(Reboot) Pokemon: Beyond the Tall Grass

Upon arriving back at the front of the Pokemon Center with the newly evolved Marshtomp and Chimecho, Decoda saw the flickering tail and mane of the fiery pony Pokemon, frolicking around with Bansheeon, its body wisping in the wind.  Looking around the two, he found Wes and Yuno, watching their partners play together.  They didn’t seem to notice them right away.

“Hey…” Decoda initiated, walking up to them.  He looked filthy from all the attacks he took, and his partners looked no better, but they were all able to stand up and move around just fine.  “I’m sorry I ran off like that.  Mudkip ran away for a while, but we patched our differences up with a battle!  Everything’s okay on my end, for now… but, Wes!  How was your battle with Cerise, and where did he and Catia run off to?”  He then chuckled, "It's really funny; first we can't get out of our rooms, but that's the only time we're ever together, as a unit!  Heheheh, man, we've gotta work on this whole friendship thing more..."

Chimecho and Marshtomp made their way over to the playing Pokemon.  “Gallopa, Bansheeon, hi!” Chimecho rang out, waving its tail like a hand.

Marshtomp sighed.  “Part of me feels silly for running away and not telling someone, but its all water under the bridge now.  Where did Poochy go, though?  And the others?”

At first, the sight of Umbreon stuns the fox tailed girl. She stares at him in disbelief while Fox and Fang blink at the ghost out of confusion. How was this possible? As the ghostly image of Umbreon spoke, Catia heard its harsh words start to echo in her head, not as his words, but her own.

Pathetic. Worthless. Failure. Give up. Go home.

The voice in her head chanted this over and over, making her close her eyes and start to hold her head. Ordinarily she would do her best to make the voice go away, shut it out so that she could stop it from letting her inner grief consume her. But then, the images started. She saw Umbreon's last moments play out in her head again. Watching his eyes glaze over as he spoke his last words, the supposed lie that had left his mind into her own. Over and over again it played out within her mind's eye, the chanting continuing over and over, threatening to drive her mad. "Stop it....stop it!" She spoke as she clutches her head, the sneering chant in her head in her own voice continuing even after the ghost of Umbreon had finished speaking. She didn't want to believe that what Espeon had spoken was the truth, that this was all just a bad dream and she would be able to wake up and carry on like usual. But it wasn't; not this time.

Soon Fang started to realize what was going on with his trainer, Fox mewling and pawing her master in an effort to snap her out of her fit. Fang however, turned and faced the ghostly image of Umbreon and narrowed its eyes angrily at it, its tail lashing back and forth. Why are you doing this to her chu?! Can't you see that she's been through enough chu?! He spouts angrily, frustrated as to how to deal with this new threat. How could Fang fight something that even he wasn't sure was even there?

Espeon looked out at Wes and sighed sadly before looking up at Cerise.

"...Look how happy he is. I... I don't want to take this away from him." She looked down at the tiled floor, conflicted. "I don't know if I can do this to him. Even I WANT to believe that creature is Umbreon, but it isn't; its just a ghost. Something that feeds off emotions until there's nothing left. Cerise... I don't think I'm strong enough to do this alone. Will... Will you please help me confront this... nightmare? I think it will help put everything to rest once and for all..."


Yuno smiled up at Decoda, before standing up. 

"It's good to see that everyone's okay! Catia went to pay her final respects to Umbreon, and I'm getting ready to go see Reshiram."

"I... I lost to Cerise." Wes still had a bit of disbelief in his voice, but he quickly got over it. "It was a good battle. I'm pleased to see that everyone's progressing and growing up." 


"Welcome back!!" Bansheeon grinned, tilting it's head to Marshtomp and Chimecho, Galopa simply nodded a hello.



"And what can you do, little rat?" Umbreon stared down at Fang, grinning a bit. "It's not like or the little one over there can actually do anything. The pup might be able to hit a ghost type, but not an actual ghost." He looks back to Catia and laughs hauntingly. "Why not let me in, little Grieval? I can give you anything you want; power... love... what about your family? Wouldn't you like to have a father again?" He stands up on all fours and stretches a bit then scratches behind his ear with his hind leg. "I have the power to do so, Catia. It isn't free of course, but what's a small price to pay when you can have your father, Yuno as a loving wife? What about Kar; wouldn't you like to see him again?"

"You don't have to do it alone, Espeon. Just say the word, and I'll be there to back you up. And besides! You've been with Wes for way too long for him to not consider what you think about Bansheeon -- We still don't know a lot about that Pokemon, but you've been there for him since day 1, right?" Cerise smiles at Espeon, pumping a fist into the air. "You and Wes and Umbreon... The three of you wer-... No, are a team. Can't let something like this tear you all apart, right?"

From where he stood at the counter, he could now see that Decoda had approached Wes and Yuno with his Pokemon... Or at least, what he thought were Decoda's Pokemon. He didn't see Mudkip anywhere, but he did see a somewhat similar-looking amphibianoid at Decoda's side. The breeder chuckled to himself, wondering if Mudkip had also evolved, just as Chespin had? He'd have to ask Decoda about that later, for sure.

"Just let me know when you want to handle this, Espeon. From what you've said... there may not be much time left."

Fear. Fear was the emotion going through Catia's mind as she heard the ghostly pokemon's sneering at Fang's attempt to protect her. It was right; there was nothing that neither Fang nor Fox could do to this thing. But on the mention of the pup, a shudder was felt originating from Poochy's pokeball on her waist. An instinctive hand wandered to the shivering ball on her waist, her eyes widening as she felt it instantly calm down at her touch. Then she remembered the events that had transpired beforehand and what the puppy pokemon had done to her. True, it hadn't meant to bite her on purpose. It's target was Espeon after it had said....

A thought occurs to her then as she remembers what had triggered Poochy's sudden outburst of anger. Her comment about blaming the two of them for Umbreon's death. Was it trying to defend her point of view? Had she been wrong to be so stern with it? As soon as these questions wander into her mind did she hear the ghost's temptations. She stared into space, her mind whirling with the thought of more power. Would she be able to handle it? Or would it simply end in disaster just like every other kind of power that the fox-tailed girl had supposedly been 'blessed' with?

