Private/Closed The Elite Chapter 1: Welcome To Thavma!

[SharkWithClawz]

​

As Anthos stepped off the plane and into the Thavma airport he was met with the he was presented with the spitting image of mediocrity. Apart from being seemingly abandoned old music was playing of a shotty intercom system that tended to cut out at random intervals. The main area was large and filled with sunlight that somehow managed to shine through the grimy glass ceiling. A few janitors mopped up the tacky tile floor and made no notable difference in terms of how clean it was.​

An old man wearing a grey suit that did nothing to stand out from his surrounding approached Anthos with his luggage and a case containing his Pokeballs, “You’re vehicle is in the lot outside mister. Oh and welcome to Thavma.” He didn’t sound too happy.

“Uh...Thanks?” Anthos said taking his things.

“I know, I know. You’re expecting something more, something fabulous...Well you’re on the edge of the region. All the pesky Pokemon trainers and the celebrity ‘PokeHeros’ are farther inland.” His distaste was hardly detectable over his slow and fragile voice.

“Head up north and you’ll find yourself in Stewart City. It’s quiet for the most part but lot’s of Pokemon trainers go there to either enjoy the nature or battle at the Gym.” With those final words of advice the old man walked off.

Anthos was left standing and in shock. He’d read that the Thavma region rivaled Poketopia and even LaRousse city in terms of wonder and beauty. PokeHeroes staged spectacular battles and had a nemesis they would face off against. Thavma was supposed to be sprawling with excitement and Pokemon but that old man had seemed rather tired of it all.

Not a good introduction to the region that Anthos would probably be living in for some time. He walked over to a shabby seating area and began to rummage through his bag making sure everything was in the right place. Anthos hoped that the rest of the trainers he had contacted showed up with more exciting attitudes than the old man.

 

[arally]

Alexis took her first step off of the plane, followed by a few others, and there was the airport. Oh, she thought as she took in the sight. How...average? She observed a few people cleaning and sweeping around the building. With her luggage trailing behind her, she headed to some seating to check a few things first. "It'll get better farther inland," she said to herself under her breath. "Anyways, fanciness is not what I'm here for. It's to create a new Elite Four. Exciting! Although I'm expecting it to be beautiful later on. I've heard great things about this place. Like their amazing Pokemon battles and trainers! Oh, I'm getting sidetracked. Oops."

Alexis sat down, unzipping her suitcase and scanning over its contents. She moved a few things that had fallen out of place, and then zipped the bag up again. "All good." She then checked her bag and was greeted with six familiar Pokeballs--the ones that contained her team that she had bonded with for years. Of course I don't get to use them..but I'll make it work! I've already got my specialty and some of my new team planned out. Alexis leaned back against the chair, yawning.

 

[The Kitsune]

Nyx did all she could to stifle a yawn as she lounged back against the building, starring up at the brilliant summer sky. The fluffy clouds and their blanket of blue were about the only thing worth looking at around here. Nyx reluctantly let her eyes fall to the grimy little parking lot, a little voice inside once again announcing her doubts in coming here. Elite Four opportunity or not, it was difficult to find any appeal in what she’d seen of the region so far. But to be fair, she hadn’t seen much of it.

Nyx had arrived the night before and had stayed in the depressing little inn the town had to offered, preferring to be as punctual as possible to this meeting. Speaking of which… Nyx checked her watch. It was getting to be about that time. Pulling herself to her feet, she picked up her shoulder bag, made sure her pokeballs were still fastened to her belt, and made her way inside. The waiting receptionist had all the warmth of a morgue attendant but she was knowledgeable enough, pointing Nyx toward the arrival gate with one lazy finger.

Following the vague directions given, Nyx began assessing each traveler as they moved toward the exit, trying to discern the strangers she was supposed to be meeting from the crowd of unfamiliar faces. None of them appeared to be trainers and and there were no pokemon in sight either. The people here had seemed oddly offended to see a partner pokemon out at a trainer’s side, so much so that Nyx had felt pressured to shut Midna away in her ultraball while in public. Even now the exposed pokeballs at her waist drew disapproving eyes from the Thavma locals. Pushing the peculiar attitude out of her mind, Nyx turned her attention back to scanning the crowd.

 

[Martin Pine]

Finion was not a big fan of airplanes at all. He loved flying but only on the back of his Pokemon, not in a crowded confined tube with other people in it. Despite this he'd take flying in a plane over sailing in a boat any day, his sea sickness being rather terrible. Thankfully he'd slept through most of the flight, only being awoken when a fluffy tail was brushed lightly and then harshly against his face. The Pachirisu was always having to wake him up. "We're here?" His voice had a groggy tone, Finion rubbing his eyes and then looking around as Sparky grumpily folded his arms. The few people on the small plane were already leaving and his tiny little friend was getting impatient. "Right, right sorry" He gathered his bag and belongings and then began to leave the plane, his Pachirisu perched proudly on his shoulder.

Once he had exitted the plane and retrieved his luggage he began to make his way towards the arrival gate. His surroundings were ... not as pleasant as he had imagined, though he supposed the phrase 'not to judge a book by it's cover' came into effect here yet first impressions were a big thing. Finion decided to stop focusing on where he was and focus more on who he needed to find. He had a piece of paper in his hand, there being a picture of everyone on it so he could recognise them when he saw them. Sparky, who was now crouched on Finion's head for a better view, reached down to swipe the paper from Finion's hand. "How many times do you need to look at them Sparky?" The Pachirisu gave a little huff, glancing at the paper and then looking into the crowd. The Pokemon ignored the looks he was getting off some people, looks Finion hadn't even noticed in the worry that was now beginning to envolope him. What if he couldn't find them? Would they leave without him? Was it possible he might leave without them? Was this the right place? The right day? His frantic thoughts were cut short as his hat was pushed down, covering his eyes and causing Finion to abrutly stop.

"H-hey" Finion grabbed his hat, pushing it back up to it's normal position on his head and then looking up to the Pokemon who had pushed it down. Sparky had been trying to get his attention for a while, pointing in a direction past the arrival gate with an excited look. Despite not being able to see through the crowds at what Sparky was pointing at he trusted his Pokemon and walked in that direction. Whilst Finion moved through the grimy airport and the crowds he was to short to be spotted over, Sparky waved Nyx, the Pachirisu hopefully standing out amongst all the heads at his elevated position on Fin's

 

[StormingCobra]

Kaleb, being a more adventurous type, decided to fly there on the back of his Charizard. He landed in the terminal due to being told to do so. “Where are they...” he said. He looked around a little before he sat down in the seating area. He took out one of his friend’s latest inventions, the pocket suitcase. The suitcase unfolded as soon as it left his pocket and became normal size again. He looked inside, and everything seemed to be in order. He saw Anthos sitting next to him.

