Ragnarok

Note: I'm trying to keep this train chugging along, but catching a sickness and trying to adapt to my new school schedule is proving to be a tougher challenge than I thought, so please bear with me on that one.

This chapter is another that has been split into two groups because of length, but it's not going to be anywhere near as long as Chapter 18 if my estimates are correct.

In any case, I had a lot of fun in this chapter. Credit to Iruni again for helping with the beta reads.

And thanks for the comments that you guys have left, I enjoy reading them. I'd love for some more input soon, too, of course. :)

In any case, here's Part I of Chapter 19. Same old procedure: Read, Review, and Rate.

And with that, enjoy the read!!

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1:14
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"Rei, Magical Leaf," a tired and weary voice declared. A young, energetic Roselia responded to the order, the flowers connected to her thin arms seemed to blossom before quickly firing a round of peculiarly colored leaves. They spun beautifully in the air as they oddly homed in on their target, a small, dirt-colored hippo on the other end of the field. Too slow and clunky to dodge the attack, the Hippopotas took the blow straight to its face, shuddering as energy rapidly drained from its body.

Rei dropped her guard as the Hippo Pokemon toppled over, unable to continue the battle, sighing as she embraced her victory. Her master walked up behind her and gave her a congratulatory hug as the opposing trainer returned his Pokemon, defeated.

Noah stood watching the entire fight while Jerry relaxed his body against a hefty, sturdy boulder parked on the edge of the main road. The sun was beginning to set on Route 205, and the group's energy was quickly draining away with each random trainer battle they ran into.

Lynus walked up to the boys, her wallet now crammed with cash and Rei's battle experience shooting through the roof. The young Roselia was quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with on the team, proving that the charisma and determination she had shown them on Route 203 as a Budew was not to be taken as a joke. With a smile of satisfaction adorning her face, she returned to her ball as a powerful red beam of energy.

"Good job Lyn, Roselia is coming into her own quite well!" Jerry applauded, the clapping of his hands drowning out the silence. Jerry's enthusiasm contained a hint of exhaustion that the entirety of the group related to far too well.

It had been several hours ago, but the battle at the Valley Windworks took much energy out of the group. Luna requested, though irritated, to rest in her ball for the majority of the day, but had asked Noah to be released several minutes prior to Lynus' latest battle, spending her time plucking at the ground and ignoring the fight that had just taken place. Koko was still trying to relax and regain her strength, though when summoned at a late lunchtime, she proved her youthfulness by jumping around and playing a friendly little game with Rei before being returned hastily to her ball.

Skai was out and keeping surveillance on Lynus, but his fatigue could be seen from a mile away due to his shaky stature, and his heavy breathing casted a summary of the group's overall condition. Jerry's Pokemon were all back to moderate health, but Larvitar had trouble at first to stand on his own two feet.

"Ready to go? We need to try and reach the forest before nightfall, and we're pretty close now," Jerry said to the group. Lynus, Skai, and Noah all nodded in reply, Luna giving a hostile yet nearly muted growl.

The shadows cast by the sun continued to stretch along the road as the group, still exhausted from the activities that had accumulated throughout the day, hastily made for Eterna Forest. Countless random trainers had kept springing up, challenging the group to battles left and right without much reprieve. The number of trainers began to dwindle as the day went on, but the encounters were taking a toll on the group. Lynus' Roselia was doing a fantastic job at taking on and defeating a large portion of the challengers without burning much of her own strength away.

"One look at us and you'd speculate that we had just climbed out of hell," Jerry joked as the path began to elevate.

"All with good reason, Jerry. Just take a look at Skai."

Skai ignored Noah's comment, sticking to his spot directly behind Lynus. He wore a bruise on his left cheek, while a cut from Electabuzz's knuckle was on display right above his eye. His body was littered with pockets of bruises from the slugfest he had with the Windworks guardian. His wings, kept in mint condition, fluttered in place, Skai giving them a good stretch every once in a while.

"Skai's incredibly sturdy," Lyn commented, "We've gone through plenty of physically rough times back in the forest outside of Sandgem Town. The fights with the Arbok toughened Skai's body up as the years passed, so he has a very high tolerance for punishment." She took a quick look back at her first Pokemon, who quickly glanced to the side, not wanting to make direct eye contact with her precious face. "He did let himself go a little bit in the fight, though. He's fought in a worse condition, but I still like to prevent him from pushing himself so hard."

Lynus quickly looked down at her other available Pokeballs. "Soki can't battle, so it was a very good thing that we managed to capture Rei when we had the chance. It gives Skai a breather between fights, and Rei's proving herself to be able to take on plenty of strong fighters herself.

"That's why Ginji's Zangoose was as ridiculously powerful as she was," Jerry added in. "It's only natural that a trainer's Pokemon would be stronger with the less amount that they have. More time and effort gets committed to less Pokemon rather than being so spread out, so she benefits greatly from Ginji's 'one-Pokemon-per-trainer attitude'."

"But with one Pokemon, the challenges later on down the road become much more difficult." Noah continued, "Traveling across canyons, deserts, forests, plains, or anything would be tougher if you only had one Pokemon."

"Right," Jerry agreed.

Noah grabbed Koko's Pokeball, thinking back to the battle inside of the headquarters. "And then there's Koko."

Jerry chuckled and the mention of Noah's other Pokemon. "For such a young Pokemon, she really understands how to milk that elemental advantage of hers to the fullest!"

"It's almost eerie how much skill she has for being, well, a child."

Lyn chimed in, "I didn't think it was that surprising."

Noah and Jerry turned to her. "Exactly why did you think that? She went up against that thing head to head at one point, and held him off just as well, if not better, than Skai," Jerry noted.

"When Noah first allowed Koko to come with us, he mentioned that she was royalty, didn't he?"

Noah remembered that night at the Pokemon Center. "Yeah, that's right. She said she was from the royal family in the Granite Valley."

"Royalty...?" Jerry questioned.

"Exactly," Lyn suggested, continuing, "well, when it comes to certain Pokemon...like Skai's species," Skai grunted as Lyn explained, "the alpha in the group is usually determined by whoever is the most powerful."

"So perhaps the Mawile clan that Koko is from functions the same. That's what you're getting at, right?" Noah asked Lynus, who simply nodded with a sweet smile on her face.

"Hmm, I'm surprised that I never really thought about it like that," Jerry wondered, "It would explain why she's so skilled at battling if she's considered 'royalty'. Her family would be at the top of the pack."

"It would also explain why she was chosen to guard the caves, and how she was able to shake off plenty of Luna's attacks when we fought," Noah said.

Jerry hummed as he lost himself in his thoughts, falling a little behind the other four travelers as he rattled his brain.

"Something wrong?" Lyn asked.

"Then why would they let her leave?"

"I don't follow," Noah told Jerry, confused.

"Well, I'd think she'd be considered an asset to the group. Maybe-" Jerry momentarily hesitated before shrugging his shoulders with a teasing grin. "Ah, never mind, it's not important."

"What?!" Noah said, a little surprised, "you can't just coax us in with that and-"

"The moment's passed, Noah. We'll have plenty of time to think about it later. Remember, it's like you said at Oreburgh: She's here with us until we find her pack again."

Noah let out a sigh, "Whatever you say."

"Besides," Jerry prodded on, "you can always just change the subject and explain to me why and how the ferret was able to stop that thing when not even Ginji's Zangoose could really do any harm to it."

"We're in the same boat. I wish I knew how it happens."

"Happens? This isn't new to you?"

"Don't you remember Lynus?"

"Correct. The Arbok Lyn mentioned was said to have the same 'healing factor' that the Electabuzz had back at Valley Windworks."

Lynus cleared her throat, "I didn't see anything physically change with Luna in either fight. Just a quick stab and...that was it."

There was a moment of silence as each trainer was deep in thought about it. Skai and Luna seemed to have no fascination with the subject matter.

"Wait," Lyn broke the boys' concentration. "There was something peculiar though. I thought it might've just been me back when Noah and I fought off the Arbok, but it happened again in the generator room."

The two young men focused on Lyn as she continued. "Did any of you hear a strange humming sound during the last attack Luna did at either place?"

Jerry shook his head. "I don't think I heard anything like that. I was too busy concentrating on what had just happened between Electabuzz and Ginji's Zangoose."

"I think I might have heard something like that," Noah spoke, "but I can't be too sure. It sounded like a very low pitched note, right?"

Lyn thought back to either scenario. "I don't think so, Noah. It didn't sound low to me. It was like a high-pitched, faint ringing."

Noah shrugged his shoulders. "No clue, then. I just think it's because of the pressure we were under. I don't quite understand it, but Luna can deal with creatures like that. I have no problem with it myself."

"The healing factor. Just what is it?" Jerry pondered aloud.

"Electabuzz got stabbed, sliced, beaten, his skull broken, his neck shattered-"

"And he came back from every single fatal injury," Noah added onto Lyn. Skai grunted in frustration.

"I don't understand it. I can barely wrap my head around it. A nearly perfect defense for healing yourself. This is much bigger than I think we're believing it to be."

"And when Luna finally stabbed him, did you notice how it all just completely leaked out?" Lyn asked the group.

"I assume that's what's forcing the healing," Jerry thought aloud, "It kept acting on its own whenever he was wounded. The questions I want answered are whether or not it's artificial, and how the Electabuzz managed to get his hands on it?"

Noah's mind trailed on and on, opting to ignore Jerry and Lyn as they continued to question the origins of the purple muck. There was no coincidence to Noah that the substance looked so familiar to him. He remembered the slime creeping slowly back into the Electabuzz after Yuki sliced its neck. He then had that insane image of the Arbok's head reattaching itself to its body before continuing to strangle Skai.

A bridge finally formed the connection Noah had sought ever since he first encountered the enigmatic purple ooze back when he met Lynus. Noah flinched as the memory of a pair of powerful jaws ripped out the meat of a Staravia's neck. He recalled the blood spraying from the opening before the avian collapsed on the floor. He remembered his own blood seeping from his nose and ears from a violent, ear splitting sound, followed by a gruesome image that continued to play itself over and over in front of his eyes. He remembered watching as a Luxray fell to its side, dying as the substance continued to eat away at its flesh.

A puddle bubbled at the front of his burning house.

"Noah?"

A call from a familiar voice snapped Noah out of his thoughts. Two pairs of human eyes stared back at him, filled with concern.