As if in answer to what her mind was asking herself, the pokeball she was holding out of comfort on her waist shuddered again. Her head snapped out of its dizzying confusion in an effort to look at the puppy pokemon's pokeball. Was Poochy trying to tell her to let him out? But....he was able to let himself out wasn't he? Then another thought occurs to her, one she hadn't thought of before; Poochy wanted to have the girl's trust and complete confidence in its ability just as much as she wanted to confide in the puppy pokemon. The same way she'd been confiding in its infinite patience and comforting attitude ever since the two had met through the good Professor....

Slowly she puts two and two together, looking first to the cowering rat pokemon in front of her, then to the scared baby fox pokemon that was so desperately trying to comfort her trainer. Taking in a deep breath, she smiles and pets Fox's head before taking out both Fang's and Fox's pokeball's and pointing them at them. "You guys have done enough. Thank you for trying to comfort me. Poochy and I can take it from here." She tells them, the two looking at their master in surprise before smiles slowly start to spread on their faces as they both go back to their spherical containers.

With a grunt, Catia stands back up onto her feet, withdrawing Poochy's pokeball from her waist before moving it in front of her face, a thoughtful look crossing it briefly before she simply smiles and closes her eyes. Carefully she brings the ball to her face and appears to nuzzle it as she whispers to the puppy pokemon inside of it. "I'm putting all of my faith into you Poochy. I know you would never let me down." She tells it, looking back over to the ghostly image of Umbreon as the confidence slowly starts to return to her face.

She stares defiantly at the ghost in front of her, her mind now completely clear and the haunting voices that had been echoing in her head quickly fading away into peaceful, blissful silence. "I don't need anymore power than I already have. I never wanted most of what powers I was born with in the first place. It made my life hell to grow up. But to offer me more after my current powers have put me through so much....I refuse! But I won't be the one to chase you away like the bad dream that you are...." She gives the pokeball in her hand a light toss, Poochy appearing onto the ground in a blinding flash of light as she gently catches the pokeball as it returns to her hand. "That task will fall to the one creature who has been there for me and was my best friend ever since he'd found his way to me. I don't care if you are a ghost! You're not the Umbreon that I knew!" She told it, the shaky confidence that she'd just found through her revelation showing through the tone in her voice. Poochy started to growl and bark angrily at the ghost as she put her arm to her side and got ready to start giving the puppy pokemon commands. The feeling coursing through her body as she watched Poochy standing defiantly in the way of the ghost in front of the both of them was giving her the strength to pick herself back up again. But this time, she was going to face her fear and doubt rather than run away from it. It was time for them to fight back together as one!

The ghost chuckled, which quickly turned into a roar of laughter. "You never knew him, human. You just assumed, like you always do! You're life is nothing but assumptions." It doesn't seem to see either of you as a threat as an unnatural wind begins to pick up, throwing dust and memorials around like they're toys. Even other spirits and ghost pokemon who were in the room seemed to have vanished for the time being, as the air became thick.

"Bad dreams are child's play, dear." 'Umbreon' shouted, it's voice distorted. "I'M A NIGHTMARE!" 

The winds picked up further and turned purple, tossing poochy into a nearby tombstone and knocking Catia to the ground. Umbreon became cloaked in the galestrom, nothing but his glowing red eyes visible. 

"You want to be a hero? Then play the part and die like every other hero in history!" The winds die down ever so slightly, and disperse from Umbreon, revealing the ghost's new form. It faced down Catia and her pokemon, wings spread and tail lashing side to side. He hops to the top of an obelisk grave marker and stares down, starting to speak. "Darkha Selim Meder Dau Sabi!" Three Black stars formed and revolved around the ghost as it performed Lucky Chant.



Espeon looked at Wes then Cerise once more before taking a step forward and almost collapsing on the spot. She weakly stood up and stumbled a few feet before falling. 

"There's... too much spiritual... activity..." Her broadcast was broken up, but still understandable. Espeon tried to pick herself back up, but couldn't find the strength to. "Cerise, I... c-can't move..."



Outside, The air feels thicker then usual, and Decoda can see dark clouds around the tower. The sky has gained a purple tint to it, and Chimecho will not come out of her ball. (If she's out, she returns herself and will not come back out until everything's cleared up.)

“Whoa, really?!  Just how did an experienced, hardened trainer like you lose so easily?!” Decoda chuckled, covering his mouth a little with his hand to fail at hiding his grin.  “Though I’m glad we’re all getting ready to go again.  I hope Catia will be back soon.  We really don’t need someone else like Loka running off and not coming back for hours!”

Just before Chimecho could respond to Bansheeon, a sudden chill pierced through her body, immobilizing her for a few moments before she hurried back to Decoda’s side.  Tapping the ball on his belt with her face, she returned herself to her safe capsule, leaving her trainer and friend confused by her actions.

“H-Hey, Chimecho!  What are you doing?!” Decoda called to her, but didn’t get a reply, not even through telepathy.

Marshtomp hugged her body with her wide hands, looking at the other two Pokemon before quietly before tip toeing back to her partner.  She didn’t like how Chimecho just suddenly came back to Decoda, and wasn’t sure what happened, but at least Chimecho knew that Decoda was safe.  The two of them had to be healed up anyway, since they fought.  Maybe she had the best idea in mind.

“Mud- ah, Marshtomp, you too?” Decoda asked the newly evolved creature, rubbing her head fin a little to reassure his friend.  When she nodded, looking up at him with a determined expression, he realized that healing them up would be a good idea.  Besides, Cerise was probably inside doing the same thing after his victory against Wes.  …And that pizza would be good to choke down before they had to hurry off anyway!

“Okay, let’s get you guys rested up,” the redhead sighed, returning Marshtomp.  “I’ll be back outside, Yuno, Wes.  Just wanna go get these guys rested up and grab a few slices!”