“I assume you called me here?” he asked, recognizing his face from the photo.

 

[SharkWithClawz]

Anthos looked over to see a man seemingly much older than himself with an eye patch sitting next to him. He couldn't tell by the sound of his voice if he was happy or agitated. Either way he stood out from the rest of the people in the airport like a sore thumb. This must've been Kaleb. Out of the whole group Anthos thought Kaleb to be the most illusive. He forgot how it was they first got into contact but he remember thinking that the man would make a fierce member of the new Elite Four.

"U-uh, hi. I'm Anthos, yeah. Sorry about the uh..." He simply looked around at the drabby airport, "All this. Apparently it gets better as you go."

Anthos looked around wondering if anyone else had arrived yet. He checked his PokeGear for the time and looked around some more. Hopefully now that there were two people in the seating area the others would more easily recognize the pair? He shook his head and despite the attitude of the locals took a great ball out of his bag and let out Anzu.

The Espeon looked surprised at first to be awoken from her relaxing slumber. The she looked over to Kaleb and at one of the locals walking by and jumped on Anthos's head. She was a bit of a snob at times but she was very friendly once she got used to people.

"Hopefully the others can see us if we have on of our Pokemon beside us." Anthos told Kaleb.

 

[arally]

"All in check," Alexis mumbled to herself, rising to her feet with her things. Before she started walking away, she grabbed a Great Ball from her bag and sent out Esprit. Oddly, it seemed to give some spooks to the people walking past. Huh, wonder what that's about? She then shrugged and headed off. "Come on, Esprit, let's see if the others are here yet," she said to the Froslass, who nodded.

Alexis tried to see through the crowds of people walking by and spotted a pair of people in one of the seating areas. "I'm pretty sure those are some of the people I'm looking for." She headed over, her suitcase trailing behind her. "Err--hi. You're the people I'm supposed to be looking for, right?"

 

[StormingCobra]

Kaleb nodded and sent out his Pangoro, his long time partner. Pangoro looked around the airport. Kaleb saw Alexis walk over. “Yes, if you’re looking for the Elite Four of Thavma,” he said. “Three out of five... anyone see the other two? I may have trouble spotting them with only one eye.” His Pangoro saw a trainer with a Pachirisu on his head. The trainer seemed a little familiar to him. He pointed in the direction of Finion. “Looks like Pangoro managed to locate one,” Kaleb said.

 

[arally]

Alexis shrugged. "I'll keep an eye out for the last person. She's probably here somewhere," she said, taking a seat and glancing around the crowd. She sighed, looking to her Froslass for a moment. "Anyways, these people have gotten some spooks from Esprit--like, even more than usual." The attitudes of the people of Thavma were a bit strange.

 

[StormingCobra]

(OOC: Is this the same Finion from Ultima? If not I will edit the post.)

Kaleb nodded at Alexis. He jumped on Pangoro’s back, and his partner jumped into the air before landing directly in front of Finion.

“We meet again,” Kaleb said. “Funny how much I run into the same person in a row sometimes. First with Halt, then with JC, now with you. I sense a pattern.” He got down off of Pangoro. He saw Sparky. “I assume he still loves battling?” he asked, referring to the Pachirisu.

 

[The Kitsune]

A fluffy white and blue pokemon was the first sight to break Nyx's uneventful scan of the crowd. A pokemon was a rare enough occurance in this poke-phobic crowd in its own right, but the little electric type was making a bee-line straight for her no less, perched atop what she could only assume was its trainer's shoulder. With an smile of evident relief, Nyx moved forward to meet them.

Before the genial greeting managed to make it off her tongue, her path was suddenly blocked by the hulking form of a decending Pangoro. Acting on instinct, she launched herself to the side, her right hand going instantly to the clasp of her closest pokeball. With a flick of the finger and a flash of white light, Midna appeared, jaw wide and fangs bared for a fight. ...It took only a moment to realize she'd misread the situation as the pangoro's trainer greeted the trainer approaching her in a familiar manner.

With a sigh and a gentle roll of her eyes, she relaxed her stance. "Jeez....maybe try a more subtle approach given our surroundings, you know?" She addressed the Pangoro trainer first, resting a hand reflexively on her mawile's horn to calm her pokemon. Nyx's eyes moved between the two trainers. "I take it you're the trainers I'm supposed to meet?"

 

[SharkWithClawz]

Anthos, and Anzu, were a bit startled by Kalebs actions. He was just about to greet Alexis when the Pangoro and his trainer jumped over to a kid with a Pachirisu on his head. Anzu jumped off of Anthos's head and landed at his feet. She wasn't to happy about the big Pokemon's arrival or it's acrobatics. She wasn't the only one either.

A young man , scrawny and tall with a mess of blonde hair quickly ran in between Kaleb, Finion, and Nyx. His eye's darted between the trainers as sweat beaded on his brow. It was obvious that his heart was pounding against his chest. His face went bright red and his hands started to shake a bit. Kalebs arm, Pokemon, and eye patch did nothing to help put the young man at ease either.

"H-hey! Hey! No battles here guy's okay? We don't have a stadium or any battle insurance. Keep it on stage guy's please?" He pleaded, "We've had enough collateral damage around here from all these PokeHeroes and their nemesis of the week okay? I-I really don't want to have to work extra shifts again just to help keep this place running. Thunderman almost brought this whole airport down last April when he decided to take the show off the stadium and on the road." He looked down with a pitiful expression, "I didn't even get an autograph."

 

[StormingCobra]

“This isn’t a battle,” Kaleb said. “Just greeting an old friend.” Pangoro looked at Pachirisu and smiled, remembering him from their last adventure together. “I take it you’re Nyx?” he said to the girl with the Mawile. “Kaleb Storm, old champion of Sinnoh and a member of the Ultima League, as well as a semi-finalist in the Kalos League. Finion and I have already been acquainted.” He held out his hand to shake hers. “I was already told about everyone by Anthos in the letter he sent. All of our accomplishments rival each others’, including yours.”

