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Ask to Join The Strange Lights of Route 14

[[Notice: This RP is now "Closed" to most, but if you really really want to join, shoot me a message.]]

They say when night falls on the Route 14 of Unova, a thick fog rolls in.

And when you look closely, you’ll see them- the flashing lights. Green, red, yellow- blinking in patterns. And if you stare to much? They’ll take you away. At least, that’s the rumor. Surely nothing terrible could lay on such a quiet route? Landorus is even said to watch over it from it’s shrine that lay on the cliffs above.

Though these strange things do happen. The lights have been reported many times. People wake up and forget what they were even doing on the route. Some wake up with no memory of who they were at all. Others recall an omen, the white furred Absol, appearing. And all share a similar story- they all recall the lights.

A foggy night falls upon Route 14, and with it the lights appear as well. And the fog catches a bundle of unwitting trainers with it...will they join the group of the memory robbed wanderers? Or shall they unravel the mystery of those shining lights?
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Quick rules, just doing this so everyone is on the same page.
1) First off, please read the Pokecharms rules. I don’t want anyone to get in trouble because they didn’t do the one thing that literally everything tells you to do in the first place.
2) Don’t Godmod. This is pretty clear in the first place, but please. I don’t want our major obstacles being one shot by your all powerful Eevee or other equivalent.
3) Please try to make your posts at least two paragraphs (Ten sentences about) long- just to keep things engaging. Use proper grammar too, that’s important as well.
4) No fakemon or fan variants of Pokemon. Pretty much an unspoken rule. To be specific, when I say variants I mean complete design and type change, not their fur being a shade darker. Shinies and all are cool.
5) Don’t be a jerk ooc. A jerk who is in character I don’t mind. Just not outside. Also understand constructive criticism =/= being a jerk.
6) Don’t worry about asking to join. Just hop on in. I will close this soon though, once we have a cast all together. 4 or 5 people max I’d say.
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Another day of wandering over, Jackson guessed.

He had left Undella just a few minutes ago, a quaint town that got busy during the summer, or so he heard. Fall had come and with it, taking the tourists and replacing them with terrible chilling winds. While the sun gleaming off the Undella bay was quite a pretty sight, the cold breeze that skid over the ocean was not to Jackson’s liking.

The valley ahead, Route 14, was said to be coated in a mist and fog thanks to the waterfalls of the road. Not that he was worried about that- he had his ways of dealing with fog.

No, what interested him him were those rumored...lights.

Hushed whisper had been going around the quiet town of Undella, and Jackson had heard some of the juicier ones- which, aside from some local gossip, included what laid in Route 14, and how “No one should go down there at night.” While Jackson usually doubted these things, he couldn’t exactly say with complete confidence it wasn’t true. The world was weird, after all. Unexplained lights were much less strange than some other happenings in the world.

Though most things did have explanations behind them. The lights were probably some reflections off the nearby waterfalls. Be it some kid’s flashlight or a car blinker, it was nothing more than some over imaginative souls blowing it up since there was not much else to do during the off season. At worst? It was a Pokemon in the night, who could be easily scared off. So the lights didn't frighten him too much.

He crossed the bridge leading to Route 14, fog rolling up as the orange sun sank below the horizon. With a sigh, he began to shuffle through his bag, pulling out a Great Ball with a notch in it. “Let’s go, Chipper. Need your eye.”

A large, dark grey creature appeared on the bridge, a red eye in the center of it’s skull shaped face. It made a noise, sounding like a guttural growl, as if it were annoyed- of course, that was just it’s normal voice. Dusclops didn’t have much in the ways of vocal chords...or a mouth. It was amazing that it could even make noise. One of those things that was less believable than unexplained lights that Jackson had mentioned earlier.

“Light the way, pal.”

Chipper’s gazer glew ever brighter, shining a scarlet light into the fog. Now Jackson had significantly less chance of tripping down a staircase or falling into a river. He really didn't want to end up with a broken neck, much less in a foreign country.

The reason Jackson was attempting to head to the next town over was simple- he just didn’t like Undella all that much, and he didn’t feel like sleeping in the wilderness. The route’s only real obstacle was the fog, so he just had to go through the valley. It may of been petty, but he wasn't staying in that chilly sea town any longer than he had to.

“Good job boy, now let's get going.” Jackson continued, finishing his course over the bridge, Chipper following behind him, it’s light guiding the way.

He started his decent down into the valley, heading down a set of stairs. The sky was getting darker, the fog ever thicker, the Dusclops shuffling alongside him. Jackson’s thoughts wandered as he walked, about his journey so far. It wasn’t a quest for Gym Badges, but rather just seeing the sights. He wasn’t into battles so much. They were fun and all, but he wasn’t very...good at them. Jackson didn't have a strategy other than "Hit them a lot." His train of thought derailed as he heard another sound from Chipper, who apparently had missed a step.

Because Jackson saw his ghostly escort tumbling down the stairs, the crimson beacon going with it.

“Gah, CHIPPER!” Shit, he thought to himself, giving chase to the ghost type. That's not good.

...This walk was going to be a long one, wasn’t it?
 
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@EspeonTheBest @kageyama ??))

Jocelyn Winters was also on route 14 - 15, but for a different reason: she was looking for her lost pokemon. Her Lucario had dissapeared while on this route, and well, without him she was hopeless. Having heard footsteps and loud echoes of shouts from near one of the falls, the girl scrambled to her feet, from a sitting position against a tree, chasing after the sounds in a light run. "Hey-" she called out, having run into a dense patch of fog. She then collided with someone else, stumbling and bringing the person down with her, who she assumed was a wild pokemon. She let out a started yell, scooting on her ass away from the person. She tried to stand, before letting out a yelp, her ankle throbbing a bright angery red in her mind. "haaaaaa.." she exhaled, gripping her ankle a bit, attempting to put space between whatever she'd run into.
 
(If you want me to edit in my char's description, lemmie know.)
Calvin recently entered Route 14, he took a deep breath and exhaled before he started to traverse the fog covered path. In his eyes it was easy to tell he was superstitious of the myth behind the strange lights, even for an ace trainer. As his footsteps lightly clumped to the ground, another pair of footsteps could be heard from a much larger and bulkier figure that seemed to be tailing Calvin, fire was emitting from around the large figure's neck. Any Pokémon expert would be able to make that out as an Emboar who shared Calvin's cautiousness.

Calvin let out a sigh. "Come on Hamilton, the sooner we get through here, the sooner we make it home..." The Emboar gave him a nod before letting out a flinch after hearing a few noises. "What was that?!" Calvin asked as he looked around to find where the sound came from. "Someone might need our help, come on!" he said before he headed in the direction of the yelling, Hamilton wasn't far behind him.
 
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The sun had set, and the temperature had dropped. Dana waded from the waters of Route 14, produced a white towel from the bag she'd left at the banks, and dried her wet, light brown hair. Most people did their swimming in Undella Bay and certainly not at this time of year. But the mists of Route 14 made Dana forget the seasons, erased the surrounding world and gave her peace. She didn't bother the aquatic Pokémon, and they didn't bother her, or Close Call would send them away. The Floatzel was a Water-type, so he didn't feel the need to dry off when he followed his trainer out the water.

Dana zipped up a blue, light hoodie over her swimsuit and donned black shorts with two white stripes running down the sides. She wasn't particularly tall, yet they stopped before her knees.

Her shivers were the least of the night's worrying sounds. Dana sucked it up and hurried to the startled girl who had yelled, though she couldn't run fast in flip flops. The latter was gripping her ankle, which throbbed a bright red. She'd have to have tripped, sprained it, and been stung by 50 Beedrill for her injury to stand out in the fog.

