he always used to tell me. And then....the rockslide that was meant for me....it claimed him instead." A tear leaves her face now as she closes her eyes and continues. "He told me to promise him that I'd keep going. No matter what life threw at me, I'd fight it to the very end and walk my own path. The way I live is in honor of his name. Th-That's why....That's why I can't take his name onto mine just yet. Instead I lie, using my mother's maiden name instead of my real one." She forces a brave smile as she looks at Umbreon's grave again. "Wanna know what it is? My real name....It's Catia Grieval. It's really silly isn't it?" She says, laughing breathlessly as she reaches up with her good arm and wipes her tears away. "A-Anyway....I just thought I would tell you that. And....make sure that you knew that we all missed you....that I missed you. I'm sorry too....sorry that I couldn't save you too...."

As the tears continue to fall, she sits back and gets up off of her legs, curling up a little with her knees loosely pulled up to her chest without the help of her arms. A deafening silence falls over the room as she stares at Umbreon's grave, letting her tears fall quietly without being able to say any real words. The silence wasn't broken for a few moments as she finally gave a big sniffle and gave Umbreon's grave a brave smile. Slowly she put her now dried up hand onto his grave and laid still as she finally said the words that she'd came to say:

"Goodbye....Umbreon. May you find eternal happiness in the next life and watch over us....wherever you are."

As she finishes her goodbye, Fox and Fang come out of their pokeballs, sensing their trainers distress. Fang chitters quietly and both him and Fox nudge her good arm and hand. With a quiet laugh, she moves back enough to lean up against a nearby wall before gently beginning to give her pokemon the attention they craved. For a few moments, the silence she heard was a peace that she hadn't felt in a long time. It made her....happy. Peace was what she craved more than anything in the whole world. And never did she realize; it was right in front of her all along.

Espeon hopped off the bed and trotted next to Cerise, sending him a gentle 'I'm here for you' vibe every few minutes, just to let him know that everything was going to be okay. She then narrowed her broadcasting so only the breeder could hear. As she speaks she looks out the front door, watching the Bansheeon float about with distaste.

"...That creature isn't good. The hidden vibes it gives off are very malicious. Whatever it is... it's feeding off of everyones negative emotions." Her voice changes as she looks up at Cerise; it's Umbreon. "That creature is not my soul. It is not me. Do not fall for it's trickery, as it will consume you as it will him..." Espeon/Umbreon looks out to Wes who's now holding Bansheeon, stroking it's fur.



As Catia tended to her pokemon, There was motion at Umbreon's grave. The dark type eeveeloution is sat there, staring attentively at her. His tail swished ever so slowly across the stone behind him. 

"I didn't need friends." It spoke. "I had a human who cared, and a mate I loved. However, the only real thing I wanted, I'll never get to have; a true family." The spirit huffs. "Unlike you, however, I was able to die without the thought That I couldn't save everyone. I wasn't the one who needed saving. Neither was that empty shell you call a girlfriend. You're a failure, Grieval. No one wants to admit it to your face." He gets up and hops up on top of another tombstone. "No one talks to you, or tells you anything because theyre afraid you'll just throw another tantrum and say 'I'm just a bother, feel sorry for me.'..." she tilts his head to the left. "Even Yuno doubts you and your relationship with her. I mean, with the way you cling so lovingly to Decoda, it's no wonder." He draws out the word lovingly as he straightens his posture. "Enough about that, though. Back to the whole 'saving people' shindig you have going on. You couldn't save save Daddy dearest, you couldn't Save Kar, you didn't save Yuno the first time; that was all Decoda, and you couldn't save me. Honestly, everyone thinks you should just give up. You're worthless. Pathetic." 

He gives a fanged grin as he stares at her.

"Bansheeon..." Cerise pauses a moment, also looking at the front door towards Bansheeon's location. The realization that the ghost eeveelution was not, in fact, the deceased soul of Umbreon was surprising, but that also just begged the question -- just what was Bansheeon, then? The breeder looked down at Espeon, slowly beginning to connect the dots of what the shared consciousnesses of Espeon and Umbreon had told him. The ramifications of Bansheeon's existence could be, quite literally, deadly to the group's existence. Seemingly, Bansheeon may have been responsible for the string of negativity surrounding Cerise's thoughts, if not the whole party. Checking in on the others to be sure they were alright was important -- especially Decoda! Was he generally that emotional? Or was the older trainer's state of despair a result of Bansheeon's machinations? Cerise made a mental note to write this all down later in his profile of the ghost-type. "If everything that you've said is true... then shouldn't we try to stop it? What would happen to Wes if we let Bansheeon keep feeding off of him? And how will the effects of Bansheeon affect the rest of us?"

Now, Cerise had made it to the Center's counter, and he gingerly set Honedge and Quilladin down on the counter, ringing up Nurse Joy by tapping the bell on the desktop. With a smile and a bow, the Nurse examined both Pokemon before motioning for her Chansey to help carry them into the back. With that matter now being attended to, he returns his attention to Espeon, his lips pursed in thought. "We can't carry out our mission tomorrow if Bansheeon keeps up what it's doing, right? I'm not sure if it's intentionally malicious or if it's just following its newborn instincts, but something has to be done as soon as possible. I can't ignore this now that I know about it, and I refuse to let Wes get controlled by it!"

If Bansheeon could be stopped, perhaps the group could attain better cohesion as a result! He returned his attention to the front door, his hand hovering over Goomy's Pokeball. Pawniard would be more ideal to use, but it didn't know any Dark-type moves yet, and lacked any offensive ability that could affect Bansheeon. And with Quilladin and Honedge temporarily out of commission, that would leave Goomy to deal with Bansheeon, should the need occur. A shiver crawled down his spine as he stared down Bansheeon, seriously contemplating confronting the ghost eeveelution about what it was doing and putting an end to its trickery. Regardless of intent, Bansheeon was dangerous, should Espeon and Umbreon be correct about its true trickster nature.

"...But why can't Wes know he's in danger because of it?"