"You okay? You suddenly blanked out and stopped walking," Jerry asked his friend.

Noah pinched his eyes closed and groaned. "Yeah, I'm fine, let's keep going."

Luna's frown, unknown to the rest of the group, seemed to worsen as she was given a taste of Noah's memories, his mental block on their connection weakened during his mental flashback.

'God damn it, Noah,' Luna thought to herself, her furious gaze focused on a blank space in front of the group, looking no different than the angry appearance Zangoose naturally wore. She gulped down a crack in her voice when she tried letting out an audible groan.

The group traveled for what felt like hours before the sun finally disappeared behind the incline on the path. Noah and the group came to a halt, a giant, wide swarm of trees and shrubbery creating a giant wall that spread for what felt like miles in both directions to the side of the main path.

"The entrance to Eterna Forest," Jerry announced, walking up to a caution sign that had been added to the title of the forest in question. "Enter at your own risk. A bit cliché, but it gets the job done."

Noah walked to a large open space off the main road. "Think we should just set up camp here? It's way too dark to go into the forest right now."

Lyn agreed with Noah, both persuading the enthusiastic Jerry to rest before tackling the forest up ahead. With his help, the three trainers successfully managed to set up camp, the large tent from Noah's bag neatly placed several yards away from a tiny campfire that Jerry and Monferno had successfully set up, with pieces of wood from the trees cut neatly, courtesy of Skai; Luna refused to help out with the camp, instead opting to nap inside of the tent for the entire time.

"What's wrong with that creature?" Noah asked himself. "Something's seriously bothering her."

"Well, if your face can handle another pounding, then why not go ask her about it?"

Noah faked a laugh. "I'll deal with her when she becomes a little friendlier, I suppose."

"So...never?" Jerry smirked. Noah playfully hurled a spare piece of firewood at him, which he easily dodged before laughing some more.

Lynus had Monferno, Larvitar, Koko, and Skai waiting patiently next to her, with Soki perched inside of her unzipped bag, his head sticking out and peering over her shoulder, his beady eyes blinking as he greeted his comrades. Lyn was mixing some ingredients into a powder, which she quickly added into a large pot of heated water, thanks to the fire monkey's aid. After a quick stir, she dipped a cup into the mixture, and waved Rokoko over to her.

Lyn lowered her head to Koko's level. "Please listen to me," she looked at all of the Pokemon around her, "all of you. This mixture I've made is a sort of an herbal potion. It'll help your bodies recover from the battle much faster." Lyn handed the cup over to the Mawile. "It may taste a little bitter, but you need to drink it if you want to be back in top fighting form sooner rather than later. Do you all understand?"

Koko had already gulped down her entire cup before the rest of the Pokemon had agreed to it. She gasped for air and smiled, her jaw growling in satisfaction.

Though Lynus wouldn't understand, Koko spoke, "Bitter? This tastes DELICIOUS! Can I have some more?" Koko handed the cup back to Lyn with her giant eyes staring back at the trainer with anticipation.

"It's medicine, not dessert," Monferno reminded Koko. She grunted at the ape, brushing him off and looking back at Lyn.

"Koko, that's it. The rest needs to go to the other Pokemon who need it."

In response, Koko gave Lynus the saddest pair of puppy eyes in an attempt to convince Lyn to feed her some more of the delicious medicine.

"That's enough, Koko," she heard Noah from the other side of the fire. Defeated, she moaned as she walked back to her master.

Noah and Jerry sat back and enjoyed the rest of the show, watching Monferno and Larvitar's horrendous reactions to the medicine that Koko so mysteriously enjoyed. Larvitar, in response to the disgusting beverage, even made an attempt to lick the very dirt they walked on to rinse the flavor out of his mouth, whining when his idea didn't seem to be of any effect.

Skai took his sip, his eyes squinting as though he was concentrating all of his energy into saving face amongst the other Pokemon by not reacting to the substance at all. He managed to avoid a reaction beyond that altogether, proving his mastery over his self-control. Lyn's small pot of medicine was gone by the time Skai had finished his fill.

"The medicine makes them drowsy, so they'll have a good night's rest from here on out. We still need to be careful of how much we push them to battle tomorrow, but they should be able to manage here and there as long as we keep that in mind."

"Excellent job, Lynus. Absolutely incredible," Jerry praised her, resulting in Lyn covering her reddening face from the campfire light.

"Thanks, Jerry, I- Oh, Noah!"

Noah's head shifted towards her. "What's up, Lyn?"

"I completely forgot to save some medicine for Luna!"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much. Luna's been sleeping for more than half of the day. I'm sure she's been recovering just fine."

Lyn wavered, looking back at the tent. "Well, alright. I'm working on another drink for the Pokemon who were injured to take in the morning. It should keep them healthy throughout the day," she informed the group before returning to grinding material in the stone bowl she carried around in her coat.

Within half an hour, the Pokemon that had taken the medicine, with the exception of Skai, had all fallen asleep and were returned to their Pokeballs. The trainers almost immediately put out the fire and crawled into the tent in order to rest up for whatever tomorrow was going to bring. Luna was woken up by their movement, and with another groan, let Noah take his spot before plopping down on top of him and wrapping herself up with her thick tail.

Skai stayed ever vigilant outside of the tent, ensuring that no predators came walking around and threatening the welfare of his new group. He was taken by surprise when he heard a shuffling coming from inside of the tent about an hour after the trainers had finally settled in for the night.

The zipper on the tent came down, the flaps opening as Skai stared into the darkness. A pair of pointed ears, one red, one a darkened white, gave away Luna's identity, the insect Pokemon shook his head and returned to his post.

Luna, having struggled to walk off of Noah without waking him, as well as unzipping the opening to the tent, came clumsily crawling out, catching Skai's scent almost immediately. She stared back at him with dull, unfocused eyes. He gave her a glance before looking away calmly, peering into the dark of the night.

"Don't you ever fucking sleep?" Luna rudely asked the cautious mantis before silently walking down the side of the main path, towards the moist remains of the campfire.

==========

Earlier that Day

"Yes. You're finished."

Luna, her claws dripping with the blood of the Electabuzz, suddenly felt her grip on consciousness snap in two. Unable to cope with the loss of control over her waking form, she fell onto her side, collapsing in an exhausted heap on the floor. Her vision began to black out at the sight of Noah running to her side. She openly let sleep snatch her from the conscious world, anxiously desiring the warmth that came with rest.

To her, she felt as though she had slept for hours, until she heard a faint voice in the distance. The volume grew in the voice as time passed by.

"Heads...heads...heads...damn it, another heads..."

She felt a solid, tiny object bounce against her back. Her eyes had not yet opened, but another flat object slapped against her head, bringing her into full consciousness. She growled dangerously, hating to be woken up from such a nice slumber. Another item bounced against her tail, softly hitting the floor with a noisy clank.

"Heads again...and again...and again."

Vexed, Luna snapped her eyes wide open. A coin landed square in the center of her face before spinning in place in front of her muzzle. It danced around, grabbing her attention for a moment before landing heads up against the blackened floor.

"This is incredible."

She picked herself up onto her four legs, trying to assess where she was. She recognized the black and red environment, the sky riddled with small pockets of white, where warm rays of light poked through the air, creating small spotlights on the ground. Surrounding her where piles and piles of coins, each one with the picture of an emotionless man on it, facing towards the sky. The face on the coins looked all too familiar to her.

She heard the sound of another coin leaving the hand of an intruder. Off to the side of her vision was a tall, dark figure, their ambiguous hands flipping another coin onto the floor, towards Luna. The figure's face was blocked out by a giant, white mask with a smile on it.

"It's you again. The hell do you want now?" Luna asked the masked man.

"Hmm?" The cloaked figure looked around at the sound of her voice. His mask's eyes came into contact with her own. "Ahhh, it's you again, Ms. Luna. You're back quite soon. You have a lovely sleep?"

"Why are you here?" Luna asked him through gritting teeth. She remembered what had happened the last time the man had infiltrated her mind. She was unwilling to let him screw with her head again.

"Oh, well, you got another plate, right? I'm here to congratulate you once again." He scratched his fake chin, "but you just kept sleeping and sleeping like a baby, so I started to play a little game with these." With a flick of his wrist, a coin, similar to those scattered all around the two of them, was wedged between each of the fingers on his dark gloves.

"It's crazy, Luna. Look," he tossed the four coins in his hand high up into the air, a small ringing sound filling the vast emptiness inside of her mind as they slammed back into the ground, each one jumping around before falling into place, motionless.

"Heads, heads, heads, and...heads!" The masked man clapped his hands together, amused by the coincidence. "Isn't that incredible?!"

Luna cocked an eyebrow at the man, still in a battle stance. "What? You didn't do anything."

"Heads, Luna. They are all heads." He walked ever more closely to the ferret, picking up coins and showing the part of the coin that was face up. "Heads, heads, and heads."

"Are you done with the talking, or am I going to have to kick your ass to shut you up?"

The masked man's cloak seemed to shudder in excitement. "It's a shame you see no appreciation for this. So, it's a rumble you want, correct?" His body seemed to have frozen, staring back at Luna's claws.

The vacant space grew quiet once more, the tension rising between the two. "Nah, I'm not the fighting type," the man surrendered with his hands up, odd enthusiasm in his voice. "Luna, the odds of getting so many heads in a row...of this nature," he said, spreading his arms to the piles of coins scattered around her, "is unprecedented. It's almost impossible that this has just happened. As for why there's so many scattered around...I'm just too lazy to pick it up and flip the coins again," he chuckled.

"Get the fuck out of my head," she threatened him.

"So you got the fifth one now. Out of seventeen. Not bad, Luna, not bad at all," he completely ignored her while continuing where he left off. "It's truly remarkable how fast you and Noah are moving about. Gathering friends and allies while fighting off tons of Pokemon. The way Noah handled Electabuzz is quite a feat in and of itself, though I expected no less from a Sol. You're growing quite strong yourself. Must be Noah's influence, or something," he prattled on.

"You still have twelve to go, Luna. I'd normally have more confidence in your group to gather the rest, given your performance so far, but...it's just not in me to do that."

"What?"

"The first five haven't necessarily been super tough like I thought they'd be, personally. Think about it, Luna. The first two were given to you on a silver platter when you met Noah- well, golden if you wanna get picky- and then the last three were held by a Mawile, an Arbok, and an Electabuzz. Pretty pathetic Pokemon to even be struggling against, in my opinion. One of them a child no less."