 

[Martin Pine]

Finion continued to weave and slip through the crowd under his Pachirisu's orders, Sparky tapping his foot against his trainer's head as the both of them got closer. The only person he'd spoken to before this trip was Anthos and whilst he would prefer to meet him first he supposed meeting anyone would do, just to reassure and relax him. Once Finion spotted Nyx he recognised her immediatly, taking the paper off Sparky and shoving it back into his pocket. She was only one of the people he was supposed to be meet but it was a big relief to see her, perhaps the both of them could find the others?

Sparky was just about to jump off Finion's head when a Pokemon landed in front of them, startling them both. Finion jumped backwards, tensed and shocked, his heart rate immediatly picking up and pounding vigorously inside his chest. Sparky was as equally surprised as Finion, his fur standing on end and making him look much more fluffy than his usual relaxed self. Both of their eyes travelled to look up at the Pangoro and whoever was on it, Finion's shocked expression turning into a knowing smile. "Kaleb"

He knew he'd be here. When he'd asked Anthos for a picture of everyone he was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face amongst the others. "Yes, Sparky does still love to battle" The electric type in question was still fluffed up, less shocked and moreso fumming at the fact that Kaleb would scare him like that! As well as the fact that it had actually worked! Finion's attention returned to the person Sparky was originally leading him to, Finion stepping to the side to look at Nyx and her Pokemon with a smile. "Erm, Yes, we are, Hello" He gave a little wave after his awkward words, glancing to the Pachirisu on his shoulder only to find that he had hopped down onto the ground. Sparky moved towards the Mawile with a confident strut, raising his paw once he was in front of Midna . "Pachi-Pachi" The Pokemon's tone was a slow and smooth one, a sharp contrast to how terrified the electric squirrel was a few moments ago. Finion found himself ... confused at Sparky's actions.


As the young man ran inbetween them Finion, along with Sparky, took a step back, looking up to what he assumed to be someone who worked at the airport. With a concerned and confused expression, he listened to what the worker had to say. There was alot of information to take in and alot to consider and think about. Taking a look around the place he did begin to see how Pokemon battles could've caused the area to become as worn down as it was ... Perhaps thats why people didn't seem particularly fond of Pokemon around here? Who was Thunderman? His swirling and winding thoughts were cut short as Kaleb answered, Finion watching the trainer introduce himself to Nyx and kind of just standing next to the older and much taller person as he did so. He waved to Nyx but soon realised that he'd already done that literally a few seconds ago, Finion quickly lowering his hand and stopping.

 

[The Kitsune]

Nyx shock Kaleb's proffered hand with a wry smile. Her mind raced mentally back across the information she'd read on him through the letter, though he listed his accomplishments just as quickly thereafter. Kalos, the region name brought an extra curl to her smile.

"Yep, I'm Nyx," she confirmed, looking between the two. She was on the verge of confirm the pachirisu trainer's name, though she assumed him to be Finion, when an interruption reared again, this time in the form of an airport attendant. His pleas were strange, but not really surprising consider the welcome they'd had so far. As the man anxiously made his leave, she had to admit the hightened tension in the patrons around them.

"Not a fan of trainer around here, are they... Well should we join the others?"

Midna at her side had visibly relaxed at the touch of her trainers hand and even more so as the pachirisu approached. Sweeping her jaw horn behind to appear less menacing, the little Mawile returned the greeting with a long enthusiastic, "Mawiiiii."

 

[SharkWithClawz]

Anthos looked over to Alexis as he put his back pack on and grabbed his luggage. He could see that Kaleb had found the others and passerby's were either startled or annoyed by the gathering of Pokemon trainers. These people were very odd.

"Maybe we should go meet up with them. You're Alexis right? I'm Anthos." He said as he began to make his way towards the other trainers.

It was nice to see the whole gang there. After communicating through e-mail for so long to organize everything it was refreshing to actually be able to speak face to face. Everyone looked a lot different in person. Anthos felt bad that he wasn't able to let Zuko out of his Pokeball. The Typloshion would have loved to meet everyone as well. Knowing him he'd probably be raring for a battle which wouldn't sit well with the locals.

The shy worker walked away from the group of trainers but stood nearby keeping an eye on them. He looked dreadfully worried. It would probably be a smart idea to go out to the parking lot and find their rental car. At least then they could let their Pokemon stretch out and enjoy the fresh air.

"Finion, Nyx, nice to meet you both. Sorry about the locals here...I wasn't really expecting their attitudes to be so poor." Anthos scratched the back of his head, "Anyways I got a rental car, well it's more like a small RV, but yeah I got a vehicle outside. Maybe we should head out there and we can all catch up outside." If Stewart City was close by and filled with people who liked Pokemon Anthos wanted to go there as soon as he could.

 

[arally]

Alexis gave a quick nod before following to meet the others. Yet again, her Froslass got some strange looks from the natives, and she finally decided to shut her in her Pokeball again with a sigh. She also found the plea of the airport attendant strange--Thunderman? She returned her attention to the others.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Maybe the people will be more..enthusiastic outside of the airport," Alexis agreed. She gathered her belongings and waited while debating on whether or not to say anything else.

 

[Martin Pine]

Finion hummed in agreement at Nyx's statement, still letting his mind travel and think about why that was the case. He was always loved an interesting topic to ponder about, it would keep him occupied when bored. By the time Nyx mentioned meeting the others Finion could already see Anthos and Alexis beginning to approach. Once again he gave a little wave to them both, looking at Alexis for a moment before turning to face Anthos with a relaxed smile. "Anthos, it's so cool to finally meet you!" He sounded very excited, this had been his most enthusiastic response to someone yet. It was for a multitude of reasons.

"Hmm, hopefully" He hoped Alexis' assumption was correct, he'd rather not have any trouble with the locals that was more than just a difficult battle. Seeing as they were leaving he bent down to scoop up Sparky in his arms much to the dismay of the electric squirrel, who attempted to wiggle free of his new restraints and back towards the Mawile he had such a sudden interest in.

With Sparky on his shoulder and his luggage in his hands, Finion was ready to leave with the others whom he all gave a quick glance, an attempt to judge their character, who they were and to just help his opinion on them. So far so good in terms of first expressions. Kaleb was as Kaleb as usual and Finion wouldn't have it any other way. "We going?"

 

[The Kitsune]

Midna seemed just as frustrated to have her new friend taken away mid-conversation, looking reproachfully up Finion. Nyx gave a soft chuff of mirth as she took the mawile's pokeball in hand again. "You can make friends later," she said quietly, ensuring she had Midna’s attention before securing her back inside her ball and turning her attention to the new arrivals.