"Are you all right...?" Dana asked in a hushed voice. She didn't know what kind of attention she might attract by overreacting, like the strange lights that were rumored to appear here at night. "If you're injured, cold water from the streams might help. Or, my Floatzel could-"

She got a closer look at the color of the sprain. The girl was drawing back as if putting distance between her and something else. This was no injury. It was a light. A bright, red light.

The 16-year-old shivered, not from the cold this time. Were these... were these the blinking lights that appeared at night here? The rumors... they were true, weren't they? It wasn't the red that scared her exactly, but what was said to follow if she stared into it for too long. Figuring they had time to escape before it blinked yellow and green, Dana turned to the girl nervously. "U-um, we should go..."
 
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"Hey!" Calvin called as he noticed a few figures ahead of him, despite how loud he was, he was more concerned for the lives of others more than the myth being true. He and his Emboar moved closer and closer until they could properly make out the figures within the fog. He stopped when he could see the two females before him and crouched down.

"Are you alright?" He asked "I heard a noise so I figured someone needed help." He said before he pulled out a great ball from one of the pockets in his brown trench coat and lightly threw it into the air. When the great ball opened, a Lilligant came out. "If you're seriously injured, I would very much like to see if I can help." He said thoughtfully.
 
The Dusclops groaned again, sitting on his side. He was putting in little effort in recovering- perhaps he liked sitting on the ground. Chipper wasn't a very bright bulb, given the fact he had tripped in the first place...He saw something. A figure, moving away from him. Did he hit that thing? He did remember hitting something, though not seeing it. Perhaps that was indeed the thing he hit. It certainly wasn't dead, still moving.

A new figure joined the one that moved away from him. And another. Chipper could hear them talk, not noticing him- perhaps the fog had swallowed him whole. Ah, but then the new figures did see him! They too backed away in fear. Was he truly that scary? Chipper wasn't sure. And more! More figures appeared from the depths of the foggy route! There was a whole party now, and yet none seemed to take notice of him. A flaming beast was among these new figures. He groaned again. He didn't want to be on the other side of that fire creature, and now he was starting to put up an effort to get up.

"CHIPPER!" Jackson called again, continuing down the stairs as fast as he could, not wanting to suffer a similar fate to his Pokemon. Upon reaching the ground, he heard the signature sound of his Dusclops, right in front of him. Indeed, he saw the red light of his Pokemon. He only thought of helping out his Pokemon, not noticing the figures in front of the ghost type. "There you are buddy. Lemme help you up..." With a little effort, he lifted up Chipper on to his two feet.

The Dusclops' light turned towards hus master, who was dusting him off. "Took a bit of a tumble, hmm? Ah, well it's okay. Your a hardy guy." And then Chipper turned towards the assortment of figures. "...Oh." Damn, that's a lot of people. Jackson thought. Play it cool, play it cool. "Hello there fellow travellers!" He told the ensemble in the dark. "My name is Jackson, this is my friend Chipper. He's a Dusclops, in the case you couldn't see...pretty hard to see anything in this fog though, huh?" In the light, he could faintly see the folks- three people. Travelling party? He didn't know. But one was on the ground from what he could tell, two others trying to help them...Perhaps Chipper may have given them a scare. Dusclops weren't very...stereotypically attractive. "Chipper here tripped coming down the stairs, the clumsy fellow he is. Apologies if he interrupted you all."
 

Psycho Monkey

Member of the Literary Elite Four
After losing to the Opelucid Gym Leader for the second time, Shiro Yukimura went out to train even harder. It wasn’t the first time he lost to a Gym Leader, but it was the first time he lost in a rematch against one. Shiro was determined not to make it a third loss. During his training, an interesting rumor caught the teenage Trainer’s attention. He heard tale that deep within White Forest was a tall tree known as the White Tree Hollow and deep within the catacombs under the tree was hidden treasure. Trainers would journey from all over Unova, if not the world, to battle each other at the White Tree Hollow all in search of this treasure. It was something Shiro couldn’t ignore. Not only would battling those Trainers be great training for his Pokémon, treasure hunting was something he lived for ever since the beginning of his Pokémon Journey.

Shiro’s journey south brought him to Route 14. It was a chilly autumn evening so he was wearing his forest green windbreaker to stay warm with the hood of his jacket covering most of his messy brown hair. His hands were in the pockets of his dark blue jeans for quick access to one of the six Pokéballs on his belt. He had passed through Route 14 just once before and back then it was a clear sunny day, the opposite of the dense fog covering the area now. His dirty white running shoes allowed him to tread lightly so the only sound he made was the crunching of leaves under his feet. Shiro wanted to move quietly and cautiously in the fog since it was hard to see more than a few meters in front of him and he didn’t want to trip over obstacles or accidentally walk into one of the many rivers flowing down the route.

Once the sun had completely set it became almost impossible to see anything, especially with the fog seemingly getting thicker. Shiro started looking around trying to decide where the best place to make camp for the night was. As far as he could tell, he was still on the main path so pitching his tent right in the middle of the road wasn’t an option. As he surveyed the area, a red gleam caught Shiro’s blue eyes. The crimson light bobbed up and down as if moving before abruptly sinking below the ground. This was then followed up by yelling of what sounded like a person. From the distance he was at, Shiro couldn’t tell if the person was calling to another human, a Pokémon, or if they were under attack. Without hesitation, Shiro gripped Shadow’s Pokéball and rushed over to the scene to investigate. As he got closer he started to slow his pace again having lost sight of whatever it was that was over here. That’s when he noticed the main-made staircase on his left. Maybe the red light he saw had fallen down these? Shiro looked to the bottom and sure enough, there was the red light.

“Hey! Is everything alright down there?” Shiro called down. He relaxed his grip on the Pokéball as he slowly walked down the steps. He didn’t want to fall too after all. At the bottom he could make out the figures of four people and a few Pokémon too though the fog was too thick for him to make out many of the features other than the flaming beard illuminating the face of an Emboar. Was this large group a travelling party?

“I don’t want to interrupt if this is none of my business, I just heard a commotion and thought I’d investigate to make sure no one was hurt.” he explained.

(OOC: As of now, Shiro is unaware of the rumored strange lights of Route 14 but he'll be happy to investigate once he learns of them. And perhaps we should get a discussion thread going to reduce the amount of OOC blather in the main topic and to ask questions if needed?)
 

What Did You Do To Snoke?

Previously Ratbag the Coward
Chase Orwell was a talented trainer, adventurer and surfer who had rented a villa in Undella Town at a cheaper price than most. He originated from Lacunosa Town but had fell in love with the sea and water type Pokemon as soon as he had visited Undella Town. He adventured around the Unova region, collecting badges from the gyms as he went. He soon collected a good number of badges. Chase soon returned to Undella Town where he spent a lot of his time in his villa and out at sea. He learnt how to surf on his journeys and was good at it, riding across the waves in both the town of Undella itself and the famous Undella Bay. He had met his beloved Alomomola whilst surfing around the watery routes of Unova. His older sister was the one who originally caught it. She gave it to him after she found no need for it as she took on the Pokemon League Challenge. Chase, meanwhile, returned to Undella and surfed the area with his new Alomomola. As a resident of this generally more exotic part of Unova, he had met countless surfers along this bay, including the gym leader Marlon himself. Chase had become friends with the gym leader, who he honestly thought was very laid back. Chase himself wasn't too laid back, not compared to the surfers who seemed to lounge around all day in the water.