"Wait a fucking second," Luna ordered the man, angry that he was shutting down her accomplishments thus far.

"It's going to be so much tougher from here on out. The enemies that hold the later plates don't have the hesitation and personality that the recent guardians have had. They're brutal, and won't hesitate to lay you out as fast as they possibly can."

"I figured that much. If the Arbok gives me an idea of whose ass we'll be kicking later, I'm sure that Noah and I will be able to handle them when we have our little encounter."

"Your confidence is unwarranted, little girl."

"What makes you think that?" Luna asked with a toothy smirk.

"Don't worry too much about that. I'm not here to help you or anything like that, so don't get the wrong impression of my appearance here."

"Then why the hell are you here at all?"

"Because I'm here to present a simple offer."

Luna hesitated with the man, remembering what he had done before. "I'm not here for any fancy offer."

"Just listen to it, then. I've been watching your group, of course. I've seen how you act around that boy, and I've heard your talks with that Lynus character. It's quite a simple realization, so let me skip to the point: You're fascinated with him."

Luna didn't pause to deny it, "So what if I am? Why does that matter to you?"

"My offer's simple," he ignored her again, "play a game with me. Offer up some of Noah's memories using your connection with him. If you lose the game, Noah loses those painful memories of his-"

"Out of the question. Are you an idiot, or something? Like I'd give the okay for something that stupid."

The man chuckled behind his white mask. "You care for him a great deal. It's funny. One wouldn't guess that too well from how you two act around each other." The figure continued, "However, this might interest you, Luna."

"...The answer is-"

"Win, and I'll give you all of the memories you had before meeting Noah."

Luna froze, letting the offer sink itself into her thoughts. "What did you say? My...old memories?"

"Did I stutter? Yes. All of those missing blanks that you have between that one memory I granted you, and before you met Noah? I can give them all back to you, free of charge."

"And I just...bet Noah's memory on it, right?" Luna repeated.

"Right again, little one," the cloaked man replied.

"But...I can't."

"And why exactly is that, Luna? Tell your old uncle Masky, I can help you," he approached, inching closer to her, her guard down from the prize description.

From a closer view, the cloak he wore seemed alive, several tendrils that made the cape of his cloak swirling around like claws, raking at the open air. He wrapped a few tendrils around the vulnerable mongoose, who didn't do so much as blink an eye toward the tentacles.

"I don't want to use him anymore."

"Come again?"

"He's not my tool," Luna added, remembering her talk with Yuki. "I can't use him like that...he's a friend, nothing less than that."

"You'd be doing him a favor to get rid of those painful, painful memories of his, you know."

Luna looked up at the mask. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't remember that feeling from earlier in the day? How bitter that sensation he sent over was?"

Luna shuddered. "Yeah, I remember that."

A tendril swirled about above her head. "Here you go."

Luna's eyes widened, "What?! What are you do-"

"Stay still, this will only take a moment!"

The tendrils engulfed Luna's body for a moment, swirling around and jerking as they ensnared Luna's being. She tried but failed to muscle the man off of her body, proving that he had much more strength than she could have ever anticipated.

"Let me go you son of a-"

Luna gasped as she felt a hideous sensation fill her body. Her gut felt as though it had been hollowed out with a rake, her form as light and as helpless as a feather blowing in the wind. She fell back to her knees as she tried to fight off the feeling of hopelessness, gasping for air and fighting back the urge to scream.

After he was satisfied with his work, the masked man leapt off of her body, standing back a few feet to give Luna time to recuperate, dusting off particles of fur that clunk to his outfit. Shaking, she lifted herself to her hind legs, her breathing rattled with a strange new sensation.

"What...was that? What the hell did you do?"

"Nothing," he innocently told her, "but I did manage to slip in a fragment of what Noah felt during one of his more frequent memories. How was it?"

"Terrifying," Luna responded, still trying to catch her breath. She thought to herself, 'Just what the hell has Noah been through?'

"The intrigue in your eyes say it all, but now maybe you see what I'm getting at? Bet this memory away, and should you lose, Noah will never have to relive this feeling ever again. Win-win for you, is it not?"

Luna was struggling. The masked man's offer sounded right. What she had felt was just a fraction of what Noah had experienced once in his past. Getting rid of the memory would prevent him from ever having to suffer from that experience ever again. At the same time, winning the game meant she would have all of her memories restored, which would be a key to helping her find the rest of her plates.

"How about it, Luna? Deal?" He stretched his black hand out, a grin hiding behind that white mask.

"..."

"Well?"

Luna shuddered, opening her mouth to respond to him, still panting. She held her breath as the words left her mouth, "You can take your fucking deal and shove it up your ass."

"...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed with you, Luna."

"Like I give a shit about your feelings," Luna said, getting more and more violent towards him with each passing second, her claws extending.

"You really do love to act tough. It's cute, Luna," the masked man heckled her, enjoying every moment of his interaction with her. "Hell, as foolish as it might sound, you-"

Luna's body almost left the ground at the sound of a sharp, vicious snap that popped the masked man's head completely around. His painful grunts could be heard as his head continued to make a complete spin around his motionless body. With another wincing snap, the head was fully turned back, facing Luna once more. A frown adorned the new mask that he had swapped out, his stern posture more lax and his tendrils jerking around much less.

"Luna...so good to see you."

Luna's growls came to an abrupt halt. "...What?"

"There's no time for a Q and A, so forgive me for being rough with you."

Luna didn't have a chance to ponder what had happened to the figure before a tendril shot back at her body, coiling itself around her right arm while another did the same to her other. A huge pressure forced itself down on her, knocking her flat onto the surface of the space. Luna screamed as she felt a surge of power swell into her body, unable to shove the tendrils off of her back once more. Just as before, the pressure suddenly ceased, the man giving Luna plenty of time to will herself back up.

Luna's figure was wavering now, exhausted from struggling against the masked man's might. She sat down onto the floor.

"My head," she groaned as she tried to massage her skull. "What the hell did you do?"

The man sighed. "I gave you back everything he took."

"...What?"

"He took your memories. I've given them back to you. You should be thanking me."

"I'll thank you when you help me without all of the fucking roughness. God damn it, I think you might've screwed with my back."

"The changes should take effect when you awaken. Just look around you, Luna."

Luna winced one more time before standing up. She looked beyond the piles of wasted coins, almost gasping at the sight before her. The handful of punctures in the black and red sky above had infinitely increased, light raining down from the heavens and filling the void with color. Large pockets of ground were now covered with healthy, green grass, some areas decorated with trees, and another with a running stream that snaked its way along the vacant paths. Several pathways served as guides along the grassland, each one pulsating with a mystical white force. Several small spaces, to Luna's dismay, still had black and red voids of space, showing that not everything had been restored.

"What...did you do to me?"

"I already told you. I gave you back everything he took."

"But...there's still some black-"

"True."

"Why are they still here?"

"That, I'm not too sure of. I've wasted far too much of my reserved strength to do this, so I haven't had a chance to really research everything there is to know about these types of voids."

Luna scratched her head. "I'm completely lost, now. Just what the hell is going on around here? Why the hell are you helping me!?"

The man laughed. "Don't question it, just accept it. Don't let your guard down either; I'm not done with you just yet."

Luna stared back at him, unsure of how to react to the change in the man's attitude.

The man walked towards a nearby coin, picking it up between his fingers, eyeing it with a deep curiosity. He flipped it into the air, not bothering to catch it as it fell at his feet, Luna watching cautiously as he stared at the coin's result.

Laughter was muffled by the frowning mask. "Guess that's all there is to it." He took one last look at Luna, staring at her deeply from the other side of that cover. "The Mother...you're going to need all the help you can get. Good luck."

"Mother?" Luna questioned, recalling that someone had mentioned the same name just minutes before she woke up in her little void.

Luna's ears perked when she heard another sharp snap coming from the man. There was no resistance this time as the head flung clearly around, a piercing smile donning the mask.

The mask was breathing, a shaking sound heard from the other end. It wasn't that of fatigue, but of anger.

"...That bastard...that perfect little bastard."

"Mother...why does everyone keep saying that?"

The mask took a deep breath in, sighing as he turned back and focused on Luna. "No point in bitching about it now. Luna, hasn't your little brain figured it out by now?"

"What?"

"Do you remember taking out Arbok? Or Electabuzz? Or beating the Steel-type out of Koko?"

Luna troubled herself to remember each individual event. "I do...but it's all fairly blurry. I think I was too busy caught in the heat of the moment."

"There's a good reason for that."

Luna kept her eyes on his form. "Which is?"

"Influence, Luna. Influence." The masked man started walking about, picking up each of the coins that he had used during his wait. The tendrils snatched up any coins his hands managed to miss on his sweeps, each coin vanishing the moment they were enveloped into his hands.

"Influence...what influence?"

"Well Luna, when a young girl such as yourself starts to age, you begin to experience a bunch of changes," he said with a harsh, sarcastic tone.

"Ugh, just shut it."

"You will start to look at males in a particular way, and you will begin to have moments were-"

"Can you get out of here already? You've done all that I can stand for one day. I just want to sleep already."

"O-ho, but I haven't done anything yet!" The man seemed to perk up from his bad attitude. "My offer still stands."

"...What?"

"Same price and everything, young lady. At the price of Noah's memories, I can help fill in those small pockets of space that fill this beautiful, luscious environment."

Luna grunted, looking at the irritating man one last time. "Again? You're seriously going to try this shit again? Go fuck yourself."

"Playing it safe, eh Luna?" The man finished picking up every last coin, save for one that he kept in his hand, his fingers rubbing against the flat surface on either side. "Luna, you're acting far too conservative for my tastes. It's much like how the Noah boy tried to act way back then. If there's one thing I learned from my little gambling habit, it's that you can't get the most out of life if you don't take risks every once or so often. Risks are what make this game so much more interesting, you know."

"Is that your little point? Are you done here?"

The man nodded. "For now, yes." He flipped the coin, letting it fall as he turned and began to walk away. "One cannot live a life without risk, Luna. Eventually, you'll have to make choices that ride on nothing more but the flip of a coin. Pray that luck decides to swing to your favor in those troublesome times."

The coin jumped on over, bouncing along the ground and rolling towards Luna, stopping at her feet while standing on its side.

"...More self-control...damn it," Luna's ears picked up from the man's final words before he disappeared from sight.