She offered only a slight nod to each, not eager to prolong their time here with formal introductions. "The attitude outside isn't much better. So..." Nyx shifted her bag on her shoulder and directed her next question to Anthos. "Where are we headed first?"

 

[SharkWithClawz]

"Good to meet you to." Anthos said to Finion with a smile, "It's nice to meet all of you!"

Anthos then turned his attention to Nyx and gave her a nod, "Walk with me and I'll tell you where we're heading first." he said walking towards the exit gesturing the others to follow.

As the doors opened and he stepped outside walking to the parking lot Anthos explained to the group where they were heading, "Our first stop is just North of here. It's called Stewart City. I read a tour guide on the flight here and apparently it's a pretty big place. Lot's of nature, lot's of cool city stuff and they have a pretty big park, Azumarill Park, that's full of different types of Pokemon. I'm thinking we could head to the park first? Unless you guys want to check out the city." The choice was theirs as much as it was his.

Anthos found the rental RV and with a click of a button on the the keys he unlocked the vehicle. It was a vanilla colored RV that looked like it was the perfect size to fit five people. The thing was pretty inexpensive, that might have been because of his prize winnings after beating the Elite Four. It was a pretty nice chuck of change for such a difficult challenge.

 

[StormingCobra]

Kaleb followed Anthos. “Should we get in?” he asked. He returned Pangoro to his Pokeball. He looked the RV over. It looked like the one his family used to own, only it was a different color from his. He looked back at the group.

 

[The Kitsune]

Trailing behind Anthos as their little group passed through the exit, Nyx heard a collective sigh of relief from a few custodial workers lurking near the front door. Frankly, she was just as relieved to be leaving as they were to see the trainers go. Hopefully their reception would be better in Steward City.

"The park's got my vote. My poor pokemon haven't had a chance to stretch since Kalos,"Nyx chimed in, eyeing the front passenger seat with interest. "Besides if 'Azumarill' Park actually has azumarill, all the better." Her mind went briefly to the spare pokeballs in her pouch and the three vacant 'Fairy' slots on her future team.

 

[Martin Pine]

Finion hoped that Anthos' description of the city was true and that the people there had a more positive attitude towards Pokemon. The atmosphere in the airport and all the looks they were getting were making him very unsettled and a little bit nervous. He continued to walk with the group until they reached the RV, a smile growing across Finion's face as he looked up to Anthos. "You brought this?" Sparky, whilst still a little bit down about not only Midna but also Pangoro being taking away happily ran towards the RV, dashing and running all over it in excitement.

Finion watched the hyper little squirrel for a moment being turning to the others. "I vote the park as well" There was a slight bit of reluctance in his voice though. He knew he couldn't let out one of his Pokemon to play. It was a bit to aggressive for that.

 

[arally]

Alexis didn't hesitate as she agreed for the park, "Yeah, I think it'd be best to stop by the park first." She looked over the RV and nodded slightly. "My Pokemon are really gonna need that park," she said, half to herself. She glanced down at the Pokeballs strapped to her belt with her original team inside.

OOC: sorry for such a short post. i've been busy pretty much all day, and i've still got places to go.

 

[SharkWithClawz]

"Let's get going then!" Anthos said enthusiastically, "You can put all your luggage in the storage room."

Anthos walked into the RV leading the group. As they stepped in the group was greeted with a homely looking interior. The vanilla tones continued on the inside of the vehicle. There was a small booth that looked like it was pulled straight out of a diner to the left of them. Just across from that was a comfortable looking couch. a bit further back was a compact kitchen with a stove, oven, and sink. To the very back were the bathroom, a small looking closet and another door that lead to a bed room.

"The bedroom has two beds and the space across the kitchen has a bed that comes out of the wall. So two of us will have to share a room and the other two will have to take the couch and the pullout bed. I'll volunteer to do most of the driving." Anthos said, " Makes yourselves at home and if you have any essentials you can put some stuff in some of the overhead compartments."

Anthos put the key's in the ignition and turned on the radio. He might as well hear some of the local news stations. An older mans voice filled the RV with all the pep and pizazz of a 60's cartoon character.

"...Aaaand to top it all off folks the epic battle between some challenging trainners and the man himself Thunderman ended with a landslide victory. I'm sure all you folks in Destiny City had an amazing time watching live and in person! The three on one triple battle ended in only minutes. While the youngsters thought they had a chance at defeating the mightiest PokeHero Thavma has to offer even their ground and fire type Pokemon stood zero change against his signature static defense technique! Remember folks Stewart city is having a spectacular performance tonight and all trainners are welcome to take a shot at the hot headed PokeHero Fire Star in his newly built gym! I'm Rymond R. Rami and this has been the Ray Report." With that an upbeat jazzy tune from the 60's played on the radio.

Anthos looked forward to the rest of Thavma if they were as enthusiastic as the radio host he had just heard. Before going to put his luggage away with the others Anthos decided, for everyone's sake, to turn on the air conditioning.

 

[arally]

Alexis followed, half-listening to the radio as she went to put her things in the storage room. It seemed to be talking about some battle between Thunderman and another trainer. That name again--Thunderman. I wonder who he is? And a landslide? She headed out of the storage room once she'd finished settling all her things in there.

"I call bedroom!" She walked into the bedroom and immediately flopped down onto one of the beds. It was a relief to finally relax for a while. The plane ride to Thavma had her sitting for a little too long, and it felt nice to lay on the bed. She hoped that the people in the rest of Thavma were as cheerful as the radio host.

 

[The Kitsune]

Nyx left her main pack in the storage area indicated, but kept her holster bag on her hip for quick access. As nice as these trainer's might seem, she didn't trust them quite enough just yet to leave her most valuable possessions unattended. Besides, what trainer could truly feel at ease without their pokemon close at hand. She was just reaching back to touch the three exposed pokeballs on her pouch absentmindedly when a radio voice cut through her thoughts. Moving back to the front of the vehicle, Nyx dropped into the passenger seat to listen.

....

So this Thunderman was the topic of conversation here too. Well there was no doubt he'd earned a reputation here in Thavma, and with a three on one victory it wasn't hard to see why. But Hero... it seemed a odd title to bestow on a trainer, even if he was amongst the best. Nyx's eyes jumped to the radio speaker as the host announced tonight's Steward City event and it's resident contender with gusto.

"A gym?" She looked curiously to Anthos with an eye brow raised to see if he knew anymore about this 'newly-built gym'. "I didn't realize they'd already established a gym system here."

