Pokemon Battle ~ Freedom Version

[3speon]

Okay, so [did you notice I start almost every post with 'Okay, so'?] this is an idea that occurred to me in a dreamlike state that I experienced somewhere near the wee hours of the morning.

What if the Pokemon we were battling with in Nytz's Pokemon Battle! had been accidentally set free half the world away?

Well, of course they would hopefully try to return to their Trainers! But what will they have to face? Teams Rocket and Galactic, naturally, trying to steal them and take them away, but also wild Pokemon. Will they be strong enough? Or will they never return to their Trainers...?

This role-play is set in Sinnoh, where the Pokemon are located, and the Trainers are in Kanto for a promotion offered by the Poke Mart industry.

~Sign-up Form~

Name:
Species:
Height: [Use the generic, unless you want your Pokemon to be smaller or larger than average, but keep it reasonable. We can't have 50-foot Clefairy!]
Weight: [See note for Height]
Attacks:
Trainer:

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

Sample:

Name: Goopy
Species: Grimer
Height: 2' 9"
Weight: 64.3 lbs
Attacks: Sludge, Sludge Bomb, Disable, Pound
Trainer: Flea

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Name: Espeon
Species: Espeon
Height: 2' 8"
Weight: 55.1 lbs
Attacks: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Double Team, Hypnosis
Trainer: Afton

[Kaboom]

This seems interesting. Kaboom is released from his bond with Adz, but wants to return to him for reasons he can't quite fathom...

Name: Kaboom
Species: Blaziken
Height: 1m90
Weight: 50kg
Attacks: ... I can't really do this field...
Trainer: Adz

[Akai]

Name: Cubone
Species: Cubone (male)
Height: Smaller than normal
Weight: Same as normal
Attacks: Ice Beam; Headbutt; Dig; Aerial Ace
Trainer: Erika

[3speon]

Alright, I think we've got enough people! I edited the first post to add the setting. This RP starts... NOW!

----------

Espeon was frightened, to tell the truth. She had no clue where Afton was, and she was getting hungry. Taking a whiff of the air around her, she began to trot off in the general direction of the scent of some oran berries. The forest she was lost in had no path that she could see, but she couldn't see much at all due to the coverage of the trees. A light breeze told her that the moon was slowly but surely replacing the scorching sun which had been there previously.

Espeon continued to follow her nose to the promising berry tree, wondering where on Earth her Trainer could be. She'd never really been alone before, because Afton's mother had been a Breeder before Afton's youngest sister was born, and still had several unhatched eggs when she gave up her shop when Afton was almost six.

Most of the eggs were given away to friends and family, but Afton had been given the egg that held an Eevee at the age of six as a birthday present, and that Eevee had become Espeon herself when Afton was eight. The two were friends at worst until Afton's tenth birthday, when Afton officially became a Trainer. Espeon was naturally Afton's first Pokemon, and already pretty strong compared to other Trainers' first Pokemon.

Being away from her best friend made Espeon rather upset, and she began to blame herself. Maybe if she had been faster when Afton took on Sinnoh's Elite Four for the first time, she could have dodged the Dark Pulse attack hurled at her, and replied to the opponent with her Shadow Ball. They were so close... They might have won, if not for that. Against Cynthia's Spiritomb, the last Pokemon she had left, and it was down to its last leg, no less.

Espeon whimpered, afraid she had done something wrong and that Afton was punishing her for it. She longed for the company of Flygon and Buizel, and her stomach grumbled. She went double speed now, and upon finding the oran berry tree, she launched a Psychic attack at a group of branches to knock them down, then enjoyed the wholesome taste as she began to eat.

[Nytz]

Make room for one more

Name: Umbra
Species: Umbreon (shiny)
Height: average
Weight: average
Attacks: Double Team, Faint Attack, Quick Attack, Moonlight
Trainer: Nytz

[Akai]

A well aimed bone club moved through the air and conked Espeon square in the head. A little Cubone jumped to a rock, growling, "That was mine!" He caught his club, gearing up for another throw. Cubone was more than furious with this intruder taking his food.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom was only mildly surprised at suddenly finding himself elsewhere. He had been teleported before a few times without his prior knowledge. He was not at all disturbed by being alone, for he was a solitary Pokémon at heart, but deep down he knew that he needed to find Adz again.

However, no good can come from an empty stomach, and Kaboom hadn't eaten in a long while. He picked up the scent of berries, and looked with his Dark Vision. He could see an Espeon being clubbed by a Cubone. Clearly, they were fighting over the food. A malicious grin played over Kaboom's face and he stalked closer.

When he was ten metres away, he charged forward with Megaspeed, grabbed what was left of the berries on the plant, and hid behind a rock, all within half a second. He ate the berries, and watched to see the others' reaction.

[3speon]

A club was whacked on Espeon's head, and a voice in her ear snarled, "That was mine!" A Cubone was accusing her of stealing food! Before Espeon could reply with an apology - or better yet, a Shadow Ball attack - a blur of orange rushed past the two of them, grabbed the berries, and hid behind a rock. Espeon glared at Cubone, feeling a bruise bloom on her head, then turned to where she had followed the orange thing with her eyes. Using another Psychic attack, she pulled a Blaziken from its hiding spot behind the rock.

'Who are you, and what are you doing here?' she thought at the Pokemon.

[Akai]

Cubone gasped, "Another thief!?" His prepared throwing arm hurled the bone at Blaziken. He looked to Espeon, "This is my territory. You're intruding! Didn't you see the signs?" He, of course, was talking about crude, outside-the-line draws he did with a few crayons that slipped with him when he himself was taken away from his trainer.

[3speon]

Espeon looked at Cubone from the corner of her eyes and smirked slightly.

"Actually, this is the first time I've met a Cubone. I didn't know that was how you marked territory. We Espeon usually send out a telepathic message - much more sophisticated. Sorry about that. I could go somewhere else if you like," she told him coolly.

[Akai]

His eyes twitched from the slight insult, "Are you calling me ... not sophisticated?" He was shaking with anger. Erika bought him those crayons and praised everything he drew and colored, mainly because it was from a Pokemon. Cubone had tears welling up in his eyes, hidden by his skull mask, "...Ta-take that back."

[3speon]

Espeon heard the slight break in Cubone's voice and her face softened. She had hurt his feelings, hadn't she? No wonder Afton had left her for dead. She was a horrible Pokemon, hurting other innocent Pokemon because of her own insignificant insecurities. Forgetting about the Blaziken and dropping him when she broke her concentration, Espeon approached Cubone carefully.

"I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said that; it was low, and uncalled for, and I take it back. To be honest, those drawings are much better than anything I could've done, no kidding. Here-" she said, feeling truly apologetic. She used a Shadow Ball to knock down a branch from the inner regions of the oran berry tree, then used Psychic to bring it to Cubone.

"Have all you want," she said, leaving the way she had come with a swish of her tail.

[Akai]

He took the berry, walking off, sniffling a little. He made the short walk to his home. Being alone for so long, he had carved out a small home, breaking a rocky wall into a slightly larger cave. Cubone, by day, wandered around and gathered things up, and by night, he would return and sleep, mostly cry himself to sleep. He had a crayons left, most of them broken and useless. He looked around and jumped down into a hole, sliding into his home, throwing the berry on a huge pile he'd previously collected. He waddled to his bed of leaves and lay down, crying himself to sleep.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom was a little shaken from being manipulated phychicedly, but he noticed that the two had lost interest in him. He concluded that they could not be counted on to help him find Adz.