Chase had heard from the locals about a deep fog in the southern routes. As an adventurer, he naturally took interest in the tales about the powerful Pokemon located near the shrine in the south and the connection with the strange flashing lights. These routes were unusual, unmarked and deviated from civilisation and the gyms, which did annoy Chase. Crossing the beach at Undella Town, Chase decided to explore. He had a belt of Pokemon around his waste and wore slightly-longish trunks below. He put on a shirt as he emerged from the water. His body was fairly muscular and he was tall with now wet dark brown hair. He put some shoes on and crept into the fog. The fog was dense, but he could see traces of light from other people's Pokemon in the distance. Chase also noticed the plethora of Pokemon that could be caught here. One Pokemon did take his particular interest: it was a blue bird with two white clouds as it's wings. Chase thought it was beautiful and decided to catch it. He threw a poke ball at it but it did not even wobble. Three more Poke balls later, it still refused to be caught. Chase ran after it, trying to grab it. He threw a single Great Ball at the bird and it caught it. Using his pokedex, Chase identified the Pokemon from the Pokedex entry as a 'Swablu.'
 
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"Me? I'm all right. She's not." Dana gestured Calvin toward Jocelyn. "And if we stick around, I don't think we'll be either."

Her eyes drifted back to the eerie red light as she finished her thought. It was best if the two of them moved the other girl somewhere safe and helped her from there. But the light turned away suddenly, and a voice spoke up saying that they came in peace.

"Ahaha... nice to meet you. I'm Dana, and Close Call is my Floatzel," she replied awkwardly. 'Nice' definitely wasn't the right word, because she'd been just about ready to take off. "And hey, don't worry about it. The only thing you interrupted was my heartbeat..."

There were four people in one place now, and a fifth called down at them asking what she and Calvin essentially had: "Is everything all right down there?"

Dana looked up at the boy as he came down the stairs. She'd seen him better from above than from where the fog had settled. "We're safe, but one of us is hurt and needs help..."

She didn't expect five people including herself to show up all at once and surround the injured girl. Most would doubt they heard her at all and continue through the mist. Looking at the crowd that had begun to form in the unlikeliest of places, Dana smiled. She thought they had the makings of a traveling party, coming together with a common interest as suddenly as they did.

That’s what she'd been trying to tell her parents ever since she'd begun to form opinions about the world. Traveling with Pokémon brought people together. Why couldn't they realize that? Dana's mother a lawyer and her father a politician, they believed in tighter restrictions on carrying Pokémon because it enabled violence. Even if her dad pretended to understand her views, he was lobbied by countless environmental organizations who blamed trainers for the dwindling populations of creatures in their natural habitats. She could argue with her folks as much as she wanted, but their ears were pressed to the mouths of more powerful forces. So she'd set off on her own journey.

In Route 14, Dana had found a special place. She could disappear into the mist and swim away her concerns. And things like this—the willingness to help those in need, acquainted or not—made it even better.
 
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Calvin smiled "The name's Calvin, this big guy here is Hamilton." He said as his Emboar waved lightly. He turned to his Lilligant. "Think you can use Aromatherapy on the lady's wound, Midori?" He asked, his Lilligant responded with a nod and started to use Aromatherapy, a faint green light headed toward Jocelyn's wound in an attempt to heal it. "Let's not linger here for too long; I don't want to find out if those light rumors are true or not."

Calvin let out a somewhat vexed sigh. "Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't've been training here for too long, now the fog is so thick I can barely see my own hands." he joked. "I just didn't expect so many to respond to the poor lady with this myth going about, it just shows we're braver than the rest, heh." His Emboar decided to look around for anyone else, but didn't stray too far from everyone, even if he did get lost, people would find him easily thanks to his flaming beard.

"When this is all done, I just wanna go home and go to bed..."
 
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What Did You Do To Snoke?

Previously Ratbag the Coward
Wading through the thick fog, Chase went. He believed that a Pokemon should easily be able to get rid of the fog. He knew there was a TM given out to trainers in Sinnoh called Defog. Chase sent out his newly caught Swablu and ordered it to try to get rid of the fog by flapping it's tiny wings but it was no use. The fog refused to go away. Chase then sent out his Darmanitan. He was sure the flames of the ape-like creature could get rid of the fog. However, it was the same affect. The fog wouldn't go away. Chase looked to the sky and saw a Driftblim. Oh, how he longed for one! If he had one, he could go into the sky and see where to go from here. The opening to Undella Town had long left his sights. The Driftblim were way to far up for Chase to grab a hold of, and he was sure that he couldn't toss a poke ball that high, so he wandered past them, letting them out of his sights. Soon, something caught his eye: a band of four or five travellers. He couldn't be sure what they were but when he gazed upon them at a closer distance, he saw that these were truely human beings. He was about to say 'hi' to them when his phone rang giving off a loud high pitched ringtone. Chase was shocked so much so he jumped and his phone fell out of his hands and went flying to just next to where one of the group was standing. Chase then grabbed the phone.

"So sorry!" Chase exclaimed, in a regretful tone. He looked at his mobile phone: it said 'one missed call.' Who from? Alysa Orwell, his sister.
 
Jocelyn scooted back on her ass, getting to her feet. She fell into the other girls arms behind her, Dana was it? Steadying herself awkwardly, she leaned against a nearby tree, trying to keep all of her weight off of her rolled ankle. Her Axew finally came out of the woods, bumping into his trainer's leg, chirping sweetly before continuing to chomp on the berry it had managed to find in the forest.

Jocelyn growled softly, picking up the small reptile pokemon, scolding it quietly with a tap on the head, in which the pokemon replied with biting her finger. The girl somehow managed to resist the urge to scream, wiping her burning finger on her plastic poncho, Axew's spit being mildly acidic.

"Oh um.. I'm fine.." Jocelyn murmured awkwardly as her Axew squirmed in her arms, complaining loudly. She had no idea why her pokemon was misbehaving so much. Compared to her Ponyta and Poliwag, Axew was the equivelant of a 4 year old on a sugar rush.

Jocelyn did not own a pokedex, as they were rather expensive, and having grown up on a rural pokemon ranch, she knew very little about levels, and her pokemon in general.

She listened to the group chatter, petting the top of her Mon's head nervously. She seemed uncomfortable to say the least. Perhaps she was just embarassed.
 
"Braver than the rest, huh?" Dana thought about what Calvin said. "At least one of us is, the way you jumped in and had Lilligant use Aromatherapy on a sprain. Never knew Pokémon moves could treat injuries. I'd high-five you and say good job, but in this mist I'd probably end up hitting you in the face."

Unlike the girl in her arms, she was relaxed enough to joke. Jocelyn managed to tell everyone she was fine, which was better than nothing.

"Are you sure?" Dana wondered. Even if Jocelyn felt better physically, her emotions said otherwise. "We probably made you uncomfortable, the way all four of us swarmed you in the fog. Sorry about that."

Her apology was followed by a loud ringtone, a dropped phone, and another apology.

"Make that five," Dana corrected upon Chase's entrance. He seemed as uncomfortable getting down as Jocelyn was getting back up. But when the man retrieved his dropped phone and stood to his full height, Dana noticed how tall and muscular he was. There was nothing insecure about his good looks. Maybe Jocelyn would be less embarrassed after seeing firsthand that even attractive guys stumble.

"I know what everyone's thinking..." Dana began. She could hardly make out their expressions in the mist, but she didn't need to read faces to conclude the one thing on the minds of those who passed through Route 14 at night. Hopefully the fog hid the way she looked at Chase, too.

"The strange lights. But there are six of us now. If we stick together, we'll be fine, right?"
 
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What Did You Do To Snoke?