 

[Martin Pine]

With 5 people having to fit inside one RV Finion imagined it could get a little bit crammed at times. However thanks to it's rather homey feel and comfortable colours the word cozy came to his mind instead, Finion looking around the interior of the vehicle as he stepped into it after Nyx. Like Nyx, Finion had put his suitcase in the storage compartment but had kept his satchel on him. Less so because he didn't trust them and moreso because it was a habit, he never went anywhere without it.

Finion was glad that Anthos was doing most of the driving as he himself hadn't even attempted to take a drivers test. He followed Alexis through the RV but stopped around the kitchen area, looking at what they had to work with before the radio caught his attention. Finion looked to the front of the vehicle and then walked towards it, leaning on Anthos' chair as he listened to the voice coming out the speakers.

Thunderman had been mentioned again. It seemed he was a big deal in Thavma and he could see why. Winning a three on one battle with a possible type disadvantage meant he was a powerful trainer. Finion found his mind racing as he tried to think of who this Thunderman was, what Pokemon he used, what the static defence was. He couldn't figure out why this was interesting him so much, whether it was because this 'pokehero' was such a mystery or such a potentially amazing trainer.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Nyx spoke about the gym, glancing to her and then directing his attention to Anthos awaiting an answer. Sparky, who had now finished running around the outside and inside of the RV now came to sit on Finion's shoulder, completely out of breath.

 

[SharkWithClawz]

It was a bit strange now that Nyx mentioned it. Usually Gym's served the purpose of prepping challengers of the league but there was no Pokemon league in Thavma. Was it possible that the Gym's were used as something else? Maybe they just challenged trainners for other regions. Anthos couldn't make sense of it.

"That is weird since there's no Pokemon league here...I'll have to ask the locals about it when we get to the park," Anthos replied, "One thing is for sure, it sounds like the people in Stewart City will be much more enthusiastic about Pokemon in general. So that's a plus."

Anthos began typing in their travel destination into the built in GPS system. After getting buckled and making sure everyone was all settled he started the vehicle and took out on the mostly empty highway. He couldn't help but admire the golden rays of sun and the mostly clear skies. They reminded him so much of those afternoons he'd spend in Johto just battling or taking a stroll around National Park and listening to the street performers play his favorite song with Zuko.
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"I don't know about you all but I'm ready to stretch my legs!" Anthos said once they finally arrived at Azumarill Park.

They were only a few feet away from a large field of grass with plenty of trees resting next to a beautiful crystal lake. People and pokemon played and frolicked farther away from them near the heart of the park. There were plenty of Caterpie and Metapod doing their thing and even some Starly and Pidgey gliding through the air.

The water Pokemon must have been a bit closer to home. Who could blame them? The water looked gorgeous even from the parking lot at the edge of the park. Anthos unbuckled and stepped out making sure to lock the doors once everyone got out. Their first stop in Thavma looked fantastic.

He threw out a Pokeball a, Greatball, and a Quickball. In a brilliant flash of light Sunny the Jolteon, Anzu the Espeon, and Zuko the Typloshion stood in front of him. Each of them looked delighted to see him and Zuko tackled him with a hug, as always he was toasty warm. Sunny and Anzu immediately began looking around with Sunny taking the lead and Anzu trying to to get her paws to dirty.

"This place is actually really beautiful..." Anthos said to the gang, and his Pokemon of course.

 

[The Kitsune]

Nyx blinked groggily behind her sunglasses as the RV came to a halt, immediately stirring herself to stand. She wasn't quite sure when, but apparently the smooth ride and soothing jazz had lulled her to sleep at some point along their route. That was an unsettling thought, falling asleep among four strangers. Whether her peers had noticed or not was yet unclear, so she played it off with a gentle stretch before stepping out of the door after Anthos.

The unfriendly airport might have been nothing more than an unpleasant dream compared to the idyllic scene before her. Though the parking lot around them was fairly empty, people and pokemon were scattered abundantly across the vast park grounds, any stigma about 'trainers' clearly forgotten. Nyx let out a small sigh of relief. Stepping out of her shoes, she let her toes curl into the grass as she smiled fondly at the clear bond between Anthos and his Typhlosion. She took a moment to admire the fire type, a rarity in the far flung region of Kalos, before considering her own pokemon's release.

Midna, Gliss and Nimbus were immediate choices, bursting into being in a flash of light as she touched their Ultraball, Love ball, and Premier ball, respectively. Gliss, the Alolan-Ninetales, gave one crisp bark of delight, shaking her fur in the bountiful daylight as she turned in a quick glorious circle, tiny flecks of frost scattering from her many tails. Nimbus however, being the free-spirit that he was, spread his massive white wings and leapt into the sky after only a precursory glance at his surroundings to ensure he hadn't been called for a battle. It took only a few short seconds for the Togekiss to become little more than a distant silhouette, blending into the clouds in the sky far above. Midna had less reaction having just been out of her ball only a short while before. With only a perfunctory stretch of her tiny arms, she looked back at Nyx. Her trainer already had one additional ball in her hand, retrieved from her holster bag rather reluctantly. Midna seemed to share her apprehension as she eyed the Heavy Ball.

"...Yeah, I know. But Abraxas deserves to stretch his legs like the rest of us," she sighed, her finger hovering over the catch release. Even Gliss seemed to understand as she stopped her frolicking to watch. Nyx touch the button. A hulking red beam emerged, dwarfing her pokemon companion on either side as it materialized into a Tyrantrum between them. The massive pokemon stood high on his back legs and extended his great head to a towering 9 ft. height before letting loose a bellowing, earth quaking roar. As if his sheer volume wasn't enough to scare the locals, his predatory searching eyes scanned the park with clear interest. It wasn't often Abraxas found an environment where he could move without restriction. Knowing everyone wouldn't senseTyrantrum's playful intent for what it was, Nyx placed a hand on his hip, which was the highest point she could easily reach, and brought his attention back down to her. "Hey, 'raxas. Stay close for me, alright? We don't need you trampling the locals."

Sitting down a few feet away from Anthos, Nyx patted the ground to emphasize that he should do the same. Obediently, Abraxas turned in a wide circle, denting an oak with his tail in process, and settled down in the dirt. His massive head came to rest on her leg, effectively pinning her to the ground. She looked to Anthos and the others with a roll of her eyes. "Meet Abraxas, the 600lbs lapdog..."