He wandered off, looking for a high place he could get a decent view from.

[3speon]

Espeon was wandering through the woods, being wary of any suspicious looking markings when a Pokemon leapt in front of her.

"Hey... You're the one we're looking for..." the large, round, purple Pokemon coughed. A weezing? Espeon had only seen one of these maybe twice before. The weezing looked ready to pump out something toxic when Espeon sent an hunk of psychic energy at it. The weezing went flying from the impact, and slammed into a Pokemon that was hiding behind a bush. The Pokemon slithered out and revealed itself to be a seviper. The seviper hissed menacingly, but stopped abruptly when Espeon used Psychic power to lift and hurl it back at its partner. The two hurried away, and Espeon made sure to use a different path to find more food.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom was soon at the top of a mountain. Actually, it was a volcano. He realized now as he saw the boiling lava in the crater. From his vantage point, he could see far, far away. It didn't help him find out where he was, though.

A little way down the slope, on the opposite side to that where he had climbed up, there was a small town. He could see the red roof of a Pokémon Center and knew there'd be a map there. That was where he was going. He did a precautionary sweep over the landscape with his Dark Vision, to make sure none of his enemies were hiding anywhere, and began to walk to the town.

[3speon]

Approaching a large mountain, Espeon could see the blaziken from earlier walking carefully down the slope. Intrigued, Espeon ran to catch up with him. However, a large sitrus berry tree caught her eye, and upon a decision to silence her stomach, Espeon went off in that direction instead, once again checking for drawings or markings. When she found none, she plucked a few berries from the tree with Psychic and started to eat. After finishing her impromptu meal, she set off after the blaziken again.

She caught up with the tall Pokemon a half hour later, tired and winded.

"Where... are you... headed...?" she asked him, panting between words.

[Akai]

Cubone slept quietly. He was curled up in his bed. He finally stopped crying and was having a somewhat good dream. Him and his trainer, and her other Pokemon. They were happy. He was happy. Erika presented him with a new box of expensive crayons and a new drawing pad. He drew a lot of stuff, and Erika sold them. He was displayed in front of crowds, who loved him and her other Pokemon were in the background, crying and jealous. A small smile grew on his face.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom stopped and turned, casting a slightly disdainful eye over the panting Espeon. "Even after the Quad Mech, Rubea wasn't like that, and she had plenty of reason to be exhausted," he thought to himself.

"I am on my way to the town ahead. You are that Espeon that exerted psychic abilities on me earlier, am I right?"

[3speon]

"Uhm... Yeah... Sorry about that," said Espeon, finally regaining the ability to speak, "So. There's a town ahead? How far?"

A town! Maybe Afton was in town. Espeon knew there were also Pokemon Centers in every town. Maybe Afton would be there and she would take Espeon back, and then they could go to the Pokemon Center and she could get healed! Everything would be better. It might all turn out okay.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom watched the sun sink towards the horizon before answering.
"Not far, but too far to walk today. I'm camping out here, and if you ask nicely there might be a place for you."

[Akai]

Cubone woke up as the sun went down. He walked around the tunnel system he'd made. He felt like he needed a bath, so he resurfaced and ran to his secret hot springs. He found his sign on the path there. "Aw..." He picked it up and ran to the spot, sticking it back on the stick. He set down his club and helmet, jumping in the water, just below where the Blaziken and Espeon stood.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom's ears pricked at the sound of the splash. He looked down at where it came from and, seeing nothing in the shadows, switched to Dark Vision. Below he could see a Cubone... the one from earlier, in fact... bathing in a spring. It was the first time he had ever seen a Cubone without its helmet on, but he contained his curiosity, judged Cubone as harmless, and began to prepare a den for the night, gathering branches from trees to form a dome, and laying leaves inside.

[3speon]

Espeon whirled around at the sound of Cubone's splash, looking between her paws over the ledge and down to where Cubone was bathing. She noticed his helmet was off, and leaned forward to get a closer look. She had always thought Cubone left their helmets on for all of eternity. Leaning even further over the edge, she lost her balance and plummeted straight for Cubone.

[Nytz]

Meanwhile, sun had completely faded from the sky, revealing a large platinum moon accompanied by thousands of lusterous stars dotting the dark blue atmosphere. Deep in the shadows of the towering trees that were slighly glazed by moonlight, several blue rings glowed vividly, disrupting the surrounding darkness. Out came a famished Shiny Umbreon whose survival instincts took over her domesticated state of mind. Her eyes flashed red as she hunted desperately for somthing--anything to sink her teeth into. The Umbreon moved swiftly through the calm of dusk; if she didn't get anything in her stomach fast, she knew she would faint from hunger. She had been seperated from her trainer Nytz for several days after she dashed ahead of him in an eager rush to play with other trainers and their pokemon. before she knew it, the she became lost in a forest in which every tree looked identical. Umbreon soon approached a spring-- she was so hungry that she completely forgot how thirsty she was. She saw several pokemon already occupying the spring; however her thirst drove her to go there anyway. she prepared herself for if the pokemon were to attack her by making herself appear menacing and dangerous. The Umbreon's red eyes lit in a blazing red glow, her blue rings flashed in a livid flare, and her fur began to stand upright. She then charged desperately towards the spring and the pokemon!

[3speon]

Espeon fell into the pool of cool water with a huge splash just as an oddly-colored umbreon approached the scene. Instead of yellow rings on her body, this umbreon's rings were a bright blue. It seemed as though the umbreon was ready to kill - her eyes were a fiery, demonic red with a hunger in them unlike anything Espeon had seen before. The umbreon's fur stood stock straight, and her strange blue rings glowed menacingly. Espeon involuntarily stepped back slightly, before straightening up in order to make a good impression despite her tumble.

"Erm... Hello. I'm Espeon. This is Cubone, and this is..." Espeon trailed off, looking at the blaziken, "Uhm... what did you say your name was again?"

[Kaboom]

Kaboom was asleep in the den, oblivious to the scene going on below.

[Nytz]

Umbreon gazed at the Espeon; it's words were drowned out by the growilng of her own stomach. She stood there without a single response or word escaping from her mouth. Suddenly, Umbreon's hunger took the best of her and she lashed out at the Pokemon in a lightning fast Quick Attack!

[3speon]

When the blaziken gave no response, the umbreon rushed at Espeon with a fierce Quick Attack. Espeon had anticipated this and was ready with a Shadow Ball. She knew her Psychic attack would do nothing to this Dark-type Pokemon, though she would have liked to have stopped the umbreon in her tracks and asked her to explain the situation rather than have to fight back.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom awoke from the noise below. He could sense the Umbreon from where he was. He scowled: he hated Umbreon. He surveyed what was happening down below and saw the fight. The Espeon needed help, otherwise she would get the beating of her life.

Kaboom jumped down and interposed between the two fighters. He faced the Umbreon, growling openly to show his hostility.

[3speon]

Espeon looked at the blaziken, then turned to the umbreon. Using what telepathic powers she could muster in the sliver of sunlight that was hardly visible on the horizon, it was suddenly excruciatingly clear what the umbreon wanted.