Previously Ratbag the Coward
Chase stared at Dana. "Strange lights? Hmm....maybe they'll help me get outta here. I seem to be lost amongst this mist..." He muttered under his breath, as he looked round at the others. How many of these people were there? "Looks like quite the group you've got here." Chase wanted to take action, to now be their leader, to help them. "I think we should all introduce ourselves." They looked like they had already done that, though before Chase got there. Chase stood, with his hands on his hips. "We need a strong decisive leader." He smiled around at them. "There's no need to worry. My name's Chase Orwell."

Behind him, his Swablu danced through the sky. She landed onto Chase's shoulder. Also lagging behind, came his very clumsy Darmanitan. It looked as if the ape creature was out of control, firing across the ground with a powerful heat crash attack. It was in a fiery red ball. It stopped seconds before it was going to hit Chase. "Darmanitan?!" Chase looked around. "You can't see in this mist, can you? Back to your poke ball...before more mayhem." He raised Darmanitan's poke ball and the Pokemon looked very sorry looking down to the ground as if it were ashamed. Redness surrounded Darmanitan as it finally returned to his poke ball. "Sorry about that. He's always getting into trouble."
 
Calvin smiled at Chase. "You can call me Calvin." He then gestured to his Pokemon. "This big guy behind me is Hamilton-" The Emboar gave a light wave at the newcomer and the Darmanitan before the latter was sent to his poke ball, he smiled as he knew he wasn't the only Fire type. "-and this here is Midori." The Lilligant was too focused on healing Jocelyn with Aromatherapy. After a few moments, she stopped and told Calvin that she was done healing. Calvin smiled warmly and patted her head. "Great work Midori, well done, take a well earned rest for that." he said before he returned her to her poke ball. He then looked at Chase with a serious look when he mentioned the lights. "Actually, the Strange lights will do the opposite of helping us; they're... quite a spooky tale and most of us here wouldn't want to be here to find out if the tales are true."
 
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What Did You Do To Snoke?

Previously Ratbag the Coward
"The only tales i've heard are about the abundant shrine being responsible for the fog. Maybe someone is controlling the lights there." Chase threw out a poke ball and a sand mouse appeared. "Sandshrew!" Chase shouted.

"Sand?!" Sandshrew's high pitched voice asked curiously and turned his head.

"Use your nose to sniff out the person that did this!"

Sandshrew stood there puzzled. He sniffed the ground only to catch the scent of the trainers.
 
Okay, well that was...mostly good. Only one of the people were hurt, the one on the ground, and they were being tended to. The people were amicable, and the other seemed just spooked by Chipper. Which did give some credence to the whole fanatical lights thing- people tended to overreact. Nothing personal to the girl, of course. It was just something that people sort of...did. Human nature if you will. They liked to fill in the blanks.

He also got some valuable information from the two- their names. Two of the names, at least. One of the people, the girl standing up was named Dana, a Floatzel with her (Weasel like creature, if Jackson recalled correctly) dubbed Close Call. The man with the flowery Pokemon and the flaming beast was named Hamilton (Which was a tad grim, given what...ham...yeah.) And the girl on the ground...was still an enigma. There was another voice now, calling down from the cliff side. They wanted to make sure everything was fine. Dana said they were mostly fine, only one of them hurt. Jackson didn't even manage to speak to the figure up on the cliff when another voice entered the scene.

"So sorry!" They said as they entered the scene, their cell phone landing on the ground, ringing. Chipper's red light gazed upon the new person- the crimson light revealing a slightly damp looking man, clothes stuck to his skin. Jackson was a little confused, before realizing this person was probably just coming off of Undella Bay. He didn't think it was really in season though in the bay, it must've been rather chilly. He wasn't complaining, after all, he wasn't the one who was in the soggy clothes, but maybe that was normal in Unova to go out in the water out of season. Jackson was a foreigner after all.

Dana spoke again, to the new man, and then proposed a good idea. That they would band together to brave the route...and the lights. The man proposed himself as leader of this group, and introducing himself as Chase Orwell. Orwell...was that a name he heard before? In any case, Chase was interrupted as another flaming beast charged behind him, nearly smashing into the man. Chase was seemingly disappointed in the thing, admonishing it for being so chaotic. Jackson didn't have the guts to do that to his Pokemon...He liked to attribute their issues to their environment. For example, Chipper tripped because he missed a stair that was too small for his feet. Perhaps Chipper was a little...dull...but he couldn't be blamed on what was out of his control.

Calvin was a little less enthusiastic about the party. He thought they should stay away from the lights- and what they entailed. Chase still wanted to see about the lights, and if they were being caused by a person, even taking out his Sandshrew to sniff out. Jackson found this a good time to step in, after being quiet so long. "Pardon me, I'm Jackson and this is my buddy Chipper. It's a pleasure to meet you, and I must agree with Dana here that grouping up is in our best interest. Though I'm not so scared of the lights, considering it's most likely some rumor that an otherwise bored town came up with. I'm much more frightened of falling into a river or cracking my head on a rock in the fog. So perhaps we should stick together for light?"

His gaze shifted to the person on the ground, now joined with a little lizard Pokemon. "Surely you'd agree with me, considering your nasty tumble?...Speaking of, do you need a hand up...? And I don't believe we caught your name..."
 
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Psycho Monkey

Member of the Literary Elite Four
“We're safe, but one of us is hurt and needs help…” a female voice replied. Shiro was afraid of that. He picked up the pace to get to the bottom where he could easier make out the people in this group. There were two girls, one laying on the ground, obviously the injured one, and the other was crouched at her side, the one who answered, and two boys on either side of the girls forming a protective circle almost. As far as Pokémon went, the Emboar was closest to the boy on Shiro’s left, a Lilligant stood between that boy and the injured girl, and a Floatzel stood near the crouching girl who must have been the one who answered. The boy on Shiro’s right was accompanied by a stout grey Pokémon that would have gone completely unnoticed in the fog were it not for its glowing red eye. This was obviously the light that attracted Shiro in the first place although he wasn’t sure what species this was and it wasn’t showing up in the Pokédex. Shiro really needed to look into upgrading his basic Unova Dex into a National one.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he offered but soon realized the Lilligant was healing the girl with what appeared to be Aromatherapy. It seemed to be doing the trick as the girl was able to get to her feet albeit unsteadily. Shiro quizzically tilted his head to the side. He never knew that move could be used to heal humans. Learn something new every day. She was quickly joined by an Axew, a Pokémon Shiro recognized all too well. He couldn’t help but smile with nostalgia remembering a time when Razor was that small.

One of the boys introduced himself as Calvin and was the Trainer of the Emboar and Lilligant whose names were Hamilton and Midori respectively. He then mentioned something about “strange lights” and how everyone here must be brave for coming out despite the myth.

Strange lights? What myth? Shiro turned his full attention to Calvin feeling his blood start pumping with anticipation. Now he was curious. Was there some secret legend about this area that he didn’t know about? If there was, he wanted to hear all about it. Before Shiro could ask, the silence of the night was interrupted by a loud ringing sound. Another boy stumbled into the crowd to retrieve his dropped cell phone. After a quick apology, the newcomer looked around as if sizing up everyone in the group before giving his name as Chase Orwell and not so subtly suggesting he should be their leader.

All Shiro could do was roll his eyes at the thought. Greeeeaaat. He was one of those types of people. Shiro had encountered these kinds before, the narcistic alpha-douche who walks into a room and expects to be the center of attention. What did he think was going to happen, that he could just waltz up to a group of random strangers brought together by chance and demand they follow him? Not if Shiro had anything to say about it.