She looked back down at the coin. It fell lifelessly to its side, with the head of a man facing straight up into the bright sky. Staring back at the coin, Luna felt fatigue catch up to her. Without another thought, she lulled herself back to sleep, letting the sounds of the running stream settle her now restless spirit.

==========

At Present

Luna's tracks lead all the way back to the campfire, the burnt fodder still smoldering on the ground. Skai was only several yards away, standing as a guard as the travelers inside of the tent rested. Her mind racing, Luna sat down, her back facing Skai so he couldn't see her face. She continued to stare at the logs in the middle of the night, her fur and the ground around her somewhat illuminated by the glow of the moonlight above.

Skai opened his eyes when he heard a peculiar sound coming from the campfire. He looked over to see Luna in a slouched posture, her paws covering her face. Whimpers coming from her direction kept Skai at bay, the mantis staying ever vigilant while watching Luna's break down. Even if he had gone over to her side, he didn't feel as though he had the ability to help tend to her as he could with Lyn.

Luna's memories had finally returned. They scarred her emotions, carving away at her thoughts until she felt hollow and light, useless and frail to the touch. She recalled the last memory she had of her past life, that of a very close friend fading away in front of her. She called out to the pulsating blue entity, Luna too weak to help it before being engulfed by a mysterious, hungry monstrosity.

Skai zipped up the tent, not wanting Luna's cries to preemptively wake up the rest of the group and garner attention. He watched on, giving her as much condolence as he could as Luna continued.

"I let you down, it's all my fault."

Luna felt small as the woods surrounded her. She wept silently into the night until no more tears could run down her face. Exhausted, and feeling lower than dirt, Luna didn't bother to return to the tent, curling up on the spot and resting her body between each sob.

Her memory flashed back to her friend, shining and happy, before it disappeared.

"You're dying because of me...What have I done," Luna repeated, "What have I done?"

==========

The dew hadn't left the ground before Jerry was up and about, cleaning up the camp of several wrappings, the trash culminating of Lyn's medicinal wrapping, and a bag of snacks Noah had pulled out of his bag for the group last night. Skai had looked away from Jerry as he poked his head out of the tent, yawning before moving along with the cleanup duty. Lyn and Noah, woke up shortly afterward, stirring as Jerry moved about outside.

"Noah?" a tired, female voice came from the center of the tent, weak from just snapping out of a deep sleep.

"Yeah?" Noah simply yawned back, tired, but not enough so as to not respond.

"Is it morning yet?"

He turned over toward her. She was still snuggled up inside of her new sleeping bag that she had bought with Noah's money back in Jubilife. Her eyes were still shut tight, refusing to open.

"Yeah, it's morning."

She elicited a groan as her body finally started to wake up, stretching as she exposed her upper half from the zipped up bag.

"Noah, you mind if-"

"No problem," Noah interrupted, already knowing what she was getting ready to ask. He grabbed his bag and hastily made his exit, hearing the tent zip up behind him. As Lynus began to change into her trainer's outfit, Noah pulled out a bottle of water and his toothbrush from his bag. He turned over and spotted Jerry by a tree near the tent, already dressed to perfection. His curly hair bounced on his head as he brushed his own teeth, Noah quickly following suit.

Jerry rinsed out as Noah began to brush. "Morning to you, Noah. Get a good night's rest?"

Noah nodded his head, the toothpaste foaming up in his mouth as he continued with the mindless task.

"Well, everything's been fixed up out here. Just need to pack the tent and we're ready to go."

Noah spit out some of the paste. "You sure that we're ready to jump straight into it, Jerry?"

"Huh? What do you mean, Noah?"

"Well, just- look, I'll bring it up after everything here is done," Noah quickly said before rinsing his mouth out with some water from the bottle. Almost immediately afterward, Lyn emerged from the tent, walking over to Noah and Jerry with her own toothbrush in hand.

"The tree's all yours, Lyn," Jerry joked as she drew near. Noah made for the tent himself, leaving the other two trainers to themselves. As he walked, from the corner of his eye, he spotted an all too familiar white ball of fluff, his mind jumping as he became more aware of his surroundings.

"Luna?" He called to her. The white fluff near the campfire shuffled in place. Skai, who had just passed by to follow his master, was stopped by Noah's call to him. "Skai," he said, now realizing that his daily mauling hadn't occurred yet, "Did Luna come out here early this morning?"

No words escaped from Skai's mouth. Replacing this was a slow shake of his head from the left to the right, and then back to the center. He didn't wait for Noah to reply, retreating to Lynus' side.

Noah stared back at Luna, who was also in the process of waking up. She lifted herself onto her four legs, yawning her species' name as she stretched her body out, still in a daze.

"Luna, you alright?"

Luna's head swung around, her eyes staring right back into Noah's. His eyes widened at the sight of her. Luna's eyes were illuminated by the rising sun, her fur coat shining splendidly with every move she made. The colors on her fur were much brighter, the gray and maroon patterns substituted for a spectacular display of soft white alabaster and passionate rich garnet. She stretched her claws out, the razor sharp ebony potent enough to slice through the toughest of hides. Noah spotted a comb, her comb, near her feet, a patch of fur gripping tightly to each tooth. Her gorgeous tail was propped straight up, leaning against the form of her body until the tip branched off and bobbed in the air behind her neck. Her pearly white gaze shimmered as it pierced deeply into his heavy, bronze lens, blowing all of his preconceived notions of her species' brutal, savage nature out of the water.

"I'm fine Noah," she spoke, her voice oddly harmonic to his ears. He seemed overwhelmed at the sights and sounds before him. "Um...Noah?" The cat ferret stared back at his frozen figure, waving to him when he didn't respond to her. "Are you there?"

His mind warped back into reality, "Oh what? Oh! Sorry Luna. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Keep your head on your body, you look hopeless without it," she told him, her voice degenerating quickly into that sharp, icy tone he already knew all too well.

"It must be the drowsiness," he told her, questioning his sanity and rubbing his face as he passed through the tent's flap, leaving Luna to herself as the memories of last night rushed back into the front of her thoughts.

"What am I gonna do now?" she muttered to herself, a claw scratching at the spot under her muzzle.

It took little time for Noah to swap back into his traditional black shirt and white pants. The zipper to the tent's opening swiftly shot down, Noah walking passed the threshold as he pulled his right arm through his sleeveless, unbuttoned vest. Lynus had just finished brushing her own teeth as Jerry dug through his bag, pulling out the wrapped up remains of the snacks that Noah had ripped open the night before.

"There's still a handful of snacks left if you guys wanted to finish them off," Jerry handed the bag over to Noah.

He looked at the bag quizzically, before replying, "Actually Jerry, I was kinda hoping we could have a good breakfast before heading out today."

Jerry nodded at him, "I was too, but I don't think we have the time for something like that, Noah."

Curious, Noah pressed on, "Why would you say that? The sun just barely edged over the trees, Jerry."

"Exactly. We're running a little late."

"For what?"

"Eterna Forest is huge, Noah. Don't you remember how long it took us to get through on our first trip?"

Lyn looked back to Noah, who was trying to recall their travels those years ago. "I...don't remember those exact details, Jerry."

"Almost two days, Noah. And that was only because our Pokemon were strong enough to stave away the wildlife, and because we stayed on the trail. I'd like to get to the latter half of the forest before nightfall hits."

"Before nightfall? Jerry, is it for avoiding the nighttime predators, or something? Otherwise, I don't see the need to rush in so soon."

"The wild Pokemon in Eterna Forest is not what I'm concerned with, Noah. I'm worried that we'll get lost if we travel in the dark."

"Rushing in won't help."

"Neither will staying out here and doing nothing. Better to just get it over with, right?"

"Not if it endangers the group any more than necessary, Jerry. Our team is still worn out from yesterday's battles. We're just not at full strength. Remember what Ginji said? The forest is much more difficult to manage now."

Jerry smirked, "Noah, I've been traveling around for quite some time since we last came through here. I had to pass through this forest on my own before heading back to Twinleaf Town."

"And?"

"I had no problems dealing with it. We passed through with flying colors."

Lynus spoke up as Noah tried to form a response, "But then why would Ginji tell us that they struggled to get through it?"

"Glad you asked," Jerry replied. "Look at Ginji. Now look at his team. How many people does that make?"

"Two, of course," she answered instantly.

"Two. Two whole people. In a giant forest full of creatures and trainers just itching for a fight. Now, before you say anything, look at us. How many are we?" He didn't give them a chance, raising his hands into the air. "Jerry, Monferno, Larvitar, Misdreavus, Lynus, Roselia, Scyther, Shuckle, Noah, Mawile, and the ferret," he called off, lifting a finger for each name, followed by pointing at Luna when her name came along.

"Eleven. Strength in numbers, Jerry?" Noah buzzed.

"Right. He only had one Pokemon, so he had to rely on her for everything. When a Pokemon's tired, it's tired. There's going to be a ton of trouble managing yourself if you just have one. Ginji struggled in the forest because he only had one."

"That still doesn't address the health of our team, Jerry," Noah retorted.

"Lynus' medicine will be enough to get them through until we hit the Pokemon Center in Eterna City, Noah. Trust me on this one, I know what I'm saying. I've only been through this place several dozen times."

Noah hesitated to answer. "I don't know, Jerry."

"Besides," the curly trainer said slyly, "if the team’s health concerned you THAT much, we'd have gone back to Floaroma to fix them up." Noah's lack of response coerced Jerry further, "So Noah, what are YOU rushing to Eterna for?"

Noah was trapped by Jerry's question. He had no justifiable reason for ignoring the Floaroma Pokemon Center except for the truth.

"Remember early on in our travels, Jerry, where I mentioned that video my parents left behind?"

Lynus eyes, unnoticed by Jerry and Noah, grew wide at the remark.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, it wasn't something I found at home. Some stranger sent me the link after the funeral."

Lynus froze, her mind racing. 'Funeral? But he told me-'

"A...stranger, Noah? Couldn't be a stranger if they had that kind of content in their possession, wouldn't you think?"

"Yeah. My father himself told me to go out and find her as soon as I can...but-"

"I see. Noah, who is it, then?"

"She calls herself 'Bee'."

Jerry almost paused, "Bee, huh? Never heard of her. Is this 'Bee' in Eterna City, or something?"