 

[Martin Pine]

For most of the journey Finion had been sitting in the little booth with Sparky, watching as the small Pachirisu looked through his Pokedex with curious eyes. Screens always fascinated the little squirrel and Finion always found his reaction amusing. It was a relaxing thing to watch whilst he thought about the journey ahead. Not just to the park, though he had given that some thought, he was more focused on what travelling the region would be like, especially with people he had met but hadn't yet grew close to. Kaleb was a slight exception. Asides from a few glances around the inside of the RV, Finion kept his eyes on Sparky.

Once they arrived to the park his head perked up, watching Anthos and Nyx leave as he gathered his stuff into his satchel and followed behind them. He took a moment to appreciate the natural beauty of the park, a warm smile spreading across his face as he saw the enviroment and the Pokemon that were enjoying it. Finion much preferred this place to the airport, feeling relaxed and at ease. It didn't take him long to notice Nyx's and Anthos's Pokemon, looking to them in slight awe and being rather impressed by Anthos' Typhlosion and Nyx's Tyrantrum.

Finion ran his hand along four of the five Pokeballs on his waist, white lights shooting from all of them onto the ground next to him and then forming Pokemon. A Politoed, a Toxicroak, a Zoroark and a Flygon all stood before Finion, looking around before spotting their trainer. Whilst Raven and Jackie the Zoroark and Toxicroak stayed where they were and simply gave a nod, Hop and Gaia the politoed and Flygon practically flung themselves at Finion. Rather the hugging Finion, Hop hopped over him, removing his hat which allowed Gaia to wrap her arms around Finion and then start ruffling his hair. "Oi! hey no!" Finion shouted in protest but also chuckled in amusement, simplying allowing it to happen as Hop also joined in on the hug, the abnormally large Politoed managing to wrap her arms around both Gaia and Finion.

"Alright guys, Dunno how long we have here to stretch your legs and have fun" He spoke to his Pokemon once hey had finished hugging him, all of them immediatly beginning to move. Jackie and Hop began to make their way towards the lake, Jackie starting in a casual stroll until Hop came along and swept up the Toxicroak in her arms, bounding towards the lake whislt the fighting, poison type attempted to escape her grasp. Gaia spread her wings upon noticing another Pokemon flying around, hovering on the spot before flying up to reach the distant silhouette that was Nyx's Togekiss. Raven, like Finion, looked around to the other Pokemon but asides from that made no attempt to intereact with them, instead sticking close to her trainer.

Finion paused as he watched his Pokemon go, wondering where Sparky was before hearing a little squeak behind him. He turned to see Sparky being held by Raven, the Zoroark struggling to keep the wiggling little squirrel in her arms who was attempting to jump towards Finion. It took him a second to realise what the Pachirisu was doing before he sighed, kneeling down so he was on Sparky's level. "It would be nice to let him out but I don't believe that would be such a good idea" He glanced around for a moment, to Anthos' Typhlosion and Nyx's Tyrantrum and whilst he couldn't see it he knew Kaleb's Charizard and Pangoro were probably going to be coming out soon. "You know how ... feisty he is" The Pachirisu stopped struggling, giving a slight huff and folding his arms. "I'll do it tonight, alright. Just me, you and Garfield okay" This seemed to greatly cheer up the Pachirisu, enough that Raven let him go and back onto the ground.

Sparky ran off somewhere, attempting to find Midna but unfortunately heading in completely the wrong direction, instead moving towards Sunny and Anzu whilst Finion, accompanied by Raven, headed closer to Anthos and Nyx. He couldn't help but smile as he saw Abraxas, laughing lightly as he pinned Nyx to the ground. "He seems nice" Finion's Zoroark showed no signs of amusement, instead glancing to the oak tree and then lowering her face to her paw. "Also I am in agreement with Anthos, yes, very beautiful"

 

[SharkWithClawz]

"Let's have some fun!" Anthos exclaimed.

With that him and Zuko started off at a brisk pace towards the rest of the trainers and Pokemon at the park. The rest of his team followed along at a good pace behind the two. The first thing Anthos noticed were all the children and smaller Pokemon who accompanied them. Mudkip, Pichu, Iggglybuff, Skitty and more played with children no older than seven on the small play structures set around the specific area of the park. Anthos wondered if those were their parent's Pokemon or their own.

Anzu and Sunny began to join in on the fun and play with the children and their small Pokemon. Zuko and Anthos walked towards the water to look for any tough trainners who might want to battle. Zuko was always up for a challenge.

"Hey man you gotta check out this Pokemon I caught. It's totally tough. I could wreck you no doubt." A young teen boy was talking to a man in suit who seemed more concerned with the lake than he did with any Pokemon.

"Get lost kid." The man sighed.

"Come on, I'll take you out with no problem at all!" The boy threw his Pokeball in the air and a Scyther appeared ready to fight.

The man looked irritated now. Although aviator sunglasses covered his face he was visibly angry enough for them not to matter. In an instant the anger formed into a malicious grin. The man in the suit took out an all silver Pokeball and sent out a Magmortar. It let out a flamethrower attack that hit Scyther head on and startled the nearby children and their parent's. The Scyther went down fast as the teenage boy rushed to it's side for aid.

"I thought you wanted to fight kid. If that's all you got this is gonna hurt bad." The man said as Magmortar aimed at the trainer.

Luckily the boy was able to jump out of the way just in time to avoid being hit with a flamethrower attack. It instead hit Syther once again an burned it while it was down. Anthos knew a bad guy when he saw one. He'd scrapped with thugs, thieves, and even Team Rocket before. To his surprise Sunny and Anzu jumped to protect Scyther and the trainer.

"Not cool dude!" Anthos yelled at the man in the suit. Zuko jumped in front of Anthos ready to scrap, "Back off man I got friend's her who will wipe the floor with you for real so don't even try to fight."

The man smiled as several other men in suits with silver Pokeballs walked up next to the man. Anthos had no Idea where they came from but as they sent out an Electrivire, Tangrowth, and Rhyperior, Anthos could only hope the others did have his back. He might have been a Johto champion but he could only handle so many Pokemon at once in a battle. It was time to fight, how exciting.

 

[The Kitsune]

Nyx had resigned herself to her cozy entrapment, petting the rough ridge of Abraxas's brow as she watched Gliss frolic with the other pokemon so close at hand. The artic fox hadn't seen much more than her native Alola and she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the lush open space of the park, seemingly unaware of the frostbite damage her paws left on the manicured lawn as she flounced. Midna had taken up her usual guard at the highest point she could easily reach, which today happened to be the crown of the Tyrantrum's head. Her tiny head on the swivel, it was the mawile that seemed to notice the flare of distant flames first as she let out a quick, "Ma-Maw!" in alarm.