'Hunger... food... hunger...' the umbreon's thoughts chanted. Espeon broke the connection, turning swiftly around and rushing from the spring, back toward the sitrus berry tree she had eaten from before. When she reached the tree, it was much more difficult than before to use her Psychic attack to pull down more branches from the poor tree. She had to get some rest, and soon. Espeon picked up the largest branch in her mouth, too tired to use another Psychic to trail it behind her, and pumped her legs as hard as possible to the spring.

Espeon was ten feet from where the umbreon and blaziken stood when she made a flying leap for the group of Pokemon, landing lightly before the umbreon and dropping the sitrus berry branch in front of her feet, panting slightly.

"There. Go on, have some. I can tell you need it," said Espeon, yawning. She turned and found a nice area with soft grass, shook the remaining water from her fur, lay down and fell asleep.

[Nytz]

the Umbreon dove for the sitrus berry branch without hesitation. She nearly choked from eating the berries so fast. the juices from the berries ran down her face and gradually she felt a relief as the food slid down her throat. She began to regain her state of domestication and reasoning. She gazed at the fatigued Espeon as she approached a soft area and fell asleep. Her head then snapped to the Blaziken, who growled with feriosity at her. Now it was her turn to step back involunteringly out of fear.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom backed down now that the Umbreon had stopped attacking. He sat down, leaning against a tree and fell asleep once more. He was glad he hadn't had to fight, because he was too tired to have been any good.

[3speon]

When Espeon awoke the next morning, it took her a moment to register what had happened. Yawning, she remembered last night's ordeals. She stretched and looked around. No one else seemed to be awake, so she trotted away, back to the sitrus berry tree which would be half bare by the time they were all done with it.

Using the enhanced power from the rising sun, it was much easier than the night before to pull down several branches full of fat, juicy berries. And this time, Espeon was able to use Psychic to drag the branches behind her - they certainly wouldn't fit in her mouth this time. As she returned to the spring, she wondered if she would have to get the food every time the other Pokemon got hungry. It seemed she was constantly stripping trees of berries to feed the others or herself.

When she reached the spring, it still seemed as though everyone was asleep. She dropped the branches and then divided them, placing one in front of each of the others. There were two left: one for herself, and one they would have to share. Espeon sighed and began to take small bites from her berries.

[Akai]

Cubone's out. Thanks for outposting me. =(

[3speon]

Wait, what? Why are you leaving? Did you want us to wait for you?

[Akai]

There's no need. I guess I drowned. =(

[3speon]

Well... it's the next morning now. You can jump back in if you want. You just hadn't posted, so we kept going. I'm sorry, I should've known to wait... :[ Don't leave, though!

[Akai]

I honestly have no idea what's going on. =/

[3speon]

I'll fill you in.

Okay, so I left after the insult thing, and I found Kaboom. He was headed for a town nearby. And so we were walking, and about to turn in for the night, when Cubone splashes underneath us. So I look down and I fall into the spring. Then Umbra comes up and she's all 'RAWR I'M STARVED I KILL YOU!' So I shoot a Shadow Ball to distract her and then run off and get some branches from a sitrus berry tree. And then I go to sleep. Now it's the next morning, and I got you all some food. The End. :]

[Akai]

Cubone sat on the ground, grumbling. His bath was ruined and he was with Pokemon he hated. He wanted to be home in his nice warm bed, eating some nice juice berries, and coloring with his cheap (lol) CrayoFUN crayons.

[3speon]

Espeon could tell that Cubone was upset. She nudged a branch closer to him.

"You hungry?" she asked.

[Akai]

"I'm fine..." He gritted his teeth, growling a little.

[3speon]

"Alright," said Espeon. She stepped back and lay back down to resume eating.

As she chewed, she wondered how long it would be before Cubone found his trainer. He seemed homesick. Espeon hoped it would be soon. She missed Afton, and she was sure the rest of them missed their trainers, too. She was suddenly very eager to get to town.

[Akai]

Cubone got up and walked off. He sighed sadly, sniffling. His belly growled for just a little berry.

[3speon]

Espeon watched Cubone walk away and her brow furrowed. She wished she could do something to comfort him, poor thing. He must have been really upset. She resisted the urge to go after him and sighed.

[Akai]

Cubone focused a little, almost turning red. He gripped his club and suddenly smashed it on a rock, splitting the boulder in two.

[3speon]

A sudden crack rang through the air, startling Espeon. Her ears pricked and she shot through the forest towards the source of the noise like a bullet. She reached the exact spot where the sound was heard and saw nothing but Cubone, fuming and clutching his club. The two halves of a boulder began to fall away from each other at his feet.

"Oh... I thought - but the... and you..." stammered Espeon. She sighed.

"Never mind. I thought something attacked you. You seem fine. Alright, I'm leaving now."

She turned to leave when the weezing and seviper from before appeared in front of her. She prepared a Psychic attack to knock them out, but two trainers dressed in white shirts with the letter 'R' on them with short skirts and high black boots appeared, flanking the Pokemon. Espeon gasped and took a step back. She was caught completely off guard when the two poison-type Pokemon slammed into her. She fell and the trainers tossed a net over her. They scooped it up and began dragging her away, laughing to themselves.

[Akai]

A well aimed club flew through the air and smacked the Weezing in the back. He caught the bone as it boomeranged back, "I thought I recognized that smell... You ate my special stash of berries!... And you!" He glared at the Seviper, "You ruined my best drawing of Erika. You will pay!" Cubone fumed trying to build up another Rage attack. He yelled, running to them.

[3speon]

The Team Rocket grunts dropped Espeon to tend to their Pokemon. Espeon shook herself free of the net and went to face the weezing. She used Psychic to hurl it toward its trainer, but it simply shook itself as though it hadn't been damaged.

Espeon was taken aback. Last time she had fought them it had only taken a short while to knock them out. They must have been trained more. But she couldn't dwell on the Pokemon's sudden strength: the weezing was starting to ooze thick purple liquid. Before Espeon could react, the other Pokemon had rammed her side again, drenching her in the same liquid that covered its body.

The ooze made it difficult to breathe, and when she did breathe, toxic fumes coated the inside of her mouth and throat. She mustered up as much strength as she could and used another Psychic to send it flying into a tree, where it hit loudly and slid down the trunk, knocked out. Now desperate for help for the toxins that choked her slowly, Espeon crawled toward a soft, pink berry on the ground not ten feet from her. The ooze that still covered her legs and head slowed her down, but she struggled against it to reach the berry. She could have reached it if she craned her neck from where she lay now, but one of the grunts blocked her path.

"Hello, pretty. Looking for this?" she said in a falsely sweet voice, plucking the berry from the ground as Espeon watched helplessly. Espeon tried to use another Psychic to bring the berry to her lips, but the grunt clutched it tighter. Espeon could see juice slide down the side, and she gave up, now intent on licking the small amount of juice from the tip of her nose where it had landed. She managed to reach it, and the fumes in her throat seemed to disappear slightly.

"Well... I suppose you can have it. We can't have you dying on us," said the grunt, letting the crushed berry fall to the ground. Espeon ate it readily, feeling the goop in her mouth evaporate. She jumped to her feet, still weak but well enough to defend herself. With another Psychic, the grunt who had taunted her was soaring through the air, slamming into her partner. Neither of them moved. Espeon now leapt toward the seviper, but instead of attacking, she stood behind it. The snake was oblivious to her, far too intent on Cubone, who was rushing at it. Now Espeon waited to strike.