“I’m Shiro. Although, Chase, we’ve all just met here so I don’t think we really need a leader.” he replied curtly. Suddenly a large flaming ball charged up to the group stopping in front of Chase. It was apparently his Darmanitan. “…Especially not someone who can barely control his own Pokémon.” Shiro added under his breath. He wanted to say more but he also didn’t want to leave a bad first impression with everyone else for starting a needless fight. Even more so now that the subject of the lights had come back up.

“Yeah, what are they anyway? These lights you all keep talking about?” inquired Shiro.

Calvin explained how they were a spooky phenomenon that they really didn’t want to see first hand while the other boy, who introduced himself and his Pokémon as Jackson and Chipper, said they were probably just baseless rumors made up by Undella Town locals. So there really was a mystery around here! It might be something worth investigating.

“Sure, I don’t mind traveling with everyone. If we did end up encountering these lights, then six heads are better than one in figuring out what’s causing them.” he said. “So what brought everyone out here if no one minds me asking? I was on my way to White Forest.” he asked to break the ice and to get to know everyone a bit better.
 

What Did You Do To Snoke?

Previously Ratbag the Coward
Chase felt a little overwhelmed with the number of trainers surrounding him and approahced him. He was certain that not everyone wanted to listen to him or that they even liked him. "As you've said, there's six of us. Someone needs to take charge...before we all get lost. Come on! If we all work together, we kind find a way out of this place, maybe find the abundant shrine. I have visited Undella Bay many times and never seen this place. I decided to come here out of interest. Are the rumours true?" He turned to Shiro. "Shiro, i know we've only just met, but i'm asking you to trust in me. I'm a good leader, I tell you. If we follow my advice, everything will be okay!" Chase tried to reassure everyone else too. He was certain everybody needed to unite together and take action, but each person seemed to have their own selfish needs to be put first. The group needed a decisive direction to go, a plan of action, created be a supremely powerful and intelligent leader.

Chase turned to his Sandshrew, who, by now had gotten a good sniff of each of the trainers. He had even sniffed the surrounding areas, but did not dare to go much further than where he could see. "What is it Sandshrew?" Chase asked his beloved Pokemon.

"Sand! Sand sand." The little ground mouse squieked in a high pitched msculine tone.

"Nothing? You thought it was stupid for me to ask you to sniff out the area because there aren't any humans who you would be able to find? I suppose you're right. It's not like we have an evidence bag of all the people in this area. We're no detectives. Maybe a Pokemon caused all of this."
 
Calvin looked to Shiro and explained his reason for being on Route 14. "I was only doing some training by battling other trainers, then I realised how late it was and just wanted to get home and go to bed... given how late I was, I guess I have a better chance to see if those Strange Lights are true or not..." He joked. "I could also be wrong... but on my way back, I thought I saw a white Pokémon from the corner of my eye... it looked like an... Absol…" He added.

Calvin was glad to know there were so many others with him. Although at the same time, he was still cautious about the lights as more people meant more assumed victims. His mind focused on his memory of seeing the white Pokémon, but couldn't tell if it was the disaster Pokémon or not. Either way, he wanted to leave Route 14 as soon as possible.

"We should get a move on." Calvin concluded before he looked at Jocelyn. "Can you walk...? Sorry, what was your name?" He said with a faint look of embarrassment for not asking sooner.
 
Chase went from butterfingers to "strong and decisive" in the span of a second. He was now projecting the confidence that he looked like he had. Dana thought it was kind of cool how this unlikely superhero quickly took charge.

But his persona collapsed the moment Shiro told him off. Suddenly he was acting like a child, pleading with the former to let him be leader. Dana cracked up at how easily Shiro had tamed him. If Chase had the looks, he had the wits.

"Okay, okay, break it up, boys," she playfully intervened. "We shouldn't be so quick to appoint ourselves leader. After all, what's a leader without a group? We may all be in the same place, but everyone seems to be doing their own thing."

One could argue that it was a leader's job to unite them and form the group. But there was just no reconciling their interests. Dana's curiosity made her stay. Calvin wanted to leave.

"Close Call and I are here because... Route 14 is a calming place. Maybe not on land, where we have the lights to worry about. But it's different in the water," she answered Shiro, grinning. She was spooked before, but like a social Butterfree she relaxed in the presence of a small crowd.

Calvin wasn't as thrilled, however.

"Maybe you're right that we should get going. But now that we've got strength in numbers, part of me wants to stay and solve the mystery. That's what journeys are for, right? Winning badges, stopping Team Plasma, becoming Champion... I know it sounds silly, but what if this is the next step in all our journeys and the six of us were destined to meet here?" a softly smiling Dana idealized. She was convinced that her father was an enabler of Team Plasma, because his Pokémon-control rhetoric was music to the ears of right-wing extremists. She placed greater emphasis on stopping them than on becoming Champion.
 
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What Did You Do To Snoke?

Previously Ratbag the Coward
"Why'd you name your Floatzel Close Call? Did you almost die from sort of attack?" Chase laughed then went all out seriousness again. "We need to know which direction to go in. If you've been here before, then why not tell us the direction to go yourself?" Chase asked Dana. "And yeah, I know what the waters are like around here, i've surfed in Undella Bay many many times. But I never took notice of these mists. I wonder why they are here and not in Undella?" He pulled a face in response to Dana's comment about Team Plasma and the Champion. "Wait a minute...only one person can be champion...not a whole group of people...and Team Plasma are a whole army's worth of grunts...I haven't seen them in quite some time....in fact, do they even still exist?" That thought raised some possibilities. In Chase's mind, they could even be at the abundant shrine, trying to exploit the pokemon there.

Chase took a poke ball out and returned Sandshrew to it's poke ball. "If there were more water on this route, I could get my water type out and ride it along here and find the source of the fog and lights in no time. What should we do?" He asked the group, now seemingly more open.
 
"Some... Lord of the flies bullshit." Jocelyn murmured to herself quietly, glancing at the Lilligant. She'd always wanted strong pokemon, but they never listened to her. She wasn't really a "Proceed around the region and beat all of the gym leaders" sort of gal, and moreso looking to make friends with her pokemon, seeing as she could barely function around humans.

Being in this group surrounded by boys was also unnerving, her mind drifting to them cooking her over a fire like a pi-

Her brain had wandered off again, but she snapped back to reality, leaning on both Dana and the tree a bit, looking unamused, and a little timid when they started to bicker.

Her Axew however seemed quite excited about all of the noise, proceeding to use her hand as a toothing toy once again. Jocelyn somehow managed not to scream, holding it in as she exhaled, her lips forming a tight line, eyes focusing on the ground infront of her shoes.
 
...Well, this woman was a little strange. She mumbled something about lord of the flies? Well, um, it didn't seem like she was going to say anything about her name or what she was doing...And her little lizard continued to chew upon her hand. The hand wasn't looking all that great, getting very red at this point (Probably because it was chewing so avidly), but he wasn't one to call people out on that. Meanwhile, there was a small war going on between the Chase fellow and someone named Shiro, the one who came on down from the cliff when this issue first started going down.

Chase was appointing himself leader of the group, and Shiro refused to have any of it. It was a little spat, though Shiro made it quite clear he was not planning on letting Chase lead the group. Understandable. He did just charge in and start talking on about being a leader, and to be fair...not a very leader like thing to do. Especially considering that he showed absolutely no skills aside from just walking in and attempting to become a leader of a group that wasn't even truly formed yet, as Dana pointed out. And Chase continued on about his plans, and that's when Jackson realized he was not really planning on listening to Shiro or Dana. Though perhaps there was a way to make him "think" he was in charge. He could "hand over" the charge to him and pull him along. Would it work? Maybe. Maybe. Firstly, things needed to be iced over.