Nyx ceased her casual petting at the sound, her gaze following Midna's pointed stare. And her's wasn't the only one. All of Nyx’s pokemon had learned to recognize the Mawile's alarm call and all reached accordingly; Gliss freezing mid-bounce, her stance alert, and Abraxas, raising his massive head enough to turn a predatory eye toward the second flash of flame. It was a battle breaking out in the middle of this serene park and Anthos was at it's center!

Nyx was on her feet in an instant. "Anthos!" With a expectant look back at the other three, she took off at a sprint, calling "Let's go!" as she went. Whether her words were directed at the other trainers or her own pokemon was unclear, though her pokemon gave immediate chase.

"Abraxas, Roar! Bliss, Veil!" Her commands were made on the move, knowing her long legged companions would reach the scene before her. And sure enough...

Abraxas thundered onto the scene first, dropping to all fours near Zuko (a tight squeeze) and opening his jaws in a monsterous Roar. Surprisingly the move wasn't directed at the opponent pokemon, but at the other children and their pokemon in the immediate vicinity, removing the potential for civilian casualties as they scattered. A sound percaution should the battle get out of hand and, judging by the array of pokemon facing Anthos down, that seemed a very real possibility. Gliss landed lightly on the grass on The wounded scyther's other side, a blizzard of hail storming forth from her tail as she came. Without a moment lost, she gave an eerie cry, her eyes aglow, and a misty Aurora Veil wall descended between the opposing sides of the inpromtu battleground.

It took several seconds more for Nyx to run up, a tense Midna jogging at her side, before she stopped at Anthos side. "What's going on here?" she asked with heavy breath, glancing at Anthos before leveling a hard glare on the suited men before them. "Who are these guys?"

 

[StormingCobra]

Kaleb saw that his comrades had begun to battle the men who attacked the kid with the Scyther and he stepped in between all the Pokémon battling. “This’ll make them all cower in fear,” Kaleb said to Anthos and Nyx. He threw forward the ball containing his Charizard before holding up his Mega Ring. “Scram before Charizard blows your entire teams to bits!” Kaleb said as the Mega Evolution activated. His Mega Charizard X blasted a Fire Blast in the direction of Tangrowth. Kaleb sent out Torterra, who attempted to attack Rhyperior, Magmortar, and Electivire with Earthquake.

His Pangoro soon followed, jumping in front of the boy with the Scyther to guard him from oncoming attacks. Kaleb turned to Finion. “Wanna help me out here?” he asked him. “For old times sake?” He smiled as he said the last sentence before turning back to the battle between his Pokémon and the inferior teams of the men in suits. “Touch the kid again and I’ll slaughter you all myself!” he shouted at them, pulling a knife from his pocket.

 

[Martin Pine]

Finion had decided to rest and just enjoy the enviroment and feel of the park, sitting down on a clear patch of grass close to Nyx and her Pokemon but far away. He didn't notice the flames but did hear Midna's call, glancing up to the small Pokemon with a confused expression before looking in the direction her and the rest of Nyx's pokemon were looking in. "Fire?" A confused mumble left Finion's mouth, the trainer looking to Nyx and Kaleb who had immediatly rose to their feet and raced over to help in the situation.

"Raven go!" The Zoroark gave a quirk bark and began to sprint after the group, Finion rising to his feet and then whistling out to the rest of his Pokemon ... all to far away to hear. "Ugh, right of course, why would they be here" He sighed in annoyance, scrambling to his feet and running to the others as fast as his legs could carry him. His Zoroark was already there but rather than choosing to battle she chose to stand with Sunny, Anzu and Gliss, protecting the Scyther and trainer.

Finion arrived after Kaleb, glancing to the others with a concerned and confused frown. Seems like they were battling already, really going for it as well. He was distracted by everyone elses Pokemon for a moment, looking to them with wide eyes before shaking his head and returning his attention to their opposition. "R-Right, yeah" Finion responded to Kaleb, his hand hovering over the fifth Pokeball on his waist, the one containing his Garchomp. After a moment of hesitation he decided against it, looking back to his Zoroark and calling her over. "Raven!"

The Zoroark was not pleased with Finion's decision, narrowing her eyes with a disapproving look before leaping into the air and landing in front of him. "Yeah, yeah I know- look just ..." An eyebrow quirked on the Pokemon's face as she glanced back. "Fine you're right but you're also here anyway so ... lets just do this" His little conversation with Zoroark was quick and hushed, the two of them taking a battle stance as he looked to the rest of the group. "Are you sure you need me? You erm, seem to have it under control and stuff" There were alot of Pokemon out, he imagined it getting rather hectic- he wouldn't want any crossfire ... he wouldn't want to get in the way.

 

[SharkWithClawz]

"I honestly have no idea but they tried to roast that kid alive," Anthos said.

They reminded him of Team Rocket or those other gangs he'd seen on the new. The all silver Pokeballs were strange too. He wondered what they did exactly. There was no time to ponder on that though, Just as he was about to command Sunny and Zuko to attack Caleb was ready with his Pokemon out and a knife in his hand.

The fire blast attack hit Tangrowth with such force it was knocked off it's legs and into the nearby lake. It's tendrils shot out and wrapped around some trees as it pulled itself back up. The Pokemon seemed hurt but not nearly as bad as it should have been.

One or two of the other Pokemon had used protect because the earthquake attack did nothing to Rhyperior, Magmortar, or Electrivire. The men in suits gave wicked grins to one another and launched a counter attack. Electrivire blasted a powerful thunder attack at Calebs Charizard. Magmortar raised it's cannon like arms and sprayed a wall of flames forward that would make any physical attacks difficult to preform without getting burnt.

Zuko could use flame wheel to get past the wall of flames but he stood no chance that close to such heavy hitters. Anthos place a hand on his Pokemon's hot back. He gave him a look and Zuko understood to stay put for the time being. Reaching for his belt Anthos threw out a quickball and a Dragonite soared into the air ready to fight.

"Dragonite! Use focus blast! Anzu hit em with your best-" Anthos was cut off as a hyperbeam attack from Rhyperior charged straight at Zuko and Abraxas.

 

[The Kitsune]

This minor skirmish was quickly deteriorating into an all-out battle and, though Nyx could plainly see the fight was inevitable, she had hardly expected the first offensive strike to come from one of their own. The appearance of Kaleb’s Mega-Charizard was an impressive sight and his fire blast that followed no less so, but it was the cry to war none of them could ignore.