As he jogged inside, he passed Cerise and pat him on the head, sliding his bandana off a little, as he went straight up to the counter.  He looked a lot happier than before, but as he gave his balls to the Nurse, he turned around to see the other trainer talking with Wes’ Pokemon.  She looked… different, and this caught his attention almost immediately.

“Cerise, is that… Espeon?” Decoda asked curiously.  “I’m not mad, I’m just really confused.  I heard you won against Wes.  Did this happen during the battle or…?  Maybe it has to do with Chimecho.”  He rubbed some dirt off his face.  Maybe he should take a shower while he was up in the room getting pizza. “She ran right in her ball as soon as it got super cloudy.”

He didn’t seem to notice that the clouds were only looming over Lavender Tower, but it was suspicious to him that they seemed to come out of nowhere.  This town was gloomy, but it didn’t always look like it does now… he’d know.  He’s been here before.

[[OOC: By the way Rocky, the pizza's back in the gang's room now, not the Center's front lounge.]]

"Espeon!!" Startled, he quickly rushed to the Pokemon's side, concerned for its wellbeing. The Eeveelution's telepathic speech had become fragmented, cutting in and out abruptly as the Espeon struggled to stand up. Cerise wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but it was clear that Espeon was in some kind of pain. But he did manage to hear her mention spiritual activity... And his eyes narrowed angrily as his gaze locked onto Bansheeon. Maybe now it was making its move against the group and finishing its job? He looked over at Espeon's struggle to stand before he nodded to himself. "Espeon... I know now isn't when you wanted to take care of Bansheeon, but if it's causing this to you, then I have to act now! ...If this spiritual activity is causing you this much distress, maybe you should just lie down for now -- I'll take care of this."

Unaware of the true source of the spiritual disturbance, he began to walk towards the Center's front doors, a hand hovering over a Pokeball to finally confront Bansheeon and put a stop to its actions. The entrance of Decoda gave him a momentary pause in action as the older boy greeted him and walked over to the Center's counter. As the time Decoda gave his Pokeballs over to Nurse Joy, Cerise managed to catch a glance of the atmosphere outside, with the dark purple-tinted clouds that had begun to gather. The feeling of gloom that he felt now... This had to be Bansheeon's doing, right? Cerise clenched a fist and was going to finally take the next few steps to go outside when Decoda spoke again, inquiring about Espeon and his battle with Wes. But it was what he said of Chimecho that was of most interest.

"Is it already too late...?" Cerise mused to himself softly, glancing back at Bansheeon before looking back at Decoda, trying to decide if it would be wise to enlist the guitarist in what Cerise was about to do. It definitely would help to have the extra muscle to take down Bansheeon and free Wes from its influence, after all. He finally turned to face Decoda, who was looking at him expectantly. For the moment, Cerise wouldn't mention Espeon's involvement in his uncovering of Bansheeon's true nature -- he didn't want to jeopardize the Psychic-type's friendship with its Trainer, after all.

"Decoda, a lot of strange and bad things have been going on in the past few hours since the Pokemon Tower, and Bansheeon might be the source of it all. There's been... an irrationality to our actions that don't fit with our personalities -- emotional alteration that doesn't match the pattern of our normal actions. We don't know much about Bansheeon, but based on my observations and notes, I fear that it has malicious intentions for us and anyone it meets -- and the Psychic-type Pokemon are able to pick up on it now."

His upper body turned slightly as he gazed back at where Bansheeon was playing, finally unclipping one of his Pokeballs from his belt. The trainer lifted the small sphere up to about his chest, taking a moment to reaffirm his  convictions as he felt the cold metal in his hands. He honestly couldn't give much more in terms of details to Decoda without revealing that Espeon was his informant. And he didn't have the luxury of trying to explain where he'd learned everything -- having proven himself as somewhat insightful in the past, he secretly hoped Decoda would just go along with what he was saying. Finally turning around completely to face the Center's doors, he began to walk forward, focused on the task at hand.

"I won't let Bansheeon hurt anyone else."

Catia cried out when she was suddenly flung away and back down to her knees, wincing as she felt her broken shoulder pulse with pain as if to remind her that she couldn't use it. She had to rely on her pokemon for this one. She saw Poochy getting flung into a tombstone nearby. "Poochy!" She cried out, watching helplessly as the tiny puppy pokemon slowly got up and faced the ghost's clearly powerful new form. But while Catia feared for the safety of not only herself, but him as well, the puppy didn't show any fear at all. In fact, it's eyes practically burned with a fiery determination that it hadn't had before. And it was all for one reason: It was finally his turn to protect the master that he had bonded with so much.

Without hesitation the puppy barked at the ghastly form of the Umbreon before him and he ran over in front of Catia, staying inbetween her and his opponent. You think you're so scary just because you have power! I'm not afraid of you! It barked, stepping forward confidently as light began to collect around it. She's relying on me....She's finally relying on me! And I won't let you cause her anymore pain! I swear to protect my master with my very life if I have to! It barks at the ghostly pokemon, the light that had collected around it rushing to the puppy's fur. To Catia's absolute astonishment, the light enveloped the small puppy pokemon and it began to glow. Slowly she began to realize what was happening: Poochy was evolving!

Slowly the puppy pokemon's glowing form shifted and grew, quickly matching the ghost's main body in size. It's fur grew longer and became gnarly and mangled as it started to take another step forward. Glowing dust started to scatter off of the pokemon's shining new form, revealing itself to not only it's opponent but Catia as well. It glared scarlet daggers at the ghostly Umbreon, its new form's fur flowing and waving around in the unnatural wind that was blowing through the area. Without hesitation, Catia reached for her Pokedex and pointed it at her friend, wanting to know more about its surprising change.

Mightyena the Bite Pokemon. It will always obey the commands of a skilled Trainer. Its behavior arises from its living in packs in ancient times, never defying their leader's orders and hunting with perfectly coordinated teamwork.

As the pokedex finished its information, Catia stood up and stared in awe at her friend's amazing new form. "Poochy....Was this all that you wanted? For me to rely on you? To be able to protect me?" She asked, slowly realizing why it had evolved in the first place.