[[You think we should stop now and wait for the rest of them?]]

[Akai]

Cubone looked up at the Seviper. He never seen one before. The enemy's tail moved back and forth, distracting Cubone. When Cubone glanced away, Seviper lunged for him, coiling around him. Seviper's trainer laughed, "Poison Tail!" The snake's tail started to glow and go for Cubone. He rose his club and blocked it.

[3speon]

Espeon took this time to attack. She hurled a Shadow Ball at the seviper, and at such close range its intensity was almost doubled. The seviper visibly relaxed its grip on Cubone, but now turned to her.

[[Okay, I'll take a break so the others can jump in.]]

[Akai]

Cubone growled, taking in breath. He blew cold air, making an Ice Beam. Seviper became frozen. Cubone ran to Espeon, "Let's go!"

[Kaboom]

Kaboom appeared out of nowhere and stopped Cubone short.
"Rule number 3 of fighting: never turn your back on a foe - even a frozen one!"

He shot a Flamethrower attack at the Weezing and another at Seviper. Seviper thawed and Weezing was burned but otherwise unhurt. Seeing this resistance, Kaboom realised that his attacks were too weak. He needed either something much stronger, or completely different...

Suddenly, with a flash of purple light, Kaboom transformed into his Dark form. He concentrated energy and blasted a shockwave in the direction of the foes. The Dark power was many times more effective than his Fire attack, and Weezing and Seviper collapsed, weighed down by the paralysing net of Darkness that bound them.

[Akai]

Cubone let out a growl. He hated this Blaziken now. He let go of Espeon and walked off, grumbling.

[Kaboom]

"Oh dear," thought Kaboom. "I do appear to have upset him. Ah, whatever. He can sulk and do his drawings.. whoops, was that out loud?"

[3speon]

How dare he?! thought Espeon, Being so rude to poor Cubone, even when he knows it upsets him! She shot a furious glare at the blaziken, then ran up and scratched him across his face as fiercely as she could. She turned and bounded after Cubone. She didn't catch up to him for a while; he could be fast!

"Hey, you alright?" Espeon asked him when she caught up to him.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom lazily chucked a Dark Blast Wave at Espeon, then wandered off to a quieter spot.

[Akai]

Cubone shook in tears he was trying not to cry. "He... He thought I was running. He wasn't there. Let him get captured. I... I don't care."

[3speon]

"Sh... sh... don't cry..." said Espeon, trying to soothe Cubone. She raised a paw, tempted to pat his head, but thought better of it.

"I got that blaziken across his face... He'll be after my guts now, trying to kill me." Espeon made a face.

"C'mon, we'd better get go-" Espeon froze. She could sense it - something was following them.

"Into the bushes, now!" she hissed, nudging Cubone.

[Akai]

He grunted, falling into the bushes. He whines, twigs and leaves being shoved into his helmet.

[3speon]

A wave of darkness swept onto the path where they had just been standing, leaving branches and twigs crinkled and dead where it passed. Espeon watched from the bushes, waiting for a moment before stepping out cautiously.

"Alright, you can come out," she told Cubone.

[Akai]

He pulled his head from the helmet and picked the leaves out, grumbling. "Don't shove me!" He walked out, scratching at a crack in his skull helmet. His face was small and childlike. There was a deep scar over his left eye and part of his ear was gone.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom was alone, concentrating. Using his powers, his mind was flying far overhead, scanning the town that he had originally been heading for. Adz wasn't there. He studied the map, memorising every detail of it.

He began to return to his body. He noticed the Dark Blast Wave had missed, and Espeon was looking after Cubone... and what a Cubone! His ear was damaged and there was a nasty scar on his face. Kaboom saw Espeon, looking around warily, and then returned to his body. Espeon had attacked him, and he had tried to punish her, but she had evaded. If their paths crossed again, things would not be good for her.

He stood up and blinked. According to the map he had memorised, there was a city right down the bottom of the hills, on the western side. Going there meant going the same way as Espeon and Cubone, but that was not a problem. He set off in that direction.

[3speon]

"Sorry... But did you see that thing? That blaziken is weird. How much you wanna bet he sent it? And it killed leaves and stuff," said Espeon, now looking over Cubone, who was meticulously picking bits of leaves and twigs from the skull helmet that he had taken off. She disregarded his helmet-less face, his scar, and the missing bit of his ear, and instead approached him.

"Did you get everything out? Oh, gosh, I'm sorry. But look, there was a thorn bush in there. I've got stickers all over," she said, scratching at one in particular on her right front paw. She managed to get it out, and then set to work on another in the middle of her back. She groomed for a moment, making sure every little thorn was gone, then looked up at Cubone.

"Well, we'd better get going. That blaziken said something about a town nearby. Our trainers might be there."

[Akai]

"We?" He repeated. "Do you want me to come with you?"

[3speon]

"Oh. Well... I thought we were going to go together. Do you want to come?"

[Akai]

"I guess so..." He smiled a little, putting his club over his shoulder, "But we got to find me some crayons."

[3speon]

Espeon laughed, the sound surprising her as it reverberated off the dense coverage of trees.

"Maybe they'll have an art supply shop in town," she said, smiling widely. She began walking further down the path.

[Akai]

Cubone narrowed his eyes, "Why are you laughing? ....Maybe this was a bad idea."

[Kaboom]

As Kaboom walked calmly down the path, he saw Espeon and Cubone ahead. They hadn't seen him yet, so he carried on walking. When he walked past them, he barely paused to pass a comment.
"Oh, hello again. Having fun rolling around in the bushes, are we?"

[Akai]

Cubone growled, gripping his club, "You!" He reared back and hurled his club at Blaziken.

[Kaboom]

Had it not been for his spying, Kaboom would have been surprised at the bone now flying at him. As it was, he was expecting it, and caught it (albeit with difficulty).
"Calm yourself, Cubone. Or do you want another battling lesson? Rule number 1: Never attack in anger, for it makes you predictable."
He tossed the bone back to Cubone.

[Akai]

He shot a small Ice Beam at the bone and made it do a fancy twirl in the air as he caught it. "Shut up. I don't need advice from a loser like you. Rule #4 in battling, stay out of other Pokemon's battles!"

[3speon]

Espeon narrowed her eyes at Kaboom.

"Why don't you just leave us alone? Why are you stalking us? For Arceus' sake, just GO AWAY!" Espeon was on the verge of shrieking now, anger pulsing through her, "And by the way, it was YOUR fault we were in the bushes! YOURS! Thanks to YOUR stupid freak stuff! Now GET OUT OF HERE!"

Espeon's face was heating up, like the human equivalent of a blush. She was sure she was turning red by now. She still glared at Kaboom, growling slightly.

[Akai]

Cubone laughed mockingly, "Yeah! Freak! Kekeke."

(I love the Kekeke and Fufufu laughs.)

[Kaboom]

Kaboom was insulted. "You should know better than to mock me. You will regret this."
He charged up qi and blasted into Dark Mode.
"Flee or fight, the choice is yours."

[Akai]

"I guess I'll have to fight... It was rule number three, right? Heh."