Even as the charred Tangrowth pulled itself from the lake waters, Nyx rounded on her own pokemon with commands at the ready. “Gliss, start plotting! Abrax-” Electivire’s fur was sparking with a ready charge and the Marmortar took aim even as Ninetale’s eyes shone with the stored power of Nasty Plot, but to her surprise neither attack was directed at them. As the oppressive fire wall spread out before them, mirroring Gliss’s own Aurora Veil line of defense, the massive Tyrantrum took one threatening step forward. The flames licked at his lithic foot without effect, but the other pokemon weren’t likely to be so lucky. Teeth bared at the flames enough to match her Abraxas’s, she nearly missed the sudden glow of the incoming attack.

“RAXAS,GuardZu-” Despite the haste in her command, the final word never made it out. Luckily, Abraxas was a better read than his naive nature suggested, and with a quick, heavy step, the Tyrantrum moved in her unfinished suggestion and braced himself directly in the beams path. Even taking the full brunt of the blast, the powerful beam should have left little more than a scratch on the rock type. … so why did it look like more? The Tyrantrum faltered for a moment, a scowl contorting his jaw, before he stood tall again, his echoing roar making it clear he was still ready, no, eager to fight. There wasn’t time to ponder the Hyper Beam’s exceptional power. If anything, it was clear this would only get more dangerous as time went on.

“We need to end this,” Nyx said, looking toward Anthos, Finion and Kaleb. “Abraxas, push forward; Rock Slide that wall. Gliss, follow with Blizzard.” At her command, the tyrantrum dug in his toe claws and squared up against the oppressive wall of flame. With a rumble of earth the seemed to echo from Abraxas’s own throat, the ground rippled and cracked beneath his feet as it rose in a wave of rock, rushing forth to smother the blaze. And with each slow step, he pushed the rock slide forward right into the line of waiting opponents beyond. Right at his heels, Gliss prowled, a blizzard of ice flowing from her many tails to fuel the already heavy fall of hail. Perhaps neither attack would end this on its own, but at least the advancing force of rock and ice would serve to divide and disrupt their foes. And in the wake of the advancing pair, they’d cleared a path for allies to advance and breach the defense the Magmortar had attempted to construct.

 

[Martin Pine]

Finion was trying to keep track of everything going on around him, looking besides him as attacks were fired off from each side. He was frozen, he wasn't expecting a battle so soon let alone one like this. As the wall of fire rose between them he stumbled backwards, falling over into a sitting position and clutching his hat. Raven hopped back much more gracefully than Finion, glancing to her trainer with a concerned expression and then looking to the other Pokemon.

Nyx's words as well as her's and Anthos' determined advance on the opposition snapped Finion out of his blur of thoughts, the trainer rising to his feet and then taking a deep breath. He needed to focus, if he tried to think of to many things at once he'd get overwhelmed. One Pokemon at time. His eyes flickered over to Abraxas and then to the wall of fire being pushed back by the rock slide and blizzard. Anthos' attack would most likely being aimed at the Rhydon since fighting was effective on rock and Nyx seemed to be negating most of the enemies attacks.

He replayed the events of seconds ago through his head, remembering the Tangrowth opposite him that fell into the lake. It had already been hit by a flamethrower from Kaleb's charizard so it was injured and it had been partially seperated from the group. Finion decided that would be his target, that Raven would not face the whole group head on but moreso focus on the stragglers and the weak ones to thin to opposition.

"Alright Raven, use nightslash to vault over that wall of fire and then dark pulse it" The Zoroark smiled, turning her attention back to the wall of fire in front of her. She ran towards it as a bright purple energy began to grow in her hands, growing bigger than most nightslashes and looking more like a staff than a sword. Once close enough she slammed the end into the ground and pushed, continuing to run as it bent under her pressure and then flicked her up into the air, Raven using the staff to pole vault over the wall of fire.

She hadn't launched herself high enough to clear the wall of fire but thanks to Abraxas she was able to nimbly land on a rock and jump off it and over the wall. The night slash had now disappeared and it's place there was a mess of stringy black and purple energy balling, bundling and buldging in her joined hands as she fell towards the Tangrowth. She pushed the attack out in front of her to shoot the dark pulse at the Tangrowth to hopefully push it back into the water.

Finion couldn't see Raven through the wall of fire but hoped that it would soon be cleared by Abraxas' and Gliss' onslaught. Raven landed, glancing back for a moment but keeping her attention on Tangrowth.

 

[SharkWithClawz]

The barrage off attacks that followed Tyranitar's Hyper Beam were unrelenting. Dragonite managed to get a clean shot at Tyranitar with his Focus Blast instantly knocking the Pokemon out. Anzu had created already begun a Psybeam attack and despite being distracted by the Hyper Beam managed to hit Electrivire hard.

Rock Slide and Blizzard extinguished the flame wall and chilled the enemy Pokemon to their bones. Abraxas and Gliss were quite handy. Sunny jumped in for a Volt Tackle despite being much smaller than Magmortar, his intended target. Raven's Dark Pulse knocked Tangrowth out before it had a chance to join the fray.

The men in suits looked unfazed at this change in the tide of battle. Each of their Pokemon returned to their silver shelters and were placed on their trainners belts. For a moment the men stared with stone cold eyes hidden beneath their sunglasses at the champions before them. Then one by one they placed a hand to one of their ears and nodded.

"You got off luck this time. Now we know how strong you are and what Pokemon you have...We'll be ready for you when the time comes." The man in black tapped the side of his shades and flashed and ominous grin.

Each man stepped onto a platform that had risen from the waters surface behind them and were lowered beneath the surface. The battle was won and each trainners Pokemon returned to their side. Anthos looked at the others with a confused expression. It seemed the group was fine but those men were very off putting and didn't seem like any old grunts.

"Wait...where'd that kid go?" Anthos said as he looked over to see Anzu and Gliss standing alone.

 

[The Kitsune]

Abraxas didn't seem quite satisfied with the battle. He followed a few yards behind the suited men as they moved to the waters edge, a lingering snarl emitted from his jaws. Likewise, Nyx glared after them as well and let her pokemon pursue, knowing that, despite his threatening growls, he wouldn't attacking without command. Let their last look back at our group be of teeth and claws... she thought.

It was Anthos question that brought her back to the scene at hand and she glanced suspiciously around. Sure enough the boy and his Scyther were gone, as if they'd never been their in the first place. An uneasy feeling crawled in her stomach as she took out her heavy ball and recalled Abraxas, who was still sniffing hopefully at the water's edge. "...why do I feel like we were setup?"