"We were supposed to meet back at Oreburgh after I met Lyn, but she said that she had to leave town. She left me with a silk scarf to use against Koko, and in the forest. Bee said she'd meet me in Eterna City."

"And you don't wanna keep her waiting like you did at Oreburgh. Is that what you're thinking?"

Noah nodded, "I don't want to miss another chance like that. She might have information regarding what happened back then." Jerry had squeezed the truth out of him. Lynus had a troubling look on her face.

"Well, if that's the case, then that's all the more reason to head in now, right? We have the manpower, some time, and a reason, so let's go!"

Lyn held her objections in for the time being, deciding that now wasn't the time to bring it up. Together, the trio quickly packed up everything in their backpacks and bags, only taking no more than thirty minutes before arriving back on the main road with everything they had been carrying for the last few days packed away. Luna and Skai kept only a small distance away from their respective trainers as the group stared back at the forest in front of them. It grew darker as the treetops blocked out the sun the further the path extended, Lyn showing a bit of hesitation to enter the area. Skai came to her side, giving her a tap and a nod of his head to show that he was still there for her.

Jerry, with a grin on his face, turned towards his partners. "You guys ready?"

"Lyn, would the medicine's effects be worn off by now on our Pokemon?"

Out of her fear induced stupor, Lyn stumbled, "Uh-yes Noah. The medicine should be out of their system for the most part. If they get injured on the way through the forest, I do have some medication they can take that works as a supplement to the modern potions you two have."

"Wonderful, Lyn. I assume that's what you were making last night?" Jerry asked.

"Y-yeah."

Jerry tapped Noah on the shoulder, purposely talking loud enough for the entire group to hear, "She's absolutely amazing, Noah." This elicited a blush from her, covering her reddened face with her jacket's hood.

Behind them, Luna was blankly staring at nothing. Sweat was already forming on her, not from the sun, or the exhaustion from the other day, nor from the inevitable battles that would occur in the Forest, but from what she would have to do once she had Noah to herself.

"Damn. Pull yourself together," she whispered to herself, patting her face roughly with her paws. She shuffled behind the group as they quickly entered the hungry forest within.

Eterna Forest didn't seem to have changed much from the last time Noah had been there. On the whole, plenty of the ambience was still there. It was dark and the air felt thick as it flowed through his lungs. Trees towered on all sides of them, small patches of open walkways attempting to coax them into the deeper areas of the forest, where only the most vicious of predators roamed. Branches forked above them to block out the rays of sunlight that bounced off of the leaves. Vines and uprooted trees riddled the forest floor, stretching out in an attempt to grab any unwary traveler by the ankle and drag them down into the darkness.

The wildlife hadn't been deterred by any of the threatening vibes the forest gave off. Above them was the sound of a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto, as guessed by Noah from the silhouettes displayed. The group even managed to cross around a passive group of Spinarak, the parent Ariados watching them with cold, threatening eyes and a glistening, poison drenched stinger. Noah's party couldn't help but feel as though they were all holding their breath as they walked out of eyesight of the giant spider creature.

A silent hour passed as the group made their way deeper into the forest, the sunlight above fading as the foliage thickened. Several other Bug Pokemon could be heard mingling and wandering about the trees on the outskirts of the tiny, thin path the group walked on, the lack of space beginning to suffocate the party.

"The forest has grown a bit out of control," Noah noted to the group, Jerry silently approving.

"Yeah. It's been getting worse since we last traveled together, Noah. The Great Migration also didn't help in keeping the tracks visible for travelers."

"More wild Pokemon flocking to the area means a tougher time for workers to keep the pathways stable, I suppose," Noah said.

"That, and whatever migrating Pokemon that happen to survive in the new, harsh environment tend to be fairly strong compared to several years ago."

"Is this 'Migration' affecting every path?" Lynus asked, reasonably concerned about their journey.

"Everywhere in Sinnoh, yes," Jerry answered swiftly. "Pokemon are heading to Sinnoh from all three of the other regions."

"I heard on the news some time ago, that they were considering the idea of shutting Sinnoh off to beginning trainers because of the difficulty in handling the wild Pokemon."

"Rookie trainers and their Pokemon are getting injured much more often in Sinnoh, and death rates via wild Pokemon attacks have risen quite a deal," Jerry added. "It's unfortunate for the trainers still in the academies spread throughout the region."

"Isn't High Noon doing anything about this?" Noah questioned the curly haired trainer.

"I'm not sure. Needless to say, the lack of active students participating at the academies hurts my family's income as well. I did hear talk of a program that sends new students abroad, though."

"A trip to Kanto?"

"Any region of the student's family's choice. Since a ton of Pokemon are heading to Sinnoh, population rates at Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn have dropped sharply, so it's relatively safe to travel in those areas."

"And Unova?"

Jerry shrugged as if he was disappointed, "I'm honestly not sure about them. It's tough to deal with regions that are both far, far away, and independent of High Noon itself."

"I'm sorry you two," Lyn interrupted, "but...what is Unova?"

"Oh, right," Noah remembered, "Lynus, Unova is a region somewhere far away west from Hoenn. The four regions here keep in touch with the region, but we don't do much else aside from light trading for goods and whatnot."

"People want to travel to Unova from the High Noon controlled regions, but there are difficulties. It's tough to adapt to because things are run differently over in that place. Unova is limited by its location and resources, whereas these four regions are much less affected because their distances from one another aren't as vast, so helping each other out region by region is no problem. Moneywise, it's outrageously expensive to travel to Unova, but from the few colleagues I've known who have managed to settled down over there, it was well worth every penny," Jerry said.

"Why would that be?" Lyn asked. "Being that far away from family and friends...and if it's as expensive as you say it is, I'd think it'd be difficult commuting back and forth for visits."

"It's the Pokemon in Unova, Lyn," Noah told her. "Almost every Pokemon discovered over in Unova is native only to that region, while over here in the High Noon territories, several Pokemon can be found in several of the regions. You can find Rattata everywhere now, courtesy of the migrational changes."

"High Noon has been working with their affiliates in the Unova region to compile Pokemon data and increase the quality and quantity of information within the Pokedex as well," Jerry added. "It's been a never-ending project, but they've made a ton of progress. The only problem is that it's tough to trade Pokemon over such a long distance because the technology developed for Pokemon trades just wasn't designed to have that much coverage. You'd have to literally fly one of the trainers or professors over to swap Pokemon because the trading terminals just aren't that powerful yet."

"And travel is expensive, like you said," Lyn recollected.

"Exactly. It also doesn't help that the entire National Pokedex project's pretty much been postponed. Lance and Cynthia were major parts to the project and with both of them gone, it's been tough finding other volunteers who have the time, authority, and interest to do what those two were able to do.

"Attempts have been made to capture and study the new Pokemon, but they haven't really caught enough to help the government push its way deep into the region just yet. With Lance dying and Cynthia vanishing into thin air, I'm pretty sure all plans for assimilating Unova have been put on hold."

"I see," Lyn hummed. "I wonder what the new Pokemon are..."

"I'd love to get a look at some of them when I get the chance," Jerry said, optimism shining in his eyes. "Unfortunately, High Noon is keeping whatever Pokemon they HAVE traded under tight restrictions. I doubt anyone outside of the government has seen many, if even one. And they refuse to release them into Sinnoh because they don't want to jeopardize the already screwed up ecosystem here."

"It wouldn't help with the whole 'trainers trying to cope with the wild life' thing either, Jerry," Noah reminded him. "If trainers are struggling as is with familiar Pokemon, what makes you think they can handle strong Pokemon that they've never seen before?"

Jerry snapped his fingers. "It's still a shame, I think. I'd catch one no problem. It'd be of great use to my team."

The forest around them replied with the shuttering of several trees, their leaves swaying in a breeze that came through the lush, green environment. The group continued to tread the dangerous territory.

Another hour passed without conflict from the darkening environment. Luna kept to herself most of the time, a trait that Noah continued to concern himself with, while Skai stuck to Lyn as if he were her shadow, a fitting image for the swift Mantis Pokemon.

It seemed as though a blink of the eye later, which the sounds of life from the forest suddenly ceased. A wrenching feeling filled Noah's gut when the group began to grow more attentive to the lack of sound from the forest.

"It's too quiet," Lyn whispered. Skai sensed the danger, his weapons at the ready, his eyes slowly scanning the small path. It took a jolt from Noah to snap Luna out of her trance. Realizing the situation, she stretched out her claws, almost relieved that a potential wild encounter would come to take her mind off of her problems.

The tension in the air heated up, Jerry grabbing hold of a Pokeball from his side. "Anyone see anything?"

Luna's ears perked up. She sent a quick signal to Noah. It was a peculiar sound coming from deep within the rows of trees. The volume of the noise grew louder.

"You hear that, guys?" Noah warned the group.

"Now I do, Noah. What is it?" Jerry said cautiously, as not to startle whatever was out there.

"It sounds like...like air being sucked up," Luna told the group, her ears trying to home in on the sound.

"Should we run?" Lyn asked the two boys.

"No. We lost that chance," Jerry told her with a stern voice. "I doubt that whatever is out there will give us the opportunity to get away now."

The forest went quiet once again.

Noah could hear his own heavy breathing, the adrenaline in his body rising as he fought his flight or fight response.

"...I think it's go-"

Jerry's head jerked back violently as a loud clap of air boomed into the area. His hand dropped his Pokeball as his body violently slammed into the ground, his loud cry sucked up by the vicious forest.

"THERE!"

Noah turned to look at the direction of a large, blue Pokemon leaping towards him. The monster's giant blue horn close in the distance between itself and Noah's neck before Luna's body collided with the creature, sending it to the front of the group. Skai quickly forced Lynus behind him as the Pokemon pulled itself to its feet, hissing sharply at the group for walking into its territory.

Luna took in a deep breath, almost relieved, as she readied herself for a fight. She eyed the Single Horn Pokemon, its round, thick body deceiving of its speedy blows. Heracross stared right back at her, selecting the Cat Ferret as his next target instead. With a cry of rage, the Heracross bolted straight at his target, his horn lowered.

'Heracross, and it's using Horn Attack again,' Noah sent to Luna. 'Get ready for him.'

'No problem,' Luna replied, her confidence relieving to Noah. The large bug charged blindly at the furry white target, missing her completely as she jumped into the air. She landed right on his head, her arms wrapped around his horn. Expectedly, he struggled to swing her off, slamming his head into the grass. Luna used the opportunity he had given her, and pushed herself off of his horn. Her claws at the ready, she dragged herself down behind him, pulling her claws down the dome of his back, two large red marks scarring the opponent.