[3speon]

"And I'd like to fight, too. It'll make me feel better when you lose!" spat Espeon, snarling. She ran suddenly at Kaboom, her paw raised as if she were going to scratch him across the face again. She was inches from his face when she feinted left, twirling fluidly around him and slashing him square in the back.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom grunted. A few drops of blood fell on the ground. They acted like an acid, burning little holes. Purple sparks played around his back and the wound closed immediately, as if he hadn't been attacked at all.
"You are learning, and that is good. But you lack strength. And without strength, you are nothing. Cubone, rule number three and a half is: if your opponent invites you to leave, you may disregard rule number three."

With that, Kaboom leaped high in the air. Dark energy flared around his legs as he performed a frontflip. He landed with a crash and the energy spread out as a Dark shockwave in all directions.

[Akai]

Cubone stared at the shockwave, and took a stance. He wasn't going to move. He was not afraid. The shockwave hit. Cubone grunted, trying to stand his ground, but was thrown back. The wave shook his entire body, making an unbareable pain surge through his body. His skull cracked a little, suddenly bursting into a million pieces. The little Pokemon and thrown to the ground, rolling over a few times and came to a halt. With a groan, he shifted, slowly getting to his feet. Part of his helmet was still intact, but more that 3/4 of it was blown away. Tears collected in his eyes, "You're nothing but a big bully... Pick on someone your own size!"

[Kaboom]

"I was attacking Espeon. You could quite easily have gotten out of the way, but you didn't."

[Akai]

energy spread out as a Dark shockwave in all directions.

Cubone huffed, shaking the remaining helmet off, "I don't run. I'm not scared of bullies."

[Kaboom]

"If I were being a bully, you'd be dead ten times over already. The very fact that you're still alive shows that I'm excercising great restraint... The Darkness is... a great burden."

[Akai]

Cubone focused, gathing energy. His mouth opened, as the air chilled. He shot out an Ice Beam at Kaboom, focusing hard, not letting him win this time.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom was impressed by the bravery of this Cubone, but the Ice Beam didn't hit (although it didn't miss either...). It melted and evaporated before reaching him.

Kaboom's eyes glowed a strong dark green. The flames around his wrists blazed purple. With a roar, he fired a Dark Flamethrower attack at Cubone. If it succeeded completely, Cubone would be immobilised by the Darkness.

[Akai]

Cubone kept the Ice Beam strong. He fell on all fours, straining to keep his head up. His throat started to burn from the ice rushing out. He choked it a cough, his attack weakening a little, but he closed his eyes and continue the attack that was now torturing him.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom concentrated hard. The Dark flames slowly pushed back the Ice Beam, moving closer and closer to Cubone...

[Akai]

Cubone could feel the heat from the oncoming attack. After a few more minutes, Cubone couldn't take it anymore. His own attack was hurting him more than the enemy. He stopped, letting the flames consume him. He fell back, twitching in pain. Tears fell from his eyes as he tried to move.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom quickly stopped his attack. He planned to immobilize, not kill. He looked around for Espeon but couldn't see her. He stood beside Cubone and resumed his normal form.

"The Dark power will wear off in a few minutes. I'm sorry for your helmet. If it helps, there's a vast desert to the northeast of here. I strongly advise you do not cross me again, because the next time I may not be able to control the Darkness as well as I did now."
And with that, he walked away, resuming his march as he had originally planned.

[Akai]

Cubone's eyes got dark and dim. He faded out into a dream-like world. He woke up and saw Erika, squating over him, smiling, "Hey, silly. What are you doing laying around?" Cubone got up. Was these past weeks for him been just a dream. He looked around, feeling his helmet back on his head. Erika got up and walked off, going to her other Pokemon. She turned around, "Cubone, come on." He quickly got up and ran after her. He slowed down and stopped, seeing the sky darken. His eyes scanned the sky, seeing purple lightning ripple through the clouds. He gasped, "Erika! Please! Stop!"

She ignored him, it seemed. Her and her Pokemon kept walking off. Cubone ran after them, "Stop!" The clouds swirled around, thunder rumbled. The horrible lightning flashed again, striking down on Erika and her Pokemon. Cubone watched in horror as the lightning faded and Kaboom appeared. He had a smirking look on his face, walking to Cubone. He was laughing as purple flames exploded from his claws. "It's your turn." Kaboom held his hand out, building up an attack. The dark energy grew and shot out at Cubone. He gripped his club, batting it away, but the dark attack came back. He continued to swat it away, as Kaboom cackled, "You'll tired out soon. Battle Rule #5642: I always win."

"You will not! You... you... monster!" Cubone grunted, giving one last swing, falling to the ground. Kaboom threw his head back as the attack hit Cubone. The little Pokemon snapped awake. He was standing, fuming with rage. He shook, glaring at Kaboom as he walked away. Cubone's little legs moved slow at first, but picked up speed, running like a blur to his sworn enemy. He ran jumped up and swung his club as hard as he could across Kaboom's head in a blind rage.

[3speon]

Espeon was lying in the bushes, excruciatingly tired. There were cuts and gashes along her flank and tail, from where the dark thing had scraped it when she ducked for cover. Her front had been more or less safe, but she still felt the immense pain in her chest when she breathed. She turned, wincing when the leaves and twigs brushed against her tail, and looked out from the shrubs to see if she was safe. Kaboom was walking away, and Cubone was on the ground, his head free of its helmet. A small fragment of the helmet lay several feet away. Oh no...

He stood suddenly, as if in a trance, and Espeon could see that his eyes were dark. No... That Kaboom couldn't possibly have done that much damage, to make Cubone like... him...? But no... Cubone's eyes were lightening, and he seemed overly aware of where he was. A frown creased his helmet-less brow, and he was furious. He went at a trot after Kaboom, gathering speed until he was sprinting, and then leapt on the blaziken's head and began clubbing it fiercely.

Espeon smiled, proud of Cubone's courage, then emerged from the bushes. She used Double Team to make several copies of herself, spreading out all over, then created a larger-than-usual Shadow Ball and hurled one from each clone at Kaboom. She was panting when she finished, because of the strain it took to hold up both Double Team and the immense Shadow Ball simultaneously. But she knew Kaboom wouldn't be finished yet. Espeon ran and turned so she was facing Kaboom, then her eyes glowed red and she stared at Kaboom intently, hoping her Hypnosis attack would work.

[Kaboom]

It didn't. Kaboom was tired of these two; they never learned. He grabbed Cubone in one hand, snatched Espeon up in the other, and switched to the Dark World. He dumped them and continued walking down the path.

The atmosphere of the Dark World was mildly corrosive to non-Darklings, and there was a constant threat of attack from Lucario's stooges. Not to mention the deadly Zophan liquid which lay in puddles here and there. Kaboom was immune to the atmosphere and strong enough to fight Darklings, but even he could not resist the Zophan, aka the Great Venom. Nobody could.

Kaboom walked as before, along the path that was identical in every way to the path in the Light World, abandoning Cubone and Espeon to their fate, which would doubtless be a grim one.

[Akai]

Cubone looked around, "Hey! Where are we? I told you you were a big bully!" He gripped his bone and ran after Blaziken again, send a Headbutt in the middle of his back.

[3speon]

"What is this place? Put us back right now! What the **** do you think you're doing?" Espeon screamed at Kaboom, but he didn't seem to be listening. Her nostrils flared at the same time as her temper, and she lunged at him, jumping up, twisting. She planted herself on his back and bit down hard on his neck.

[Akai]

Cubone saw this and did the same. If something was going to work, thie would have to be it.