The newly dubbed Bite Pokemon turned its head and gave Catia a slow nod, the hint of a smile on its muzzle as it looked to Umbreon and continued to stare it down, its growl now much deeper and more menacing then ever before. You who would make my master cry when she only seeks the comfort of friends and the closure that she never had.... It started to snarl at the ghost now as it continued. You are my enemy! Now stop your cowering behind your veil of false power! Show me what you're capable of so that I might put you down into your place! It barks, the bark turning to a loud, wolf-like howl that echoed all throughout the town below.

Catia too, her eyes shining with pride from her friend's strong will to protect her, nodded confidently and smiled with a spark of excitement in her eyes. She felt like her and Poochy could do anything now! "Let's send this dream back to the fantasy world it came from Poochy! Use Bite!" She told it, the growling Mightyena charging forward at the ghost and leaping at it, claws and shining new fangs outstretched.

(OOC: Intimidate from the evolution (technically it would be qualified as him entering combat as a new pokemon) and then a Howl and Bite attempt. Also yay evolutions~ ^^ I hope you guys like the picture I chose too! I wanted to make sure the party could all immediately be able to tell the difference between Loka's and Catia's Mightyena's!)

Bansheeon hopped out of Wes's arms and flicked his tail. The two trainers where sitting on the front steps fell over, unconscious. The ghost type turned and sat down, facing Cerise. It had an almost disappointed look on it's face. It licked its paw and looked as Cerise.

"Always ruining the fun, psychic types..." It started. "Oh well. I could have gotten a bit more energy from those two, but i suppose I'll have to make do with what I have. And that brings me to you, kiddo." Bansheeon gave a fanged grin. "What are you going to do to stop me?"



Poochy bit deep into his wing, but it prove to not be too effective. The black and yellow ghost/dark type tossed poochy off and folded in his wings. Umbreon simply sat on his haunches and looked at the newly evolved pokemon before him. Even after death, evolution was an interesting process to spectate. 

"Then I shall offer you a deal." As Poochy growled and snarled at him, he held up a paw, speaking ONLY to The dark type. "Hear me out. I may be 'evil' (he's lawful evil) but I do not go back on the deals that I make, and I can offer you something that will be very difficult to refuse; the peace and comfort of your trainer." Umbreon placed his paw on the ground and stared at the Mightyena. "Suppressed nightmares; and you could be the source if it all. You can be the one she truly relies on for a peaceful night, or a good day." He wanted Poochy to agree, as he got a genuine look of care in his ghostly eye. 

"You and I wanted the same thing in out trainers; comfort and reliance. Wes got what he wanted, but as you can see, it didn't end too well for me. I would like your Catia to be happy for once. Is that not what you want? What she wants?"

His wings dissolved away and the ground under his paw glowed a bit. A contract only Poochy can see appeared. 

"All you have to do is place a paw here, and the deal will be made."

Poochy catches himself on his feet, his claws grinding on the ground beneath his claws as he growls at the ghost. Upon hearing its offer however, Poochy stops growling and stares at him carefully. Why did this ghost of Umbreon care so much about his master? He narrows his eyes dangerously at the specter, carefully circling the ghost as if he would lunge again at any moment. Answer me this question: what is the drawback of this 'deal'? Surely you don't expect me to just blindly accept something like this? And why do you care for her so much? Lest you forget, a moment ago you were hostile towards the both of us.... He barked.

Catia stared at Poochy as he circled Umbreon, its wings disappearing before her eyes. Slowly she stood up straight and stared at the situation carefully, trying assess what to do. It appeared that the two of them were talking but....what could they be talking about? Out of curiosity, she spoke to the ghost herself. "Why have you stopped? What's going on between the two of you....?" She asked, ready to give another command to her partner at a moment's notice should another bout of hostility break out.

Umbreon scratched behind his ear, the metal ring visible. He blinked slowly at Poochy as he answered.


"The drawback, as you put it, is that it isn't free. Naturally, I'll get something in return, but I won't collect it right away. And so you know, Everything will be suppressed and she'll be perfectly fine. The only thing that will break that would be a deathly traumatic event to occur. Watching someone die wouldn't trigger it, however, almost dying herself would." He adjusted himself slightly, stealing a glance at Catia before returning his eyes to Poochy. "My hostility is gone, as I've seen what I wanted to from you. Now, will you accept this deal, or no?"

"Wes!! Yuno!!" His eyes widened as he beheld the sight of his two friends collapsed on the ground, the limbs of their bodies flailed like ragdolls. The young trainer could feel his blood begin to boil as Bansheeon spoke to him, his own body now shaking with barely contained rage at what the ghost-type Pokemon had done. He only had two of his friends to help him -- Pawniard and Goomy. Hopefully, these two would be enough... But Cerise truly wished he had more firepower to help him. He wasn't too far from the Pokemon Center... maybe some kind of reinforcements would arrive to assist? But he had no way to be sure of that.

In two bursts of red light, Pawniard and Goomy materialized at Cerise's side from their respective Pokeballs, both of them taking combat stances as they faced Bansheeon. Cerise pushed up his glasses to the bridge of his nose, his eyes barely perceptible behind the glint of sunlight that illuminated the lenses of his eyewear. "What will I do to stop you? Anything that I have to, if need be."

Poochy stares at Umbreon's ghostly visage for a while, glancing back at Catia as she looked on at the things that were happening with a great deal of worry and confusion. Though the newly dubbed Bite pokemon didn't want to cause anymore trouble for his master than what was necessary, the more he thought about being able to help suppress her constant nightmares the more he kept considering taking the contract. Slowly he stopped circling the ghostly pokemon, staring at the contract in front of him before hesitantly putting a paw onto the contract's bottom piece. He stares at the ghost through narrowed eyes, keeping as intimidating a glare as possible. I expect this to work as you've told me....if it doesn't then I'll be back for you....that aside....your concern for my master is noted. He tells the ghost, looking back at Catia as she watches the goings on with a great deal of confusion. She didn't quite understand what was going on but it seemed like Poochy was handling things pretty well on his own. For the time being she decided, it was best to just keep quiet and observe what was going on.