"Yes, well, while I'm sure we all want to go find out whats with the fog and the lights and the...shrine thing, but first we should all get things in, well, order. We've all ended up here for a reason or another, though I'm going to the next town over. And I was assuming most people here are indeed looking for the same thing. As such, we'll need to get on through this fog and valley. Luckily for us, we have that big ol' flaming boar and Chipper here to guide us-" He trailed off for a moment, looking at the heads. The red light of Chipper was gone. "Uh...Chipper?"

And Chipper himself was gone. Into the fog. Why would he do that?! When did he even get a chance to wander off? This was just getting more and more frustrating. He just wanted to make it across, and all these complications were coming up. Jackson sighed, before knowing what he had to do. He could deal with this. They could find him. He couldn't have gone far. "...So, we may have to find Chipper on the way too. If you all don't mind."
 
"Why'd you name your Floatzel Close Call? Did you almost die from some sort of attack?" Chase laughed.

Dana's little smile faded, and she pursed her lips at his insensitive comment. Making fun of her Pokémon's name aside, the way he asked such a personal question was so tactless. He even laughed in her face. Chase was... kind of a jerk.

"Um... yeah, actually. I got caught in a rip current and Floatzel saved me. That's how we met," she answered patiently. "And about Team Plasma, yeah, they're still around."

That's all she said. Team Plasma was still active, very much so, but Dana told Chase without that sort of emphasis. If the guy was so self-absorbed that he didn't keep up with current events, she wouldn't waste his time.

He was getting defensive, saying that she should tell them the direction to go herself if she was so confident. He was missing the point. She wasn't appointing herself leader or fighting him for the title. Dana just agreed with Shiro that it was too soon for there to even be one.

"The mist comes from the waterfalls. Undella doesn't have those, sooo… at least we've solved that mystery." She shrugged in response to Chase. "But if we're tackling the lights next, the shrine is probably where we'd find them and anything else supernatural. Close Call knows Waterfall and could get us up there. I'm all for getting through this fog though, and finding Chipper."

That is unless the Dusclops did what ghosts do and disappeared, which meant they'd be looking forever. With Jackson's Pokémon missing, Hamilton was their only hope of navigating the mist. Dana turned to Calvin awkwardly.

"Hey, Calvin, I know you really want to get out of here, but we kinda need your help... please?"

Jocelyn seemed to need it the most. The girl still appeared to be in pain, pursing her lips more tightly than Dana had at Chase's insensitivity. She seemed shy and uncomfortable, but those were normal things to be in their situation. Her complete submission to Axew was more questionable.

"He's asserting his dominance, you know. If you spoil him too much and he's still doing that as a Haxorus, those axes on the side of his face will do a lot worse to your fingers, just sayin'."
 
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Hamilton gave Jackson an annoyed look upon being called a "Big ol' flaming boar." Calvin sighed before he looked at Dana. "Sure, far be it for me to leave a man or Pokémon behind." He said as he got out a premier ball. "Alright Helios, help us out!" He said as the ball opened and a Solrock floated out. The latter turned to his trainer. "We need to find a Dusclops named Chipper, can you help us out?"

Helios silently nodded. "Great, now use Flash so it's easier to see where he is." Calvin said. Helios' body began to glow brightly, the light made it much easier to see everyone. Although why he didn't use Helios before is anyone's guess; most likely the superstition. Calving looked around at everyone and became annoyed at the argument of who took command of the 'team.' He'd volunteer, but he kept quiet because One: He as his own Pokémon team to look out for and Two: If he volunteered, it might make the argument worse.
 
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What Did You Do To Snoke?

Previously Ratbag the Coward
"Your Floatzel's good then, if he can save people from rip currents." Chase complemented Dana's Pokemon. Chase had stopped trying to argue for countless hours about who should lead the group. I thought that it was impossible convince Shiro. He attempted to be humbler and seeing Calvin's Solrock, Helios, he looked up with hope. "Get him to search beyond the trees. Maybe it's coming from the shrine beyond..."

"Listen Shiro," Chase approached Shiro again. "We're not going to get anywhere if we sit and squabble. It's a either you me or one of them, if they have any more ideas. I'm open, but..." Chase turned to address the others, "You must all tell us if you have an idea...we're going to get nowhere otherwise! We'll be lost here forever!" Chase grabbed Darmanitan's poke ball from his belt. He was going to need the Pokemon if things turned sour.
 

Psycho Monkey

Member of the Literary Elite Four
Almost immediately Chase started whining that Shiro shot him down for his self-appointment as leader. There it was. The ultimate proof that he wasn’t cut out for the position. A worthier candidate would have taken the criticism and conceded.

The girl in the blue hoody, Dana, agreed with Shiro’s assessment that a leader for a group of people who just met was unneeded although she seemed to find the whole ordeal funny for some reason. She appeared to be a local as she was familiar with the area while everyone else was just passing through like Shiro was. Dana’s laughter ceased when Chase made fun of her Floatzel’s name, Close Call. Shiro turned to him with a dirty look. This prick always seemed to have something to say and every time he opened his mouth he always managed to piss Shiro off. It didn’t seem like anyone else was much of a fan of his either.

Introductions seemed to go smoothly aside from the girl who had been injured who still hadn’t given her name yet. Was she still dazed from falling earlier or could she just be unable to speak from the pain of having her hand chewed on by her Axew.

“He’s asserting his dominance, you know. If you spoil him too much and he’s still doing that as a Haxorus, those axes on the side of his face will do a lot worse to your fingers, just sayin’. Dana pointed out.

“She’s right you know.” Shiro concurred. “Take it from me, I had an Axew before and he was a feisty little guy in the beginning. In fact,” Shiro paused as he pulled an Ultra Ball from his waist. He threw the ball to the ground materializing a bipedal dragon with long grey tusks protruding from the sides of his mouth, a green upper body, grey lower body, and red claws. Shiro crouched down and rubbed his Fraxure’s head. “Hey Razor, could you possibly talk to that Axew over there. Maybe convince it to stop eating its Trainer?” he told the Dragon-type. Razor nodded before waddling over to his younger evolution and saying a few grunts to it.

As Shiro stood back up he heard Jackson groan that Chipper had wandered off somewhere. Dana was more than willing to help and even Calvin, who up until now wanted nothing more than to get out of this fog as soon as possible was willing to join the search party. He even sent out a Solrock who cast Flash to provide some light for them to navigate with.

“Listen Shiro,” Chase started. If Shiro was expecting Chase to suggest they put aside their differences and work together, then he was more naïve than his nine-year-old brother. Instead the other boy went on about how someone needed to lead them otherwise they’d be lost forever! That was it. This punk had just used up all the patience Shiro had left for him.

“Are you still on about that?” he shouted. “You want ideas, here’s mine! We don’t need a leader! There are six of us. That’s few enough people that we can discuss things democratically and go with the best decision. Right now we have a missing Pokémon to find so that’s our top priority. That means you can either shut your mouth and do your part in helping out or leave and wander this fog on your own. As for me, I’m helping Jackson find Chipper. I don’t have time to waste on you.”

Shiro reached for his belt and threw another Ultra Ball into the air where a small eaglet with a head of white feathers appeared. “Scout! There is a missing Pokémon with a glowing red eye! See if you can spot it from above!” he called to the Rufflet who responded with an understanding chirp.
 
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What Did You Do To Snoke?