[Kaboom]

Cubone and Espeon fell to the floor as Kaboom simply disappeared to the Light World, abandoning them completely, leaving them with nothing but an evil laugh.

[Akai]

Cubone sniffled, crying a little, "Big bully! You ran from a fight! You broke your own rule!!"

[Kaboom]

[[lol, I didn't run, I dumped you and left!]]

Kaboom was glad to be free of those two pests. He sat and rested when the city came into view, and wondered how Cubone was now? His Light self felt guilty, and his Dark self felt pleasure, and as usual he had to be stuck in the middle.

[Akai]

A young trainer came into view. She looked horrible, like she haven't slept in days and had been crying for a while. "Cubone! Cubone, where are you?" She looked around, looking down at a paper in her hands, something Cubone had drawn. She teared up again, "Cubone, please! I'm sorry. Please come back!"

[Kaboom]

Kaboom pretended to not notice her as he sat beneath a tree and relaxed.

[Akai]

The young trainer, Erika, sniffled and wiped her eyes. The wind picked up and blew the drawing from her hands. "No!" She ran after it wildly, until it blew up out of her reach. "...No..." She covered her face and cried.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom looked up and saw the piece of paper flying away, and the Trainer's sadness. He carefully shot a jet of flames in such a way that the air currents blew the drawing back to her.

[Akai]

Erika looked up, seeing her drawing floating in front of her and the warm air. She snatched it and looked around, seeing Blaziken. She got up and went to him, "You helped me, didn't you?... Thanks." She dug in her bag, pulling out a small drawstring bag. "Here. These were Cubone's treats, but since he ran away, I guess you can have them." She teared up again, remembering the painful memories of Cubone. She set the bag down and walked off.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom's Light side finally won out. He returned to the Dark World to find Cubone again.

[Akai]

Cubone was running along. Something attack him and Espeon, forcing them to go separate ways. (Sorry 3speon.) There was something, he didn't know what, hunting him. His body was already covered in scratches. His original scar was overshadowed by blood from a massive head wound. His bone club was gone, shattered to piece. Cubone was crying, not knowing what to do. He just kept running and hoping whatever was chasing him wouldn't catch him.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom watched Cubone coming from behind a tree. He doubted the Cubone was going to trust him, so he planned his actions carefully.
As Cubone ran past, Kaboom grabbed him and returned to the Light World. He then turned Cubone in the direction where the Trainer was still just visible, then crossed the border of the Light World so that he became invisible and intangible.

[Akai]

Cubone panted, staring at Erika. "...no. It's a dream." He sniffled. "That thing got me. It killed me."

[Kaboom]

Kaboom remained hidden, but he silently willed Cubone to go to her. They needed to be together.

[Akai]

Cubone wobbled and fell back, sitting down.

Erika sniffled, walking off, disappearing on the horizon.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom groaned. He appeared in the Light World in front of Cubone.
"Listen!" he said before Cubone could react. "This is not a dream. That was your Trainer, and she misses you terribly. That's why I rescued you from the Dark World... Just go catch up with her!"

[Akai]

He looked up at him, "No. Save Espeon too. She deserves to find her trainer too! I'm not going until she's safe and you say you're sorry."

[Kaboom]

"I can save her, but I cannot apologize. You provoked my wrath and payed the price... at a serious discount, I might add."
He reverted to the Dark World to find Espeon.

[Akai]

Cubone sat there and cried, "If you don't apologize, I won't go back!"

[Kaboom]

[[Kaboom's already gone]]
Kaboom wandered until he found Espeon. It appeared she had been badly affected by the Darkness - which was normal considering her type. Luckily she hadn't been attacked yet. Kaboom made towards her, but was cut off by the sudden appearence of about fifty Weavile.

Kaboom rolled his eyes. More Pokémon who never learned. He shot off and Blast Burn, leaving all of the Weavile gasping on the ground. Kaboom ran to Espeon and took her back to the Light World. He dumped her unceremoniously in front of Cubone.
"Here she is, as I said."

[Akai]

(I know)

Cubone lay on the ground, "Please... apologize."

[Kaboom]

"I cannot. I want to, but I cannot. I can't explain it, but the Darkness will not let me. It's not my fault. Just go."

[Akai]

"No. Your... Darkness wants us dead, and so do I. I think he's right. If I can't win against you, I'm not fit for her. I mean... I am your weakness after all."

[3speon]

[[Augh, my sister has become obsessed with FireRed walkthroughs. x.X]]

Espeon lay unconscious on the ground, with several images swirling on the surface of her subconscious. Of course, none of them made sense. But they were comforting. Maybe this was heaven.

In her dreams, she was underwater. She was swimming effortlessly, something she had never been able to do in real life. Yes, this must be heaven. Cubone came toward her, walking rather than swimming. He carried his bone club and his helmet was in its rightful place on his head. He was smiling serenely, and a trainer walked behind him, holding his hand.

"I am your weakness, after all," he told the trainer. What? Espeon frowned, confused. The trainer's features suddenly twisted, becoming those of Kaboom.

"No!" Espeon tried to scream, but no sound came from her mouth. Kaboom came closer, destroying several Pokemon that Espeon couldn't see with a fire attack. He then rushed up to Espeon, scooped her up in his arms, and broke the surface of the water.

Espeon's eyes shot open and she looked around, bewildered. Cubone was talking to Kaboom, his helmet and club gone. They were back in the real world, trees and bushes surrounding them.

"Wha... what's going on here?" she breathed.

[Kaboom]

"Oh, you're with us. Welcome back to the Light World. Cubone asked me to rescue you."
Kaboom lowered his voice so that only Espeon could hear.
"Cubone needs moral support. Do what you can for him."
Then, aloud, "I have lost enough time already. Unless one of you has something important to say, I take my leave."

[Akai]

"Dewgong! Water Pulse!" The trainer yelled as a jet of water smashed into Blaziken. Erika ran up picking up Cubone, "...Scar over eye..." She ran her finger over it. "...Funny looking ear." She rubbed it. "Cubone... Is that you?" She smiled, tears in her eyes. Cubone stared back at her, wiggling a little and jumping from her arms. He sighed a ~Cubone~ and walked off, his head drooping. Erika watched sadly as her Pokemon walked off. Dewgong, an oddly pink one, came up beside her, moaning sadly, "No, Cubone,... Please come back, darlin'. Erika is mighty upset... Oh, Cubone." The Dewgong looked up at Erika and nuzzled her a little.

[3speon]

A blast of water rushed over Espeon's head. She looked up to see a trainer with a dewgong. She scooped Cubone up in her arms, apparently convinced that he was hers. But Cubone looked away, and hopped down out of her arms.

Espeon followed him.

"Hey, isn't that your trainer? What are you doing walking away?" she asked.

[Akai]

"I want an apology more than my trainer. It's not fair. That Blaziken can't treat us like this and think it's okay."

[3speon]

"Hm." Espeon considered this.

"You make a very good point. He does owe us an apology. He nearly got us killed. I mean, look at you! You're covered in blood and cuts! And I had collapsed unconscious before you convinced his 'good side' or whatever to save me. Thanks for that, by the way... But he needs to say he's sorry and then leave us alone."

[Akai]

He nodded, "If he does, you can come with me. Erika will take care of you until we find your trainer."

[3speon]

Espeon smiled. "Thanks so much. I'd really appreciate it. Now maybe we can get an apology out of that guy." She turned and headed back toward Kaboom.