“So what your saying is Bansheeon is the reason we’re all acting so out of whack?” Decoda asked, trying to wrap his head around the concept.  He opened his mouth to speak again when Cerise lifted one of his Pokeballs to his chest, saying something he deemed unsettling.

What was the reason behind this?  These assumptions had to have come from somewhere, as per the usual logical thinking of Cerise, and Decoda certainly had heard of genuinely evil Pokemon, much like there were genuinely evil humans still roaming about the world they shared.  It was just a matter of pinpointing which ones could support that label with their villainous actions and words.

As Cerise left the Pokemon Center’s interior, Decoda remained inside, speechless.  With his eyes on the door, concentrating on it like it was the only thing left in the world to look at, his body began to tremble in great discomfort.  His limbs shook fearfully, as he stood there.  Something terrible, he felt, was on the other side of that door.  Idealizing that it could all be the work of Bansheeon, a creature they’d met at the haunting Pokemon Tower - where Catia was now, alone! - was no longer up for debate.  Best case scenario, it wanted something from them.  Worst case scenario, it wanted them in their entirety.  But why?!

The ding-dong sound of the Pokemon Center’s healing lab snapped Decoda out of his trance, and got him to sprint back up to the counter to pick up his partners.  Even if Chimecho didn’t want to come out and Meep was much too young to deal with such a scary monster, he still had Marshtomp.  He obtained his balls from the nurse, and without giving her an explanation as to why these trainers were acting so strange, he bolted out of the Center to witness Cerise engage the creepy creature with Pawniard and Goomy.

On the front steps, Wes and Yuno were downed, and he quickly dropped to his knees to check their pulses.  Quickly, however, he looked up and yelled, “CERISE!  Let me and Marshtomp be your support!”  He released his water/ground type partner, the evolved Pokemon fully healed and ready for action.

The rings on the Spirit's body glowed brightly as the contract between him and Poochy disappeared. Umbreon's eyes flashed red as he looked at Catia, hers turning red for a brief moment before returning to their natural brownish gold. He turned his gaze back to Mightyena his eyes and rings still burning brightly. A gold crystal formed in the Bite pokemon's chest.

"That will allow you to use the power to help your trainer. As I have said, this power will only disappear if she has a deathly traumatic experience. In turn, that crystal will break and I will come to collect what you owe. Normally I don't do this, but it's an exception this once. Everyone, even your trainer will simply see that timer as part of your evolution, nothing more, nothing less." He then turn his attention to the broken window and grins viciously. "It seems that my other half has made a collection of it's own... So I must bid you adieu." Umbreon begins to dissolve into smoke, but he speaks one last time. "We will cross paths once more, pup." He smoked out the window, leaving just Catia and Poochy behind.



Bansheeon stared down the challenging trainer as the dark clouds and smoke from the tower began moving towards them. The ghost type looked up and frowned, almost disappointed with the situation.

"Oh... Shame. Right as it was getting to the climactic part, too." It looked back to Cerise, it's body beginning to wisp away. "I was looking forward to fighting you, testing this new strength. However, it seems that my other half is calling to me. Good-bye, Cerise. Decoda. I do hope we can fight soon!"

He completely dissolves, his smoke joining with the rest and dissipating. The darkened sky slowly clears up, revealing something rather... unsettling. Everyone else in the town was gone. Catia, Cerise, Decoda, Wes, and Yuno were all that remained, in the now truly ghost town.

"NO!! GET BACK HERE!!" An enraged howl escaped his lips as he tried to run after the dissolving smoke, reaching out and grasping at it desperately. His hands caught nothing, and as the wisps that escaped his grasp, Cerise slowly collapsed to his knees. Distraught, he doesn't take notice of the different surroundings right away, and is barely aware of Goomy and Pawniard, who had rushed to his side out of loyalty. Whatever Bansheeon had planned... Cerise was absolutely sure that it was up to nothing good. The young trainer took a deep breath as he tried to recollect himself and take stock of the situation.

The others.

With Decoda having already checked on Yuno and Wes, Cerise slowly stood once more to briefly take in the different-looking town that they now stood in. He didn't linger on that too much, and was ultimately more concerned with everyone's safety. He spoke quickly, trying to keep it together and fight off the foreboding feeling of dread that now filled his very core. "Decoda, we need to be sure everyone's alright. Espeon, Quilladin, and Honedge are back in the Pokemon Center... not too sure where Catia went, though. How's Chimecho feeling?"

As he spoke, he carefully hefted Yuno into his arms to carry her bridal style as he made his way back into the Center, a bit surprised at how light the girl truly was. Cerise found his gaze quickly becoming fixated on Yuno's sleeping face, his brows knitted in worry. Had the damage Bansheeon had done to her become permanent? Would Yuno and Wes be able to make a recovery? Cerise truly hoped so as his upper eyelids drooped in exhaustion. After so many good things had happened, it felt like all that joy had been snatched away in an instant. But he couldn't lose hope -- they still had to rescue Loka and Marley. And just when the threat of vengeful Avatars and villainous teams weren't enough, a ghost-type they hardly knew anything about was also out to get them.

Cerise looked down at the young girl he was carrying before mentally shaking away the negativity that Bansheeon had wrought upon the group. He'd make sure everyone was gathered in one place and safe, and then worry about the escaped ghost-Eeveelution.

The Mightyena blinked as he watched the ghost turn to smoke and vanish out through the window of the tower, looking down at the crystal that was now asphyxiated to his chest. While he knew that eventually he would cause his master more pain, at least for now he could make sure that her life was as peaceful as possible. That's what mattered. He padded over to his trainer who had now started to hold her head as if she were dizzy. He whimpered up at her and nosed her hip, proud that he was big enough now to reach up so high.