Previously Ratbag the Coward
"One of us can't talk...and the majority of you lot cannot give us a decent idea of where to go, because you don't talk English enough." He pointed to the rest of the group. He walked outside of the group and observed the fog. He tossed out his Swablu. "Go find Chipper." He commanded and the blue bird Pokemon flew off. He then tossed out his Darmanitan and wandered further and further. He saw a flash of three lights and stumbled. Darmanitan picked him up. Then the flash went again and the Darmanitan had a seizure. Chase was on the floor, with the red ape amongst the mist and far away from the group. It didn't look like they'd be coming soon.
 
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Jocelyn was highly confused about all of the shit that was happening around her. They didn't hear her try to explain that she only had recently started to have this problem with all of her pokemon. She'd started to actually have a bond with Axew, and her Mareep, before they'd suddenly stopped obeying her, as if she'd broken their trust.

Why were they fighting. Why was their a huge dragon pokemon out. Was that really Axew's final stage in evolution? It was so big...

Axew however seemed less intimidated, growling at the taller 'mon, unafraid.

Suddenly their was commotion, and Jocelyn grew even quieter, unsure of what was happening around her, her vision tunneling, finding it harder and harder to breathe. She passed out, practically crushing her Axew, who screeched in protest, who was also now quite confused as now, throwing out a tackle at the Haxorus, thinking that it had attacked Jocelyn in the chaos.
 
"Chase, wait! That's really not a good idea!" Dana called out as the man disappeared into the mist.

If he was right that she had no decent ideas, she at least knew that going it alone in this fog was the opposite of one.

"Hey Shiro... you think that was a little harsh? I'm glad it ended there, but I'm worried about Chase going off on his own. I'll catch up and try to smooth things-"

Suddenly Jocelyn collapsed onto her Axew and gave Dana someone else to look after.

"Uh, not really what I meant by asserting dominance," she teased, before it hit her that the girl had actually passed out. Her Pokémon then attacked Shiro's Fraxure, lost composure tipping like a domino against Dana's own nerve.

"I've got her," she maintained, shaking her surprise that the commotion had rendered Jocelyn unconscious and picking her off the ground. "Axew's acting up so I'd send Razor back and talk it out later… She's got more to deal with now than a hurt finger."
 
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What Did You Do To Snoke?

Previously Ratbag the Coward
Chase's other Pokemon started to come put of their Poke balls. Alomomola could not survive on land and was immediately affected by the lights, causing her to fall to the floor. Sandshrew scurried around but fainted just before he reached the group. Mienfoo got his fists ready but found the lights too confusing and collapsed too. Swablu was trapped near the shrine: the mountains blocked her off and she couldn't find a way back. Chase's Elgyem found the lights hypnotic. His eyes were swirling around in circles as it hovered towards where they were coming from, like some zombie. Swablu fell to the floor and hurt her wings as she fainted. It seemed that only the Elgyem survived somehow but it was far away from the group and was completed and utterly under the spell of the thing creating the lights.
 
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Calvin stepped back as Jocelyn passed out, he attempted to pick her up only to realise Dana was already ahead of him on that. His Pokémon looked around for Chipper as they kept their lights bright, but didn't stray too far from the group... mainly their trainer. Calvin kept quiet at all the commotion as he didn't want to end up making things worse.

Midori the Lilligant came out of her Poké ball on her own, much to Calvin's surprise, the Lilligant went over to Axew in an attempt to comfort the little guy by gently stroking it. Calvin also walked a small distance to look for Chipper but remained within sight of the group.
 
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Psycho Monkey

Member of the Literary Elite Four
After cussing out the group, Chase ran off with his tail between his legs. Shiro scoffed and shook his head. So those were his true colors. Chase would rather have things go his way then to help other people in need.

“Hey Shiro… you think that was a little harsh?” Dana questioned sounding uncertain.

“Maybe, but he had it coming with how self-centered he was acting.” said Shiro in his defense. “And he had his chance to be the bigger man by staying.”

Dana was entertaining the idea of looking for him before the other girl collapsed on the ground. Her Axew went wild with confusion and fear, lashing out against Razor in a fit. The Axe Jaw Pokémon blocked his smaller cousin’s attack while giving a few more grunts trying to reason with the Axew. If needed, Razor would not hesitate to layout his foe if it tried to attack again. From the corner of his eye, Shiro thought he saw Calvin send out Midori again with the intention to calm the Tusk Pokémon before it, or anyone else, got hurt.

“Stand down Razor. Come back to me.” called Shiro smacking his thigh to motion his Pokémon back to his side. He didn’t want to return him to his ball just yet in case the Lilligant couldn’t quell Axew’s worry but he also didn’t want to exacerbate the situation by having it still feel threatened with the larger Dragon in close proximity. “Anything yet Scout?” he called up to the Rufflet who was circling in the sky above. Scout chirped a negative while gliding in wider arcs to cover more area.

“Don’t worry Jackson, we’ll find him.” he said putting a reassuring hand on the no doubt worried Trainer’s shoulder.
 
Well, so much for Chase, as he walked off into the fog. While not...optimal...it did lead to an end of the arguing. He had to point out that Chase didn't think they were talking English enough? Uh, well one head down was better than two he supposed. Though Chase wasn't very clear on what he was storming off to do...go home? Find Chipper alone? Jackson assumed the latter, though maybe the surfer would want to prove himself to the group a capable leader. That made sense.

Of course, Chase didn't leave without reason. Shiro told him to basically back off the idea of needing a leader. And not in a very nice tone. While Jackson of course didn't blame Shiro for going off like that, he probably could've handled it a little better. Not that he was in a position to judge, considering he really just wanted to make it over to the next town that wasn't a chilly coastal town, whether or not there was a leader instituted. But now he lost a Pokemon, which...really complicated things!

However, something he was really grateful for, was that everyone (Sans Chase, who Jackson assumed was just going off home) seemed to really be concerned about Chipper wandering off. Perhaps they had gone through something similar before and didn't want to see him in that position? Maybe they were good people? Did they feel a kinship to the aloof Dusclops (As much as Jackson doubted that?) Either way, this was the warmest thing anyone had done for him since he arrived in Unova. Calvin had his sun...rock...Pokemon use flash to illuminate the way while Shiro had an eye in the sky.

Unfortunately, at the same time, the group was sort of falling apart. The quiet girl keeled over, and while not dead, keeling over isn't something healthy people do all the time. Or, uh, at any time. Dana was quick to tend to her and the lizard, the latter of whom was freaking out. Shiro had previously sent out a larger lizard in an attempt to sate the little ones interest, but it had taken it as a threat! Of course, the trainer fainting probably upset it more, and Shiro had to stash away the larger one to calm it. The flowery Pokemon that had tended to the quiet girl was now tending to the little guy in an attempt to calm him.

At this time, Shiro called up to his bird. Apparently, no sign of Chipper. Still, he reassured Jackson that they would find the Dusclops. "Ah, thank you so much. As I said, I'm sure he's not far...Though in interest of not spending too much time lost in this damnable fog, I should probably get my help out too." He pulled a standard Pokeball out of his satchel. "Vul, your up."

An small, six-tailed fox came from the Pokeball. "Chipper got himself lost. You can help us track him down, right?" The Vulpix barked back. "...I'll take that as a yes." Vul had known for a while Chipper's scent. Like a dusty corridor with Jackson in it. Very distinct. Chipper could snuff his light, but not his scent. And Vul knew which way he had gone, and barked for his trainer to follow. "Good work boy! Between you and the eye in the sky, we can track him down in no time. Let's go find- Oh wait, the girl."

Hmm. The unconscious girl and her lizard complicated things. Perhaps they could...or...Um...She really did complicate things.

"Err, perhaps this is bad taste, but should we pick her up? The one with the small lizard Pokemon, that is. I mean, I'm fine waiting a moment or two to see if she'll wake up, Chipper isn't too fast..."
 