[Akai]

Erika's Dewgong charged up an Ice Beam, but her trainer stopped her, letting her pass.

[3speon]

"Hey! You!" said Espeon, batting at Kaboom with her paw, "Get up. You owe us an apology for everything you put us through."

[Akai]

Cubone walked with Espeon to Kaboom. "You owe us."

[3speon]

"Yeah," Espeon agreed, "Now say you're sorry."

[[And now Kaboom needs to come back]]

[Akai]

[[Yeah... and I'm going to be gone for the next 2-3 days. Try not to go too far.]]

[3speon]

[[Mmkay. We shouldn't be too bad without you. And I just noticed Nytz disappeared on us. >.>]]

[Akai]

[[ If we're gonna chat, let's move to the RP Chat. (Stickied in his forum) ]]

[Kaboom]

Kaboom stood up stiffly. He hadn't been expecting the sudden blast of water, and now the two were trying once again to get an apology out of him. "Some Pokémon are just so hard-headed," he thought.
Kaboom turned to face them.
"The only way you can get an apology out of me is by subduing my Dark self. And I can tell you this: even if I let you, it would not be easy. I have a mission, and you are slowing me down. Therefore, you may not follow me. Goodbye."
He suddenly vanished to the Dark World.

There was a rustle in the bushes, and a Lucario came running. It saw Cubone and Espeon, and stopped.
"He was here... I know he was! You two, have you seen a Blaziken? One who is corrupted with Darkness? Tell me at once!"

[Akai]

"Maybe... was he about this tall, with reddish and tannish feathers, until they turn purple and blue?"

[Kaboom]

"That's him. Quick, where'd he go?"

[Akai]

"Sorry. I don't know what you're talking about." He walked off, whistling to himself.

[3speon]

"Yup. I think he had been nice at one point and time, but then he turned into a jerk and I lost track of him. Sorry," Espeon chimed in, following Cubone.

"Well, he's gone," she whispered to him, because she knew the Lucario would be listening, "Now what are you going to do?"

[Akai]

"I don't know. Maybe we can team up with this Lucario and track him down. Maybe Blaziken hurt him and Lucario just wants an apology."

[3speon]

"Yeah, like what happened to us! That makes sense. He was in a big hurry to find him," said Espeon thoughtfully, "Maybe we should go back and talk to him."

[Kaboom]

"There's no point in whispering," said Lucario. "I can hear every word. Clearly you two have not heard of the legend of the thirteenth dimension. Nor have you heard of the now legendary battle between Light and Dark. Tell me, did Kaboom come here? Where did he go?"

[Akai]

"I don't know where he went, but if you find him, beat him up good! He broke my helmet and club. He can't even apologize for it!"

[Kaboom]

"Oh, you get used to it. You're saying you don't know where he went... did he disappear suddenly into thin air?"

[3speon]

"Yeah, he did," put in Espeon, "He does that a lot. He took us with him once. He decided to save us later, after we were pretty much dead..."

[Kaboom]

"The fiend! He's gone to the Dark World. I must chase after him! Thank you for the information, and warn Cubone not to be a wise guy in front of me."

Lucario promptly disappeared in the same way as Kaboom.

[Akai]

Cubone stuck out his tongue, "Don't tell me what to do! ...Such a coward like that Blaziken, running like that."

[Kaboom]

A blob of Dark energy materialised and shot at Cubone, then there were no more disturbences in the Light World.

The Dark World was a different matter. Lucario approached Kaboom from behind.
"If you're going to sneak up on me," said Kaboom, "you really ought to dim your aura. I sensed you coming from the Light World. You're not seriously considering fighting me again, are you? So soon after your last defeat?"

Lucario wasn't in the mood for talking, and showed it by blasting a swift Dark Beam at Kaboom. It hit, but had next to no effect.
Kaboom retaliated by exploding brightly, then transforming into Dark Mode. Lucario had a surprise up his sleeve, however, and showed it now by shooting a blast of Zophan at Kaboom. He avoided it, but was astonished: NOTHING could resist the corrosive nature of Zophan, so how could Lucario control it?
It would have to be a mystery to be solved later, however, as several more blasts came his way. Using trees as cover (which were already infused with Zophan and so resistant), Kaboom landed a few hit with fireballs. Then one of the blobs of Zophan hit him.

He cried out as pain exploded in his wrist, but the Darkness healed the burning scales. He may be able to resist a minor hit, but if his chest were to be hit... he would definitely not survive. He had to end this fight, and if that meant running away, then so be it.

He threw a fireball at random, and it blasted open in a dazzling shockwave of Light. Lucario was stunned long enough for Kaboom to escape to the Light World, where he promptly bumped into Cubone again.

[Akai]

Cubone fell back, "Watch where you're going!" He wiggled to get back up.

(Man. Trainer Erika is just standing around doing nothing. =/)

[Kaboom]

"Oh, sorry. Lucario was after me."
Kaboom picked himself up, then realised who he was talking to, and what he had just said.
"It's you again. I hope you've recovered from your ordeal. I've got problems of my own now, and they're quite big ones. I can't hang around."

[Akai]

"Did you say Lucario? Good, he found you. You need to learn to apologize to people or they'll hunt you down."

[Kaboom]

"Oh, no, Lucario and I go way back. Must be thirty years he's been trying to kill me, and I did nothing... seriously."

[Akai]

"Shut up! What a big fat lie! You never apologize. You probably just stepped on his foot and never said sorry." He grumbled.

[Kaboom]

"... Yeah, whatever. I'm off before Lucario comes back, and if I were you, I wouldn't hang around either."
Kaboom skedaddled off away from Cubone.

[Akai]

He sat up, sniffling, "Wh... why do you... hate us? Your trainer must really hate you." He looked to Erika. "Like mine."

[3speon]

"Aw, come on, she doesn't hate you. Don't be sad..." cooed Espeon, trying to soothe Cubone, "I'll be right back."

Espeon turned then and followed Kaboom.

"Why do you have to be so mean? All he wants is an apology! We were almost killed because of you. You could at least say you're sorry. Ugh! You disgust me! You're rude, and pushy, and obnoxious, and you think you know everything. Look at him! You ruined his club and helmet, and if you knew anything at all you would know that those are a cubone's pride and joy. All you need to do is say two simple words, for goodness' sake! You are a bully. I can't believe you," she said, hate dripping from her voice. She spat at his feet and turned back toward Cubone.

[Akai]

He sat on the ground, watching his tears dripping down his snout and onto the ground.

Erika watched from a distance, wanting to do something. She pulled her drawing from her pocket and sighed, walking to Cubone. She got down, slipping the paper in his hand and kissing his head. "I know you want to be free now. I can't stop you... Goodbye, Cubone. I'll always love you." She got up and withdrew Dewgong as she set off for the next town.

Cubone watched, bursting into more tears and falling to his stomach, thrashing around.

[3speon]

[[Urk... I was editing my post when my dog came and shut my computer off. x.X I was going to have Team Rocket come in...]]

Espeon went to stop Erika, but was cut short by two voices.

"Prepare for trouble!"
"Make it d- wait... I thought we changed the motto?"
"Well, we did, but I like this one better."
"But the twerps aren't even here!"
"Oh. I guess you're right."
"So we don't need to be here."
"Yes we do, James! Look at that! Three Pokemon right there in the open and their trainer is walking away. I think we could grab them this time!"
"Really?"