The girl blinked her eyes open after feeling light-headed and dizzy. The ghost was....gone? She looked down and noticed that Poochy was trying to get her attention and she gave it a gentle smile before bending down and wrapping her good arm around its neck. The Bite pokemon closed its eyes and laid its head on her good shoulder, the new crystal on his chest sparkling slightly as he felt its power. The longer she held her friend's new form, the more at peace she felt. Everything that was bad about her life....her nightmare's, her darker half, her bad memories....they were all slowly fading away. Everything around her felt so clear now. She could no longer hear her other dark half's diabolical voice inside of her head nor could she think of the nightmarish visions of the past that had haunted her mind for so long. She moved away from her friend and pressed her forehead up against his, smiling peacefully as she spoke. "I-I don't know what's going on Poochy but....let's just go back. I don't know what's waiting for us or what thoughts the others are going to have of my decision to come here tonight. And I don't care. You evolved....even more than that. You finally showed me a spark of light that I've been trying to grasp for so long. It's like....when that ghost vanished, he took all of the bad things in my head with him. I can think so clearly now. And it's all thanks to you. Thank you Poochy~" She tells the Bite pokemon, the dog-like creature licking her cheek happily and barking at her as she stood back up.

As they descended the steps of the tower, she couldn't help but think about everything that had been happening to her. There was so much that she didn't like....but if it hadn't been for those events, she never would've met any of her friends or any of the pokemon that she had palled around with for these past few weeks. She was....happy. While she knew that her friends were probably not all that concerned with her, she knew what she had to do now. She had to get her shoulder fixed as soon as she could. She wanted to protect them. Especially Yuno.

As he descended the stairwell with his master, Poochy contemplated what words he was going to say to the other pokemon. His new form was going to be startling at first, he was sure. He had changed so much in such a short span of time....even his fur was different from a normal Mightyena! He had so many things that he wanted to say to Mudkip and Espeon....and an apology was sorely due to her as well.

It was horrifying to see the ghost-type that they presumed was once Umbreon’s altered soul, but now that the truth had been revealed to them, Decoda felt an empty feeling inside.  Empty was he from triggering the exhausting emotions he felt after coming into this town.  His spirit felt dry.  His peppiness, sadness, fear and anger all subsided.  Everything was hit by the drought of feeling.

Capturing and trading away Honedge, hatching Meep, finding out his friends had been captured and possibly hurt, being asked to receive memories of a dead man, nearly losing one of his most treasured allies, and now finding out there had been a spy among them… it was incredibly draining.

And yet, he was still here.  He was still alive, spared by the horrors of the world that which they lived in; if he’d been more spiritual, he’d likely account for some higher power watching out for him.  Though as of now, thanks to Bansheeon and the previously agro Honedge, it appeared to be that the spirits were not on their side.

“Looks like you were right once again,” Decoda muttered under his breath as he had Marshtomp help get Wes inside the empty Center.

After getting the ex-Cipher agent indoors and seating him against a wall so he wouldn’t fall over, he stepped back and looked at the empty place.  He remembered the Nurse was just there a couple minutes ago, returning him his Pokeballs, and what about all the people he’d seen walking around town when he tried to find Marshtomp with Chimecho?

His released Pokemon tugged as his hand and redirected his gaze to the other balls on his belt.  Decoda slowly attempted to withdraw his psychic-type, but she refused, even if he shook the ball a little.  Meep, on the other hand, successfully popped out.  The little Mareep bleeted in its cute little voice, but Decoda didn’t even feel right to collect it into his arms.  Instead, he turned around and walked up the stairs and headed for their room in silence.  Marshtomp took this time to kneel next to the baby Pokemon and chat with it.

‘Sorry you haven’t seen much of Decoda, or at least the best of him,’ she told the little one, putting her fin-like hand to her chin.  ‘How are you feeling?'

‘Meep, hungry!’ it cried, shaking out some fluff onto the ground.  Tiny sparks flashed as the wool hit the floor, but disappeared within moments.

Marshtomp then remembered that it was an electric Pokemon, but that didn’t mean that it necessarily fed on electric power.  Good thing she’d be immune to any of those kinds of attacks with her second typing!  ‘Ahh, I think pizza was ordered a while ago.  Maybe that’s what Decoda was going to get.  Do you want to wait with me?'

‘Meeeep, wait with you!’ it replied, tucking its little legs under its fur as it sat on the floor, blissfully unaware of everything.

Marshtomp followed suit, taking a seat beside it.  She then noticed Decoda left behind Chimecho’s capsule and leaned over to pick it up.  Chimecho was so dedicated to Decoda during that fight, but refused his command just now.  This whole event must have been something truly fearful.  Hopefully she would get back to normal once they left the town; Marshtomp really was grateful to her for snapping her back into her senses and not giving up on their trainer.

‘He’s still a goof, but you saw something good in him.  That’s why you evolved for him, right?’ she said to the ball, recalling the time the two of them met her as a Chingling back at the creepy old casino hideout.  ‘He inspired you.  Maybe we’ll inspire him to become better…?'

Back upstairs, Decoda remained.  He stood there, staring at his guitar case next to the boxes of cold pizza.  He lifted his hand to the soft weather-proof fabric of the case’s exterior, sliding his hand across it.  He then thought to himself, “When a musician feels too much at once, what kind of music is most appropriate to play?  How can I feel when I feel overloaded… when there’s too much to think about and no answer on which direction to go next?  How can I focus when everything clouds my heart?"

Having set down Yuno on a nearby cushion couch, Cerise turned his attention to the front counter, where Quilladin and Honedge were sitting, apparently healed up even though Nurse Joy was nowhere to be seen. He furrowed his brows as his two other Pokemon jumped down from the counter an side, joining Pawniard and Goomy as they did so. And as his team mingled, Cerise finally turned his attention to Espeon, kneeling down to stroke the fur of the Psychic-type. He wasn't quite sure if she was conscious or not, or even if the pressure exuded by Bansheeon had dissipated yet. Judging by how Decoda's Marshtomp was staring at Chimecho's Pokeball, things weren't so hopeful.