Jocelyn's Axew seemed a little less distressed, murmuring something to the Liligant about Jocelyn in the language that all pokemon seemed to know. It nudged her cheek repeatedly, to no avail.

Jocelyn was out cold, whether it be from stress and sleep deprivation of her traveling, Axew disbehaving, or even something else, it was very certain she wasn't going to be waking up for a bit. Unfortunately the Lizard pokemon was too small to really help anyone or with anything. So It just sort of watched and provided encouragement in it's awkward and fiesty way.
 
"Sorry to ruin your hopes, but I'm already carrying her," Dana teased the guys. "I may be 5'4," but I'm stronger than I look!"

Or Jocelyn was just really light. Dana had saved the boys some awkwardness by picking her up, but she was now uncomfortable herself. If the girl on her back was this easy to carry, then even Dana, who possessed the slim body of a female swimmer, had reason to worry about her own size.

"...We should get a move on, because something tells me she won't be waking any time soon," she managed through her self-consciousness, starting after the Vulpix with Jocelyn in tow.
 
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It seemed that Dana had already hoisted the woman up! Well, Jackson couldn't let some initiative go unnoticed, even if it was more or less his fault for not paying attention. "Ah! Thank you Dana for doing that. So, I suppose we should follow good ol' Vul then." The scruffy Vulpix had waited patiently for the group, awaiting his time to shine- yes, he would lead them to Chipper! He would, no doubt, be the hero. And Vul liked that.

He went off into the foggy night, sniffing out his Dusclops partner, his trainer and the group no doubt at his back. Dusclops had a distinct scent, though Vul was slowly losing track of it. Another scent, unfamiliar to the Vulpix, had interrupted it. Smelled of plastic, and aluminum. Which was odd. What metallic thing had wandered through here? Vul didn't know, and surely none of the others knew. Though the six tailed fox soon found Chipper's trail once again. The beckoning Pokemon couldn't hide from his sniffer.

The scruffy little Vulpix stopped before some bushes, obviously ruffled by something- that "something" being a five foot tall ghost. "Ah, here we go. Seems a little cramped. I'll just pop in with Vul real quick, he's definitely not far in. But I'll call if there's trouble!" Jackson attempted to assuage the others. He didn't want anyone else to have to wade through the greenery. Especially not his new allies. Allies weren't a very common thing for Jackson, with his constant moving around and tourism. Sometimes the fact he preferred sleeping on benches then inside. Either or, they were far and few between.

To be fair? There wouldn't be any problem. In fact, Jackson spotted his Dusclops' beacon as he walked further in. Though there was something...odd about it? As he approached it, to his surprise, it...changed? The light, to a bright green. Then a yellow. Then a red again. Those were- the lights. The lights he doubted. The lights that had been nothing more than a rumor made by a bored beach community! There, catching him in their dazzling glow. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. He couldn't call for his allies. He couldn't even call for Vul, sitting there next to him, similarly under the thrall of the lights.

He took a shuttering step forward, not of his own volition. Another. And another, fading into the foggy night. The small fox so eager to prove itself to the strangers followed, silently after his trainer. To a new goal, to the motives of the lights.

A single, blazing red beam stared at the sad sight. And then it too faded away into the night.
 

Psycho Monkey

Member of the Literary Elite Four
Jackson gave his thanks for Shiro’s concern while assuring the Dusclops was pretty slow moving so he couldn’t have gone too far. To speed up the search he sent out his Vulpix who was no doubt familiar with Chipper’s scent. Once Vul had caught on to the trail, they were ready to head out. Well… almost. They still needed to contend with the unconscious girl. It would be a really bad idea to just leave her in the middle of nowhere.

Much to Shiro’s dismay, Dana had already picked up the other girl and had her slung over her back! His jaw dropped but a slight grin was working its way across his open mouth. He was simultaneously awed and impressed that such a petite girl could deadlift what was probably the equivalent of her bodyweight. By her own self-admission, she was indeed stronger than she looked.

Meanwhile, Midori seemed to have gotten through to the girl’s Axew as it was now noticeably calmer than it was before. Hopefully this meant it knew that these strangers were here to help and it would be willing to follow them in search of the missing Dusclops.

“Alright, Calvin, you, Hamilton, and Helios should probably stay close to Jackson and Vul to light our way through the fog. Dana has her hands full with our silent friend so I’ll stay in the back in case something tries to attack us from behind.” advised Shiro before everyone moved out.

While they walked, the Fox Pokémon paused only once to sniff the air before moving on again. Shiro wondered if the Vulpix had momentarily lost the trail or if another scent had caught its attention but he brushed the thought aside. Instead he turned to Dana who was doing a pretty good job keeping pace despite her living cargo.

“You must be quite the athlete to make carrying another person look so effortless.” he complemented playfully.

Vul stopped once again, this time in front of a patch of tall bushes. A perfect place for a wayward Ghost-type to hide. Jackson volunteered to check it out on his own promising he and Vul would only be a few moments. As the two disappeared into the brush, Scout fluttered down to perch on a sturdy branch to rest his wings. Shiro reached out to pet the Rufflet’s head for a job well done.

“Soooo… you both are from Undella Town right?” he asked his other two companions awkwardly. He wasn’t really sure where he was going with this but it was better than the utter silence of the night. “I’m from Castelia City myself.” he shared hoping to get something of a conversation started.
 
"No problem!" Dana smiled at Jackson. A little awkwardly, because there was a problem: her weight. If all girls were as light as Jocelyn, did that make her heavy?

“You must be quite the athlete to make carrying another person look so effortless.”

It was just a playful comment, but Shiro unwittingly eased some of Dana's insecurities. No, she wasn't heavy or anything... She was just a good athlete. Right.

"Ahaha, I don't know how I do it! No intense physical exercise from me, just swimming and Mantine Surfing."

She was peppy as usual, not letting the awkward cracks show in her confident façade. So Shiro filled them, quietly. Dana didn't know him that well yet, but he and Chase were like night and day. One was insensitive without realizing it, and the other knew just what to say. She smiled.

"Wish I were. I came all the way from Nimbasa, actually. I wasn't a fan of the big city, and family issues, so I dipped," Dana answered. "This started out as a journey to get away from nagging parents, but I stopped here to enjoy it a little, and to kick Team Plasma's butt. Ever since then I've just been chilling here."

Team Plasma was in Undella Town two weeks ago to violently protest Mantine Surfing in the bay. The Alolan sport's growing popularity in Unova was a testament to the interconnectedness of the world they lived in. But right-wing extremists weren't having it, despite all that it contributed to Undella's tourist economy. Perhaps that was the real reason Team Plasma was against it. The poorer people are, the more easily they're influenced by those in power. Publicly, Plasma opposed the harmless practice on the grounds that it was another subjugation of Pokémon by humans. Mantine was already one of the rarest creatures in the bay, so it did no one any good to take it out of the wild and raise it for recreational purposes.

The grunts were smart, ambushing Undella when the weather was chillier and the town was quiet. There wouldn't be as many counter-protesters. But Dana wouldn't let them seize the Mantine and ruin the experience of anyone who might be surfing this time of year. After she and a few others drove them away, the incident made local news and even a few mentions in national news as part of a larger, anti-Plasma political narrative.

It only caused problems for her, though. The usually peaceful resort town was on edge even two weeks later, and her parents wouldn't stop calling her. Dana was thankful that Route 14 was the same as it had always been, a quiet, misty retreat where she could get away from it all.

"How about you, Shiro? You're from a big city just like me. Is that your kind of place?"

She'd stick with that and spare him the politics. Money, politics, and religion were the three things one never talked about.
 
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