Heracross screamed as the pain rattled his brain. Luna, quick to react to her last attack, made a quick slash across his dome, some of the hide flinging off to the side of the road as she dragged her sharp weapons across the fresh wound. In a fury, Heracross powered his way through his agony and made for another swing at her with his arm, spinning around when his attack clearly missed the intended mark.

'Brick Break...Luna, finish it now!'

Luna shouted back her acknowledgement as she made for a shallow stab at the Heracross' midsection, quickly pulling the dagger out almost as soon as it connected. The insect Pokemon doubled over at the lethal attack, giving Luna plenty of time to charge up a Swords Dance. The leaves around her trembled as a new surge of power exploded around her, the foliage kicking up as Luna's body nearly took flight from the ground. She ran back to create distance between her and her victim before sprinting right back in with her thick arm stretched out. The poor monster only had a moment to look up before a powerful arm slammed straight into his upper body, nearly flipping his body over as he landed viciously on his head, kicking up dirt. The dust in the air quickly settled around the Pokemon as it groaned in disapproval at its own defeat.

Noah quickly made for Jerry, who barely managed to pick himself up off of the ground with one hand, the other rubbing the side of his face. Luna sighed in cathartic relief, thoroughly enjoying the beat down she had done.

"Sorry I didn't leave any for you, Skai," she teased the mantis, his eyes still sharp as he eyed the environment.

"Jerry, are you alright?" Noah asked the trainer as he helped him to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Doesn't feel like anything's bleeding or cracked." He stumbled over, leaning on Noah for another minute before regaining his balance.

"What happened? One minute you're there, the next, you're down."

"I don't know. Just felt like a burst of air slammed into me."

"Heracross...OH!" Noah finally realized. "Vacuum Wave, that had to be it."

"It would explain the suction sound we heard earlier," Lyn helped to explain.

"Makes sense...must've been easy to lay out, I figure?"

"Luna handled him just fine, why?"

"The attack didn't hurt too much, but hitting the floor sure as hell did," he chuckled.

Neither of the trainers were aware of the sudden shift that came from the other edge of the path. Noah's eyes widened when another giant, blue insect came barreling at him from the trees on the edge of the path, ready to mow him down with ease. Luna gasped before she darted over to Noah's side, knowing that there was a high chance that she wouldn't make it in time.

Then, just as soon as Noah and Jerry caught sight of the Pokemon, it tumbled over, slamming face first into a nearby tree as if it had suddenly changed direction. Clueless, the team stared at the now knocked out Pokemon, curious at what they had just seen.

Skai exhaled deeply, brushing off the blood that stained his claws. Noah hadn't realized that the Mantis had made his way toward the Heracross at all, watching as he made haste towards his trainer.

"Thank you Skai," Lynus smiled gently, like nothing had happened at all. He simply elicited a growl in response.

"What...I...huh?" Luna managed to spit out.

"Skai knew that there was another one out there," Lyn explained to the confused party.

"Yeah...but how?"

"The horn. The Heracross that you knocked out was a female."

True enough to her word, the horn on the Heracross gave away its gender, forking into two rounded plate like horns rather than jagged, sharp horns that male Heracross were known to have.

"He assumed that she would most likely have a mate?" Jerry asked, dumbfounded.

"Yup. Just his intuition."

"Amazing. Thank for the help, Skai," Noah told the insect. Skai grunted his reply back at the trainer.

The group didn't realize the buzzing sound that began to fill the air. Jerry hadn't even finished dusting his pants off when Luna's ears jumped to attention once again.

"Noah...what is that?"

"What's what, Luna?"

"Umm...that?"

Luna pointed with her claws to the back of the path that they had just walked. A loud, buzzing sound was approaching them quickly.

"What the hell...?" Noah muttered. Skai's eyes flashed, indicating the severity of the incoming danger.

Skai jerked at his trainer, pushing her ahead of him before growling at the entire group.

"He wants to run," Lyn told the group nervously. Her frightened look put the team on edge as she made for the front of the pack with Skai. She gulped, having a hard time remembering the last time Skai had told her to run from an enemy.

The buzzing nearly tripled in volume over the next few seconds, indicating that a giant swarm of something fierce was heading toward them. Noah, Jerry, and Luna didn't hesitate to start walking quickly in the opposite direction of the incoming army. It didn't take them more than another second before the entire group broke out into a full run, frantically catching up to Lyn and Skai.

"They're getting closer!" Luna warned the group, shouting over the sound of the trainer's feet slamming into the dirt. Skai's wings buzzed rapidly as he flew right above the surface of the ground, making it tough for the team to hear each other.

"What the hell are they?!" Noah shouted.

"Who cares, just keep going!" Lyn yelled back at him.

The buzzing had caught up to the party with frightening ease. In front of them, Noah, Jerry, and Lynus could see the cloud of enemies swarming in the sky thanks to the sunlight.

Luna's ears twitched violently, "Noah, duck your head!"

Noah didn't second guess her command, feeling a heavy object graze against his hair. The group got a good glance at their enemy before it slammed its stinger deep into a tree, squirming as they ran past it.

"Beedrill!? In Eterna Forest!?" Noah shouted.

"What the hell set them off?!"

Another Beedrill fired towards the group, thankfully missing everyone before tumbling into the ground.

"The Vacuum Wave! It must've startled the entire hive!" Jerry gasped.

"God damn it! Just RUN!" Noah commanded at the group.

The noise of the swarm made it harder and harder for the group to hear themselves. A trio of Beedrill fell in to attack the group from behind, lowering their altitude and flying to the sides of the trainers.

"Run and hit, run and hit!" Noah shouted his orders to Luna.

Jerry grabbed a ball and ripped it open, a blinding flash of light stunning the Beedrill aimed towards him, forcing it to back off. At the same time, Skai slashed fiercely at his opponent, stunning the Poison Bee. Luna brought her claws to the side to parry the stinger from the third before slapping it away with the back end of her paw. It flew off and slammed into a tree behind them.

"Monferno, Ember!"

The fire monkey that Jerry had released was clutching on to Jerry's shoulders when it turned its head around. The swarm seemed to completely cover the path that the group had just walked on, forming a giant wall of insects that inched closer and closer to the group. Monferno didn't hesitate to fire a spray of hot flames at the swarm, catching a few of the insects off guard. They squirmed in the air as the heat from the flames forced them to the ground.

"Skai!"

The Scyther quickly reacted to Lyn's cry for help, lifting himself several feet off of the ground to slice the wings off of a Beedrill who was moments from dropping his stinger right on top of Lyn's head.

A Beedrill shot ahead of the group several yards. Luna pulled ahead of the pack to meet the challenger. She jumped at the bee and tackled it to the ground, struggling for a moment before sticking her claws into its abdomen as the trainers passed her by.

"Luna, hurry!"

She screamed something inaudible back at him before wrenching her claws out of the Pokemon. One quick attack later, and she was back to Noah's side, her ears listening to the buzzing that was almost hovering over them.

"Rei, come out!"

Lyn adopted Jerry's method, summoning her newest member to the team in the hood of her cloak. Rei gasped at the large swarm of Pokemon lingering behind them, shocked at what the group had gotten itself into.

"Magical Leaf!"

"Another Ember, Monferno!"

A stream of leaves and flame scattered the Beedrill in the air, this time prepared for the attacks. Several leaves managed to clip the wings of several Beedrill, while the flames downed a few more.

Noah's body was beginning to scream at him for rest. His legs and lungs burned with each gasp of air he took in, the pack on his back slamming into him with every step they took. What remained of the swarm- still too abundant to fight off without running- had now completely covered the top of the group, ready to pounce on them.

"Anyone have a plan!?" Lynus screamed at the other two.

"We can't outrun them forever!" Noah panted.

Another foe plunged down on top of the group before being ended by Skai's quick slash to its throat. It fell uselessly to the side.

"Damn it, I didn't want to have to do this," Jerry muttered. "You ready, Monferno?"

Monferno shouted back at his master, ready for his orders.

"Everyone, stop!"

Noah and Lyn looked back to Jerry. "Are you mad?!" Noah asked him.

"Just stop!"

Their trust in Jerry had the entire group completely stop the run, the Beedrill jerking around angrily in the air above them.

"Monferno, Flame Wheel. Give them hell!"

"Jerry, wait!" Noah tried to stop him. Monferno had already begun his attack, flames wrapping themselves eagerly around his body, his growling becoming deeper and louder. The flames licked at some of the trees in the area before Monferno's body burst into a maelstrom of scorching flames. The tip of the flames stretched to a height that began to burn some of the overhead trees above the group.

Monferno leapt straight into the swarm. Like a flaming cannonball, Monferno curled his body up as the fire spun uncontrollably around his body. He felt the flames collide with several bodies in midair, using it as a queue to exert every ounce of energy he had in his body. With a heated roar, Monferno exerted all of his strength directly outward, making the Flame Wheel explode outward as it whirled around in the air. Copious amounts of Beedrill where caught in the attack, the fire grasping their bodies in its wrath.

Flaming Pokemon rained down from above, the group panicking as the first one slammed into the ground next to them, squirming as it burned to death.

"Move out of the way!" Noah yelled.

He blindly darted in the nearest open direction as most of the swarm fell from the skies, the sound of carcasses thumping against the forest floor raining in his ears, their shrieks of agony a serenade of screams.

As the cries died with the swarm, Noah turned around. Bodies of unconscious or dead Beedrill had separated him from Jerry, Lyn, and Skai. To his side was Luna, panting. Blood stained the tips of her claws from the Pokemon she had downed.

"You guys alright!?" Noah called out.

"Noah! You there!?" Noah heard Lyn's call.

"Yeah! I'm over here!"

"Noah, keep looking up! There's still a few left!"

Jerry and Lyn watched the several remaining Beedrill swirl around the group. Jerry quickly returned Monferno to his ball before reaching for another, releasing Misdreavus before anything else could happen.

"There's still about twenty left!" Noah counted.

"Can you get over here with us!?" Jerry asked him.

Noah looked for a path as Luna took to the skies. "I don't see a path. The Beedrill are in the way!"

"The fire's spreading too much on this end! It caught on several of the trees!"

"Noah, move!"