"And everything was going so well..." Cerise muttered to himself as he continued to pet Espeon -- the main lobby of the Center was vacant sans the party's Pokemon. He wanted to be surprised that everyone had vanished, but... he felt too emotionally drained to truly feel the impact of that revelation. Would they still be able to save Loka and Marley in this state? The young trainer rested his hand on Espeon's back, waiting to hear the Eeveelution's breathing before continuing to stroke her fur. He closed his eyes as he did so, hoping she'd wake up soon.

"Mmm, that is quite an interesting perfume. Dear fellows, there seems to be quite a potent stench here... much more pungent than what I've ever quite felt. It lingers here, in this room... on the humans... even the town itself, I think." Honedge spoke in a cold monotone to the others in Cerise's party as its single eye scanned the room. What it was sensing was terrifying, yet fascinating at the same time. The ghost-type turned its gaze to Espeon for a moment before looking over at Chimecho's Pokeball, taking note of the various unseen energies it could sense in the room.

"...? I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, dearie." Goomy was the first to respond to Honedge as the others looked down out of discomfort. The three hadn't really gotten to know Honedge at all, but the ghost-type was unsettling to be around. Even little Pawniard, who had tried to face down with Bansheeon only a few minutes ago, felt uncomfortable around Honedge. An odd occurrence because, as far as she knew, those who were one with the darkness such as Pawniard were able to overpower ghost Pokemon with ease. The dragon-type let out some bubbles to amuse little Pawniard with before speaking again. "Perchance, do you think these... energies may be why everyone seems so glum?"

"I'm certain of it." Honedge said nothing else as he continued looking about the room, seemingly entranced by whatever mumbo-jumbo it was sensing. If she had any, Goomy would have shrugged her shoulders before turning to face Quilladin. The hedgehog was looking down at the ground, his thoughts elsewhere at the moment. Goomy spoke up, trying to lighten the depressed mood in the atmosphere.

"And you, my munchkin, are not quite so little anymore!" She smiled as she watched the hedgehog blink in surprise before hearing what she had just said. It seemed Quilladin was about as aware of what was going on as their trainer was. She couldn't help but smile as she noted the similarities between Cerise and Quilladin.

"By golly, I'd almost forgotten to tell you guys, but when I was battlin' Wes, I... Erm... What was it called again...? Oh, right! I evolved! Espeon said I'm way stronger now!" Quilladin chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I just really wanted to win that fight, and all of a sudden, I look like this!"

"Evolution, huh? ...Perhaps I could evolve one day, too." Goomy murmured thoughtfully as she watched baby Pawniard pop the last of the bubbles she had produced only a few moments ago.

"Aw, Goomy, I'll sure you'll be able to evolve one day, too! Oh, and, before I go and forget to say it..." Quilladin looked up to Honedge, who was now near the Center's front window. The sword was deathly still, with not even its scarf-hand moving as it usually did. "Honedge, I just wanted to say thanks for what you did before... getting me over to Cerise after that whole fuss with Poochyena, Mudkip, and Espeon. You, uh, didn't have to do that."

Honedge did not make any motion to indicate that he had heard what Quilladin had said. The hedgehog scratched his forehead, sensing an awkward silence as he and Goomy stared at the ghost-type for what seemed like forever. The two glanced at each other and were about to return their attention to other things when the sword finally spoke. "You... you're welcome."

Yuno abruptly sat up, looking around wildly. She was breathing hard, as if she just had a nightmare. Shortly afterward, Wes too sat up in a cold sweat. Espeon, however, had yet to recover. Upstairs, Rotom let himself out of the pokegear to place a hand on Decoda's shoulder and offer him a comforting smile.

"Decoda," Rotom started. "...Could I try playing something?"

Back down with everyone, Yuno and Wes took a couple minutes to compose themselves. They walked around a bit, before Yuno spoke up.

"...Where is everyone? Joy? ...Catia?"

"Gone, it seems." Wes crossed him arms. "But why?"

Decoda blankly stared at Rotom, his eyes almost fully glazed over with exhaustion.  He blinked twice and tried to smile as he unzipped the case, curious to see if Rotom could actually play.  The prospect of a Pokemon playing a human-crafted instrument was kind of funny to him.  These creatures spent who knows how many years on the planet with humans, and some have eagerly tried to adapt into their lives, but what about Avatars?  The ones who are on yet a higher plane of power than the average monster?

He took out the guitar from the case and handed it to his Electric/Ghost companion.  “Alright, give it a go.”

Back downstairs, Meep quickly became bored of being patient with Decoda, even though it had only been a couple minutes since he left.  The fluffy Pokemon trotted over to Cerise’s group, hearing them talk about the situation.  While it didn’t understand everything, it was a fairly good recap for what it had missed.

‘Meep!’ it bleeted, watching Pawniard pop the last bubble.  Recognizing the Dark/Steel type was also a young Pokemon, the baby Mareep bounced over to it.  ‘Meep!  Play time?’

Marshtomp put down Chimecho’s ball to watch Meep, but also noticed she hadn’t really spent much time with her partner’s friend’s Pokemon.  How could they all work together if there wasn’t any loyalty or friendship involved?  It wouldn’t be easy to make friends with such a tense atmosphere - especially with that Honedge that she fought mere hours before.

She sighed before getting up and carefully approaching Quilladin, noting that he recently evolved, too.  ‘Hey, you feel different, right?  Like this new body isn’t finished?’  It may not have been the best smalltalk, but she was trying.

As Wes and Yuno finally awoke, Cerise finally allowed himself to release the anxiety that had been gripping his chest. Relief that Bansheeon's influence over the two hadn't killed them, Cerise stopped stroking Espeon's fur to stand up and address the concerns of Yuno and Wes. "Not too sure, honestly. A lot happened in the last few minutes. I suspect that..."