A mime jr. mimicked him, "Really?"

"Yes, really!"

"Yayyy..." crooned a wobbuffet.

"Meowth, that's right!"
"Where did that come from?"
"I thought were were doin' the old motto. Ol' habits die hard, y'know!"
"Stop the chit-chat, Meowth! We'd better get down there or the Pokemon will be gone!"

Two figures leapt down from somewhere above their heads and landed lightly on a rock a few feet to Espeon's right. One was a redheaded teenage girl, the other, a boy of the same age with lavender hair. A meowth popped up from behind them.

"Prepare for trouble," started the girl.
"Make it double," continued the boy.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation..."
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!"
"Yeah, surrender!"
"Yayyy..."

James looked at Jessie with tears in his eyes.

"So many memories..."

Espeon stared at the two, confused. She approached them and batted at Jessie with a paw.

"Uhh... hello? Was there a point to that?" she asked, despite the knowledge that they wouldn't understand her.

"Huh? Meowth, what's it saying?" asked James.

"She wants to know if there was a point to our motto," replied Meowth. Was he talking in English or Pokemon?

"Well of course there's a point! The point is to let you know we're here! Weren't you listening? We said 'Prepare for trouble'! That means get ready to be captured!!" shrieked Jessie, suddenly getting in Espeon's face. Espeon took a step back.

"Aw, crap. More freakshows," Espeon muttered to herself, then more loudly, "C'mon, Cubone, we've got to get out of here!"

She turned, but James, flanked by Mime Jr. and a carnivine, was in front of her.

"Not so fast, kitty!" he said, throwing a net over her. Espeon tried using Psychic to remove it, but the net glowed purple and shrank closer, sinking slightly into her fur and burning her skin. She cried out in pain and kicked at it. It contracted again.

"Hey! We did it!" cried Jessie.

"Yeah! Now, get that blaziken and the cubone!"

Jessie complied, throwing nets over them as well.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom burned the flying net with fire, but it had no effect. Undeterred, he shot Dark fire at it, dissolving it into tiny fragments, which fell to the floor. He was getting somewhat annoyed now, he wanted to get back to Adz, but he was constantly being sidetracked.

Kaboom was fluent in English, so he spoke to the two people.
"You two are the most unfortunate people in the world. I'll tell you why: because I am angry at you. However, I am in need of rest, so much as I'd like to, I won't be locking you away in the Dark World for the Darklings to get you."
He pulled the net off Espeon. It was harder than he expected, but he managed.
"You have five minutes to clear off, and then I'll go mad."

[Akai]

Cubone picked up a rock and threw it at Kaboom, "Stop it! Just run off again. If they want us, let them take us... I want the guilt of you knowing what happened eat you away from the inside out."

[Kaboom]

Lucario chose that moment to make his appearence. He instantly took stock of what was going on, sized up the circumstances, and decided that Team Rocket weren't a threat.
It turned to Kaboom, who was already braced for a fight. Lucario shot a blast of Dark energy - all their fights started like this; it was almost a ritual. Kaboom evaded, as always, and threw a ball of fire. The fireball bounced off and hit a tree, burning it to ashes in seconds.

Kaboom was worried. If Lucario used his Zophan attack here, the trees would not protect him. He charged forwards, feinted to the right, and delivered a powerful left hook to Lucario's head. Lucario stepped back, took firm footing on a rock, and launched himself forward. Kaboom sidestepped, and it skidded to a halt before jumping up and hurling an AuraSphere. Kaboom hit it with another fireball and it exploded, throwing dust everywhere. Kaboom's Dark Vision saw through the dust, and continued attacking Lucario.

[Akai]

(Ok. That was random and kind of spam. =/)

[3speon]

Jessie and James shrank back from the feuding Pokemon.

"Maybe we should leave now!" whispered James urgently to Jessie.

"No! The others are distracted! We can grab the cat and the mole-rat and make a run for it," Jessie suggested.

"Hm, not a bad idea!" James agreed. He crept forward and snatched up Espeon, who was licking her wounds, and covered her mouth with a large hand. She struggled, but couldn't wriggle free. She finally stopped, exhausted. Jessie was soon next to James, wrestling with Cubone. Meowth held his club, snickering. The trio tiptoed away, toward a hot-air balloon. They clambered in and tied up both Pokemon, then let the balloon begin to drift away.

[Akai]

Cubone wiggled in the ropes, "Untie me! They're too tight!" He whined, pouting a little.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom saw the balloon rising. He used Darkness to momentarily immobilise Lucario, then blasted a fireball straight into the balloon's gas-bag. He resumed his fight with Lucario.

[3speon]

"What's it saying, Meowth?" Jessie snapped.

"He says the ropes are too tight. He wants you to untie 'em."

"We can't do that! He'll jump out!" complained James.

"Well, we won't untie him then!"

Espeon rolled her eyes.

"What a bunch of losers," she snorted.

"Hey! That ain't nice!" said Meowth, anger flaring in his eyes. He scratched at Espeon, but she twisted out of the way and Meowth accomplished nothing but ruining the ropes binding her. They fell to the floor and she leapt up, scooped Cubone up in her jaw by his ropes, and jumped from the balloon toward the treetops.

She was cut short, however, when the trio grabbed a loose end of the rope which had looped around her foot. She was dangling now by her leg, and her muscles strained against the tension. She kicked her foot, but the loop had tightened. Team Rocket was pulling her back into the balloon.

She lost her grip on Cubone, and saw him fall, almost in slow motion, toward a large fruit-bearing tree.

"Cubone!" she screamed, and used the last of her strength for a Psychic to keep him aloft.

'Will you be okay if I put you down in the tree?' she thought at him frantically.

But they were all falling now. Kaboom had punctured the balloon, and they were hurtling toward earth. Espeon was trying hard to keep Cubone from being hurt, but it was getting harder as they neared the ground. She kept up the Psychic even when they hit the ground hard.

She was still dangling from the balloon, and she had knocked against rocks and dirt when they landed. One of her eyes was forced closed, caked with blood, and her leg had nearly been torn from her body; surely, judging from the intense pain, it was broken in several places. She was colored almost completely dark blue from the bruises which coated and tortured her body, and she was bleeding from several places. Her body shrieked in protest against her unwillingness to drop dead. The breath had been knocked out of her when they landed and she barely clung to consciousness with a horribly pounding, all-consumingly painful headache as she let Cubone down lightly onto the dirt path, then collapsed, unconscious, her breathing ragged.

[Kaboom]

Kaboom finally managed to break Lucario's guard. Their battle ended in the traditional way, Lucario fleeing to the Dark World.

Kaboom looked around and saw the chaos. He had certainly saved Espeon and Cubone from Team Rocket, but were they still alive? It would be somewhat ironic if they died while he was saving them.

Kaboom stood beside Espeon. She was still alive, barely. Cubone looked like a survivor, too, but they needed healing. Would they trust him to do it? Kaboom forced the question from his head. There was no time. He called forth the tiniest amount of Dark energy, and plucked a feather from his chest. The feather turned purple and Kaboom lay it flat on Espeon's body. The purpleness flowed out through her, a series of sparks targetting the wounds, sealing them as if nothing had happened. She would have to wash the blood off, but she was alive. The sparks went over Cubone, too, providing the same treatment, then dissipated into the air.