Lyn and Jerry shouted inaudibly as Noah jumped out of the way of another attack from the Beedrill. Luna quickly sliced it and kicked it to the side to keep it out of commission.

"Noah, they're going to go after you two!" Jerry warned him. Sure enough, many of the Beedrill had turned their attention to the smaller group, seeing them as less threatening. "Make your way into the forest! We'll try taking them out from here!"

"What about the main path!?"

"You have your tech, right?! Use the map to make your way back to the path once you're out of harm's way!"

Misdreavus fired a beam of psychic energy, catching the Beedrill off guard. It slammed into several of the enemy, downing them instantly. Some of the remaining swarm quickly turned their attention on Jerry and Lyn.

Noah hesitated, but quickly got up to his feet and ordered Luna to his side. "Got it! We'll meet up on the other side, alright!?"

"Just stay alive, go!"

Half of the swarm charged towards Noah and Luna as they quickly jumped beyond the natural barricade to the forest. Jerry and Lyn watched them disappear as half of the swam followed them from the skies.

"What if something happens to him?" Lyn asked.

"He'll be fine, Lynus, let's just deal with these guys first. Larvitar might be able to deal with the fire."

Noah could hear the sound of Psybeams fading away as he stumbled through the unmarked territory with Luna. He could hear a weaker number of beating wings gaining on him from the skies, watching cautiously for the next one to attack.

A Beedrill jumped in quickly from one end. Luna quickly reacted and slammed it into the dirt. Noah didn't have time to relax, spotting five more charging headfirst from a jagged path of trees in front of him.

"Shit! Luna!"

Luna jumped in front of him. A flash later, and Koko was at her side. Right as the enemies got close to them, Koko flung her jaw straight into the air and let out a huge roar. Startled by the massive jaw, the Beedrill hesitated to advance, giving Luna the opening she needed. Quickly, she slammed two more Beedrill into the ground with her strong arms. Koko wasted no time in slamming her jaw down on the enemy closest to her, pinning it to the dirt. The fourth made it passed the two Pokemon, heading straight for Noah.

The insect flung its stinger out, lunging into Noah's chest. Noah gasped as he tossed out his arms in front of him. A loud clang came from the collision between the two, the force knocking Noah to the ground.

"NOAH!" Luna screamed. She leapt back towards her trainer, pulling the Beedrill back and stabbing it deep into its midsection with a sickening crunch. The fifth foe, seeing its brethren sprawled out on the floor, fled back to the group, the sound of the buzzing overhead quickly fading away as the danger passed them.

Koko tripped her way over to Noah as well, Luna already trying to pull him up from the ground.

"If you went and got yourself stung, I'll fucking kill you before the poison does!" Luna growled at him, lifting his upper half off the dirt.

"I'm fine, Luna!" He replied back to her, instantly snapping her out of her little panic attack. She kept her grip on him tight as he lifted his body to a sitting position. He looked at the arm that had supposedly been stung.

"God damn it," Noah groaned. Luna looked to his arm. The device that had been wrapped around it was shattered, a small hole no more than an half an inch deep seeping some type of fluid. "The Poketech took the hit. Unbelievable."

"So you're fine right?" Koko chimed in, almost blissfully unaware of what danger Noah was just put in.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Noah assured her.

Luna completely let go of him. "You fucking idiot. Don't scare me like that!" she barked.

"Sorry Luna. I didn't mean to."

"Hmph," she crossed her arms, wafting her tail from left to right. "They've all left, we're alone for the time being, so what now?"

"Well, we're completely lost."

"...What?"

"We were just blindly running through the forest, Luna. I have no idea where we are, or how to get back to the main path," he clearly stated. He looked back at his wrist, "and with the tech broken, we can't use the map OR call Jerry or Lyn about where we are."

"So we're totally lost without a clue of where to go?" Luna asked.

"Seems like it."

Irritated by the events that had taken place, Luna sighed in defeat..

==========

Back at the main road, the remains of the swarm that had survived Monferno's rage were scattered about their allies, beaten and bruised. Skai stood at Lyn's side, still full of energy. Rei had been recalled, as had Misdreavus. The fire was still active, and was spreading down the other end of the path.

Jerry was facing away from the defeated pile of insects, tinkering with his own Poketech.

"Damn it! I can't get in touch with him."

Fear had encompassed Lyn's face. "What if he's hurt?"

Jerry kept trying to call Noah, getting a dead tone on the other end of the line. "It's like his tech just stopped working, or something."

"What do we do, Jerry?"

Jerry closed the phone application on his tech, turning back to face Lyn. "I didn't expect something this severe to happen."

Lyn looked back at him, concerned for Noah's safety.

"We can't stay here forever, we need keep moving or this forest will eat us alive. C'mon, Lyn," Jerry told the frightened girl, beginning to walk down the path laid out in front of them.

"But Noah-"

"Noah's been through this path before. He knows the rules to Eterna Forest. If I was in his position, I'd assume that we would head for Eterna and regroup as soon as possible."

Lynus hesitated to move. "...Are you sure? What if he's lost...or worse?"

"Noah won't go down that easily, Lyn. I have faith in his abilities. He'll be fine."

Lyn gave a look at Skai, who agreed with Lyn before following behind her once again. "I...suppose there's no other option."

"We can't go looking for him either. We have no idea where he took off to, and if he's moving around like I think he'd be, it may take us forever to find him."

"Y-yeah."

"Larvitar only managed to block off the fire from spreading in this direction, but we couldn't deal with it on Noah's end. I'm going to contact Eterna and Floaroma staff. They should be able to manage it, but we have to go or else we risk being attacked again. C'mon, Lyn."

The two trainers quickly made their escape from the battlefield, hoping that their friend would be able to power his way through the remainder of the forest's wrath.

==========

Three hours had passed since Jerry and Lyn had fled from the ruins of the battle with the Beedrill swarm. There was a sense of uneasiness between the two with the absence of Noah's presence- the one thing that linked these two trainers together. Without him at their side, out in the wilderness to fend for himself with wild Pokemon undoubtedly waiting around the corner, the two trainers felt as if they were total strangers to one another.

Within those three hours, they had stopped a total of five times, each time the two of them pulled out their techs and made for another attempt at contacting Noah, each time getting a dead line from the other end.

"I wonder what could've happened to him that his tech isn't working," Lyn wondered aloud.

"It's possible that something is screwing with his signal out here. There are some dead spots in Eterna Forest," Jerry assured her, "but then how would he be in a dead zone for so long?"

"What if it's broken? How will he find his way to us?"

Jerry looked back at Lyn, secretly admiring her flashing, green eyes. "Noah's more resourceful than you'd believe him to be Lyn. Map or no map, he'll find his way to Eterna."

Eventually, the pair came to a sharp curve in the pathway, an indicator that Jerry knew all too well in his many travels through the perilous terrain. Jerry's mood seemed to have improved at the sight of it.

"I know this spot! Good. Very good."

"What is it Jerry?"

Jerry's index finger extended as he spoke, "See that? I recognize it every time I walk through here. That curve is more or less a marker. We're about halfway through to the outskirts of Eterna City now."

"Really? Wow...we cut through this area faster than I thought we would."

"It's because we kept on the trail," Jerry sighed, "and ran a good distance of it too." Wishing to change the subject, Jerry backtracked, "I've been through this forest far too many times to count, myself."

"You said something about that before we came."

"Yeah. Had to have been a dozen times or so. What's happened to us isn't too surprising, though it's still troubling."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, Noah and I traveled through this path together at one point. Truth be told, we got separated back then too, though it wasn't for THIS long."

"This isn't new to you two?"

"Oh Arceus no," Jerry laughed, "Noah and I were lost because I was eager to catch me a Shinx back in those days. You didn't see Shinx too often in the forest, and I wasn't able to find one back on the earlier routes, so I was pretty ecstatic about getting one. Noah tried to talk me out of hunting one down, but I wouldn't budge."

Jerry turned around, walking ahead of her while walking backward so he could get a better view of her. His body movements seemed to flow with his story, "I swear that I caught sight of a Luxio running around, so, being the idiot that I was, I strayed off of the main path to go look for it. Noah ran after me, telling me to slow down. I never did manage to find the Luxio that I saw, but before I knew it, it was dark, cold, and I was completely lost."

"Oh," Lyn chirped, warming up to Jerry's character. "How did you guys find each other that time?"

"Well, this was before the phone app was added to the Poketech, so we were kind of struggling to get into contact with one another. I tried having Monferno, when he was a Chimchar, to send a pillar of ember into the air so he could see it, but that only attracted anxious bug Pokemon. I burned through most of my potions that night!"

Lyn chuckled as Jerry carried on with his story, a smile adorning her face. Skai growled in Jerry's direction, low enough so that neither trainer could hear his discontent.

"Eventually, I decided to use the map app to find my way back to the main path. Noah was waiting there for me. He had just gotten there a few minutes before I did, so I guess we could consider ourselves extremely lucky for that."

"Well, I'm glad you all made it out in one piece. That sounds a little frightening, all alone out in the wilderness."

"True. Noah DID tick me off when he showed that he had just caught a Staravia, though. Lucky him."

"What?" Lynus sounded incredibly surprised.

"Yeah, he caught a Staravia."

"Ah...He never told me that he had a Staravia."

Jerry looked down, almost regrettably, before continuing, his voice toned down from all of his excitement, "Yeah, he had a Geodude and Turtwig too."

"He doesn't have them anymore? Did he give them away?"

Jerry had done this several times already. He answered matter-of-factly, almost coldly, "I'm not at liberty to really discuss that. You'd have to take it up with Noah. Sorry."

"Oh...I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's okay, Lyn. You were just curious, is all."

Lyn suddenly remembered what Noah and Jerry were discussing earlier, "What about his parents?"

Jerry answered almost the same. "I'm not at-"

"Because you guys mentioned something about a funeral."

Jerry sighed, remembering what Noah had said. "Guess that's on him," he said to himself, loud enough for Lyn to hear. "Listen Lyn, you've been out of the loop for quite some time, right?"

Lyn reluctantly acknowledged the question.

"Well, since it's actually universally known, there's nothing wrong with filling you in," Jerry said, almost as if he was arguing with himself.

"Jerry, what else has happened since then?"

"Noah's parents were killed."

Lyn stopped in her tracks. "...What?"

"It's exactly like I said. Noah's parents were killed."

"But...But how? They're the Sols!"