Cerise's voice trailed off as his gaze fell upon Espeon's fallen form. "Or rather, I know that Bansheeon played a role in what happened. Sapping our positivity for itself. And psychic-types like Espeon and Chimecho didn't respond well to whatever it was doing. As for everyone who was in this town, well, I'm not too sure what happened to them when those weird-looking clouds rolled in. Maybe they were never really here to begin with." The Pokemon breeder stopped there, unsure of what else he should tell the other two. Most likely, he would hope that Espeon would awake soon to speak to Wes about what had happened in private, but considering the Eeveelution's current situation, he was unsure of what exactly to do or say.

Among the group of Pokemon that had gathered near the Center's entrance, Quilladin blinked as he stared at Marshtomp, not immediately recognizing who this Pokemon was. The two were about the same height, and she spoke to him with a strange kind of familiarity. The blue coloration and orange gills on her face were also familiar to him... It finally pieced together. "By golly... Is that really you, Mudkip? So you evolved too, then! Congrats!! Wow, that's so cool...! But shucks, I know exactly what you mean! Now that I've evolved, I feel like there's something just beyond my reach that I'm aiming for... Not sure what it is yet, but I sure expect it's something swell!"

Goomy smiled at Marshtomp. "I must also give you my deepest congratulations on your achievement, my dear. Traveling with your human has been good for you, it seems! If a human can bring out a Pokemon's power like this, then who knows what else we can accomplish. But, it's just with all that's happened... everyone's so glum and dreary."

"That's a fine point ya bring up there, ma'am." The large spines on Quilladin's head twitched excitedly as he pursed his lips in thought. "We've gotta be able to do something to help the humans feel better, right?"

"...?" Pawniard glanced over at the Mareep that had approached him. Despite being only slightly younger than he was, the baby Mareep was a bit taller, which was a bit intimidating. The Pawniard stared at the fluffy Pokemon before deciding to accept its inquiry of playing, holding out a talon towards the sheep in friendship.

The innards of the tower seemed to brighten up a little as Poochy silently lead Catia down the stairs and out the front doors. The mightyena didn't speak, but simply cast his glance around the now barren city. Not a single person was here, although in the far distance, he could hear his companions. Poochy looked up at Catia, then continued on his way.

---------------------

Rotom carefully took the guitar and sat in a position similar to Decoda when he would normally play. He gently strummed once as he searched his memory banks for tunes. After he found one, he looked at Decoda and grinned.

"I think I may have one that you may know." With that, he began to play. He started off a bit shaky, as he isn't used to playing outside the instrument, but with a few more chords, he seemed to be playing alright.

----------------------

Wes moved and picked up his fallen pokemon and examined her, quite concerned. While he was perplexed at her newfound coating, he was more worried about the fact that she was unconscious.

"I think it would be best if we left town, but I want to hear what everyone else has to say."

Yuno sighs, stroking the neck of her skittish ponyta. She still had to speak with Reshiram, and Catia still hadn't returned... The ascended stole a quick glance at each of her companions, offering a comforting smile to Cerise. Today was incredibly hectic, and honestly, it just felt like a bad dream. She knew that wasn't so, but hey, she could hope.

(OOC: Sorry I'm late to post everyone! Thanks Luna for giving me a kickstart for this reply! I really appreciate it! ^^/ )

Catia watches Poochy look around, noticing alongside him that everyone was gone. In fact, the more that she looked around the town as she headed back towards the pokemon center, the more worried that she became. Where had everyone gone that was in town before Poochy's argument with the other pokemon? Had her friends disappeared too?

The thoughts sent chills up her spine, something made Poochy nervous as well. That ghostly form of Umbreon had made a promise that it would take its master's nightmares and pain away in exchange for something that it would be collecting later. As he walked alongside a more and more frantic seeming Catia, quickening his pace to match her increasing stride, he couldn't help but wonder what the ghost had wanted from him. Unfortunately he didn't have too much longer to think about it as the gradually increasing stride of his master made it clear that they were going to reach the center within a few more short moments. They were moving towards the sounds of their companions. As the pair continued to increase their pace, more concerning questions crossed his mind. Would the other pokemon even recognize him? It was very clear that Poochy didn't evolve into a normal looking Mightyena. In fact, this form had so much more fur on it that he worried that he may be just a little bit too intimidating to the others. Further thought made Poochy think about the avatar's as well. When he really thought back, he knew that the avatar for Houndoom from before certainly didn't look like a normal Houndoom. Would they mistake him for an avatar too? And although he didn't like the thought of making up with the little Mudkip from before, perhaps this new form would be able to get it to listen to reason? If it hadn't already attacked its own master by now.... The thought of such a thing sent a clear chill through Poochy's body and it let out a loud bark (something that the others could hear now that Catia and Poochy were almost on the Pokemon Center's doorstep). It had a pause in thought as it heard itself speak out loud, its new, deeper and more menacing voice sounding oddly pleasing to the Bite Pokemon's ears. It grinned and let out another loud bark, almost wanting to break into a howl just to hear how it sounded.

Catia on the other hand, paid almost no attention to her companion's barking. Her attention was focused on returning to her friends as soon as possible. Upon reaching the Pokemon Center however and seeing the silhouette's of her friends within, she slows down to a stop and lets out a breath of relief. They all looked like they were accounted for. But as she walked inside to greet them, she caught a glimpse of Espeon who was curled up and unconscious in Wes' arms. Did the events that had transpired only mere moments ago have something to do with it? Espeon did say that she didn't like ghost pokemon very much....maybe she was attacked by one?

Upon further inspection, it seemed that there was a new face within her friends ranks as well as a missing one....where was Bansheeon? As she walked up to everyone, she took a moment to let out a breath and gave them a small wave in greeting. "H-Hey guys. You wouldn't believe the kind of stuff that happened to Poochy and I just a few minutes ago...." She started, watching as Poochy walked up to greet the new face in Marshtomp.

The Bite Pokemon strode up to them, now towering almost a full foot over their heads in height. His new scarlet red eyes scanned them over as he moved his black muzzle over to sniff at Marshtomp. You're a new face....but you smell like the master that carries that guitar....who are you? He asked, his new tone gruff and deep just like his bark was. The new stone on his chest sparkled a little in the light, the gem mostly hidden within the confines of his puffed out black fur.