"No one knows. The reports online and on the news stations during those next few days didn't have any insight onto what could've happened, nor did they release anything involving the circumstances of their death. All they told us was that Richard and Vivian Sol had been murdered."

"...Why would he lie to me, then...?"

"What?"

"He told me that his parents," Lyn thought about what he had told her that day, "were...resting back at Twinleaf..."

"Well...they're buried in the cemetery at Twinleaf Town. It makes sense, but it's obvious that we was trying to hide it if he worded it like that."

"But why would he do all of that?"

"I've already been through this before," Jerry said. "Noah's had a very rough life in the past, and for the last five years or so, he's been struggling to cope with it. He doesn't really like having too many people know things about him because of that."

"...Is that what he's been doing this whole time?"

"That's what I've assumed. I've been hoping that traveling along with him for whatever reason he's doing this would ease him away from all of those troubles. Maybe it could turn him back into the person he used to be."

"I see," Lyn said quietly as the two of them slowly started to walk.

"Everyone goes through trouble growing up. I want to be there to help my friends through their hard times. You know what I mean?"

"Yes. That's extremely kind of you to do, Jerry," Lyn told him, impressed with the young man. "This entire time, you've been trying to help him cope?"

"Pretty much. It hasn't been easy though. When Noah's set on a decision, it's hard to drive him back on track."

"Well, I'm here too now. I'll do what I can as well."

"Just being his friend is all he needs, Lyn," Jerry told her, getting too close to her for Skai to be comfortable. "I can't thank you enough for that."

Lyn lightly blushed at how close Jerry had come to her, Realizing this, Jerry scoot back a foot or so, a little embarrassed himself.

"Sorry about that," he quickly apologized.

"No, no, it's okay," Lyn returned, still red in the face.

Unknown to the pack, a hungry pair of eyes stared at them from beyond the border of the path, hidden behind a tall bush that gave it the cover it needed to survive out in the harsh wilderness. Spotting the group, it growled in contempt, having spotted its next warm meal.

Stealthily, it extended its vines out and towards the path as the trainers passed by. During the conversation, Lyn had unknowingly begun to gravitate closer to Jerry than Skai, leaving a tiny window of opportunity for the starving predator to strike successfully. Seeing the girl, vulnerable from behind, the creature chose its main course. The group eyed the vines without much interest as they crossed over them, even Skai being fooled by the trap.

With a crazed snap like a whip, the vines jumped up and wrapped themselves around Lyn's midsection, pinning her arms close to her body, crushing her. The sound of several bottles breaking under the pressure in her coat were overwhelmed by her screams as the vines dragged her back towards the bushes.

"Lyn!" Jerry reached for Misdreavus' ball, but Lyn was almost already on the other end of the barrier. Right as her head was ready to disappear beyond the foliage, the vines fell limp. A splash of fluid had Lyn stumbling back, trying to untie the vines that were still wrapped around her body. As she loosened the grip on her, she noticed the blood staining a nearby tree. Skai growled as the bush fell into two separate halves, having been sliced by Skai. As the bushes fell, a large body tumbled out, its blood seeping onto the pathway.

It's bright yellow hide and giant green leaves gave away its obvious identity.

"Unbelievable. A Victreebel...here of all places?"

Jerry grabbed Lyn by the hands and helped to pick herself back up to her feet. She smiled and thanked him before hissing and grasping at her chest. Skai was at her side in a flash.

"Lyn! Are you hurt?"

"Some of the glass from the broken bottles dug into me when it wrapped itself around," she said through her teeth. She quickly worked to pull them out- with Jerry looking the other way and Skai keeping guard of the area.

A few minutes later, and Lyn had wrapped up the wounds that the broken glass had made, none of them seemingly fatal.

"Are you okay, Lyn?"

"I'm fine now, thanks. And thank you again, Skai," she bowed to her guardian, the warm smile on her face his just reward. "The glass didn't go in too deep, so they should be healed in no time, nothing to get worked up over."

"I'd rather get worked up over the fact that you were almost eaten, Lyn. I refuse to take that lightly," Jerry sternly spoke.

Skai moved back to his position directly behind her, growling at Jerry as if it were his fault that she had been attacked.

"It'd probably be best for us to avoid this happening again, Jerry. Get one of your Pokemon out. We'll be safer that way."

"Good idea," Jerry replied, "I'd rather not have to meet Noah and tell him that someone was a Pokemon's lunch on the way to Eterna City.

==========

Hours passed by, and the sun had vanished behind the coverage of the trees above. Noah, Luna, and Koko were traveling along a giant patch of trees, looking desperately for a spot to rest for the night.

"And you're sure that we're going the right way Noah?" Luna asked, still nervous about being lost.

"Positive. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west." Noah pointed to the opposite direction that the light had faded out from, "which makes that direction east," he pointed in another direction, "and that direction north. As long as we keep traveling eastward, we'll eventually hit the base of the Coronet mountain range. Once that happens, and we begin traveling north, we'll eventually find the Eterna City border."

"So he does have a brain," Luna teased, drawing out a quick giggle from Koko.

"Laugh and mock all you want, you two. It's the best plan of action we've got," Noah assured them. The group had been considerably lucky given their circumstances after the Beedrill attack. They hadn't run into any wild Pokemon since then, and the environment was being very generous by not being difficult to traverse.

They came to a small pocket in the center of the forest, to what seemed like an old Pokemon nest. Luna sniffed around the surroundings, giving Noah the okay by asking him over with her claw.

"All clear, Noah. Whatever was here hasn't been here for quite some time."

"Good. We can settle down here for the night. It's getting too dark for us to travel, and my flashlight won't be much help out here."

Unfortunately for Noah's group, Lyn was the one carrying the tent for the group, so with an emergency blanket Noah had tucked at the bottom of his bag, he was forced to create a makeshift bed from the blanket, using a sheet of leaves underneath it as a sort of cushion- which had been suggested by Koko.

Noah rolled out his sleeping bag as Koko was in the early stages of falling asleep between his shoulder and his neck. Luna, peeved at Koko, took her usual spot on top of Noah, treading the surface of the bag to soften it up before she plopped herself down.

"Neither of you are cold?"

"I lived in dark, damp caves for a living, Noah," Koko mumbled lazily. "This is nothing compared to the winters in those caves."

"I have fur, dumbass," Luna replied sharply.

"Hey, I was just asking. I'd put you guys in your balls, but right now it's just too risky to do that."

"I get it," Koko cheeped before she fell asleep.

"You know I'd kick your ass if you put me in there against my will, right?" Luna half-threatened him.

"You don't have to tell me," Noah replied, looking at her eyes. For the second time today, Noah was captivated by her appearance, her physical form still that of a bright, healthy, beautiful Zangoose, yet her voice was that of the vulgar Luna he was acquainted with.

"Luna, what happened to you?"

Luna was motionless, yet awake. She felt butterflies swirling around in her gut, and struggled to say anything through her quickly drying mouth.

"What? I haven't changed."

She felt his hand graze the top of her head, petting her between the ears. Her ears folded from the pleasure she felt at his gentle touch.

'Tell him now. It's the perfect chance.'

'No,' Luna replied to the other voice in her head. 'I can't right now. I don't even know what to say.'

'Don't worry, it'll come to you, I promise.'

'No. It's not the time. There will be another chance.'

'Are you sure?'

'Positive.'

'Well...I suppose it can wait another day or so, but you have to tell him soon!'

'Everyone's tired. And I want him all by himself, alone.'

'That's a little too romantic, isn't it? And coming from you, of all Pokemon. I'm impressed. Tell me, did you learn that cheesy little setup from your midnight TV romps?'

'Bite me.'

Luna clamped down on her own arm, surprising Noah as he continued to scratch behind her ear.

"What the- you alright, Luna? Oh, and have you been using that comb?"

"Of course I have," Luna replied nervously, humiliated at what she had just done while hissing in pain under her breath. "Sorry, don't know what came over me."

"...You just said you were sorry. Is there something wrong with you?"

"No, I'm fine. Quit asking."

Noah remained silent for a while. 'Maybe she's not ready to talk yet,' he thought, deciding to put it off for the time being. He continued to stroke her fur, running his hand from her head to the beginning of her back. He could feel her purrs through the bag.

"Well, in any case, I just wanted to say that you looked much better today than I've ever seen you."

Luna felt like her heart had stopped for a moment. Breathless, she responded, "Uh...um...thanks."

"We'll try to get to the mountain range by tomorrow afternoon. If we can manage that, we should be in Eterna the day after tomorrow. Then we can get some real food and watch some television."

Luna sighed at the idea. "I fucking love you, Noah."

==========

*************************
Name: Red
Type: Human
Height: 5'11''
Age: 25
Weight: 167 lbs.
Eye Color: ???
Skin Color: White
Hair Style/Color: Spiked in numerous directions; Black
Body Type: Average build. No muscle, but no excess fat either.
Outfit: Red and white hat, with a black shirt and blue pants, and a red jacket over the shirt. Red and black tennis shoes.
Other Items: None
Hobbies: Training
Homeland: Pallet Town, Kanto
Personality: Quiet, Strong Willed, Powerful Ambition
Bio: The highest leveled member of The Pillars, the most famous Pokemon Master throughout the world, and the most powerful trainer recorded to ever exist. Originating from Pallet Town as a run off the mill Pokemon Trainer, Red used his instinct, knowledge, and skill to topple many great challenges. He's defeated Team Rocket, conquered Kanto, defeated the Elite Four and Champion in one of the most historical battles in Elite 4 History, and has, to this day, remained the absolute champion, giving him the true title of Pokemon Master. For over a decade, Red has challenged many trainers from the regions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, none getting anywhere near defeating him. After years of training atop Mt. Silver, and defeating Johto Champion Gold in his closest battle aside from Blue, Red now trains in absolute solitude, and on occasion, has surfaced to do battle and defeat a handful of the Legendary Pokemon to test new skills and strategies. Recent rumors suggest that he is currently working as an agent for High Noon, although exactly what type of work he's doing is unknown to even most High Noon officers. Red also shows a mastery over a strange new ability that some have only dreamed about; an ability that he, and many other powerful trainers have just recently implemented into battle. His skill with this new ability is absolutely unprecedented.
Weaknesses: Seemingly none; The only way to defeat him is to utterly outplay him in every single individual aspect of battle, something no one has managed before.
Pokemon Team: Pikachu, Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, Espeon, Snorlax
Threat Level: Colossal
*************************