Pokemon: The Change [[IC]]

[Tetsuya]

Route 22

The world had become a dangerous place.

Gone were the days where one could simply walk to the next town without fearing for their lives. No, every single day was a new challenge, making simple travel difficult.

Of course, there were reasons for this aside from the changed environment.

A lone Houndoom silently crept along Route 22, keeping its senses aware of all around it- it was necessary if one wished to survive in this wasteland. If you didn't pay close enough attention to your surroundings, you could miss your chance to obtain food...or you may become food yourself.

However, Houndoom was lucky this day. It picked up two scents in the air- one human, and one...it couldn't be. sure. It knew that the smell was a familiar one, but Houndoom could not place it. But there would be time to figure it out later. Houndoom dropped and pressed itself to the ground in an attempt to make itself as invisible as possible. The wasteland didn't offer much cover, but a skilled hunter didn't need it.

Houndoom kept its red, feral eyes trained on the direction the scent came from, and sure enough, a human eventually appeared on the horizon. Following the human was a dinosaur like creature with a flower around its neck- a type of Pokemon rarely seen nowadays. Houndoom's eyes narrowed. He guessed that at one point the Pokemon would have proven to be a difficult challenge, but not now- the environment would surely have weakened it. And the human appeared to be weak and frail- no challenge at all.

What could have easily passed as a grin grew across Houndoom's face as the two crept closer, a fierce, low growl creeping up from within its chest. It was beginning to lose patience with its prey. It didn't help when the two suddenly stopped for what appeared to be no reason. A foam had begun to build around the Houndoom's mouth, it's irises growing a dark red and its pupils slowly expanding. There would be no more waiting- Houndoom was hungry.

Withouth a second thought, Houndoom flung itself towards its prey.

Houndoom released a piercing howl into the empty night air, foam being flung off from its face as it ran. Its prey seemed to be unaware of its approach- This would be far too easy, food, they would be dead in food, must kill, food, it would tear them limb from kill-

Houmdoom felt several sharp objects that appeared to be leaves began to cut away at its body, but no matter- Houndoom was upon them, and its prey would soon be at its mercy. It would be best to take out the Pokemon first, as it seemed to be the one attacking and certainly posed the biggest threat. With another howl, Houndoom leaped into the air, ready to begin tearing into its opponent's flesh-

There was a loud BANG, and Houndoom felt something slam into its body. The powerful force sent Houndoom back to the ground. But this was merely an inconvenience- Houndoom attempted to rise again in order to continue his attack, but stopped when it felt a cold sensation in its chest. Suddenly growing light-headed, the Houndoom slowly craned its head back to look at the area were it had taken the blow and now felt this sensation. As its vision began to grow blurry, Houndoom noticed a small silver glint in its chest, blood surrounding it. Houndoom sniffed the air briefly and knew immediately that this wasn't his prey's blood- it was its own.

And with that realization, Houndoom lowered its head and died.

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

It had ended so quickly. Haru and Meganium had been careless- they hadn't been paying any attention to their surroundings. Had it not been stopped, the feral Houndoom would have killed them both, or at the very least, injured Meganium.

Thankfully, that hadn't happened.

"What in the flying hell are you doing, wandering around like that without a weapon?" asked a tall, bearded man who now held a smoking shotgun, "You have some kind of death wish, boy?"

Haru had to think before answering. Given all that had happened, maybe he did deserve death. But if he did, there would be no way for him to make up for what he had done.

"Bah, whatever," growled the man, "but look, its dangerous in these parts, especially at night. I'll take you to Viridian City for free if you'd like- only this once. If I didn't at least offer, I wouldn't be able to sleep."

Haru stayed silent for another moment before answering with an affirmative nod.

"We'd like that very much, sir-"

"WOAH, no, not sir. Doug. The name's Doug. Sir doesn't sit well with me, and neither does Mister. Long as you don't call me either of those, we're in business." the man said, then he frowned as his gaze turned to Meganium. "Also, boy, don't you have any other Pokemon aside from that Meganium? You know Grass types don't do well out here."

"No, I don't," Haru said with a shake of his head, "I don't feel like I need any other Pokemon."

Doug shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Whatever, kid. We'd better get moving before more of those things show up," he said, pointing at the dead Houndoom with his gun. Haru nodded in response, and the group began to head towards Viridian City. As they went, Haru glanced back at the fallen Pokemon.

"I'm sorry," he said before turning away. Meganium gave his friend a sad glance before taking the rear of the group.

[DuskingMorning]

Saffron City

Dusky was getting prepared for another day at the restaurant. She ditched her normal clothes for a tattered old waitress uniform. It was a simple black skirt and red top with a white apron she tied around her waist. In the small pocket on the front of the apron was her order book. She slipped on her belt and placed the four pokeballs on it, but not before letting out Growlithe.

"Morning, Growlithe," Dusky said, patting the pokemon gently on the head. Growlithe smiled softly at the affection and jumped on the small lumpy couch where Dusky spent many restless nights watching TV.

Dusky slipped on her boots and pulled back her hair into it's usual ponytail. Finally ready, she headed for the door, picking up the keys as she walked out of her small one-bedroom apartment. Growlithe trotted out behind her and she locked the door and padlock, sticking the key in the front pocket of her apron.

"Alright, time to go," she said, walking down the hall, humming softly. She knew Growlithe always liked listening to her voice, whether it was singing, humming, or just talking in general.

Dusky made her way to the lobby, with each step came a jingle from the dog tags around her neck. She waved the the manager, a man by the name of Robbie who was in his late fourties. He lost his entire family to the Change, his only companion being his Zigzagoon.

"Heading to work, Dusky?" Robbie called to her as she walked towards the door.

"Sure am, Robbie. I gotta pay the rent somehow," she replied.

"Just be careful; word has it there a few guys causing problems," he warned her. Dusky shrugged at this information.

"Nothing I can't handle," she assured him, pushing the glass door open. "I get off at six tonight, so I should be back around seven o'clock."

"Got it, see you then! Bye, Dusky, bye, Growlithe," Robbie waved to them as they stepped out into the daylight.

The morning air was crisp and cool, just like Dusky liked it. The rising sun promised a warm day, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. This is just was Dusky needed after last night. She had yet another nightmare. The streets around her were littered with garbage, but aside from that, Saffron City was spectacular! The remains of the buildings that were destroyed during the Change were long gone, and empty lots were scattered through out the city. The sound of children playing nearby was heard, though Dusky couldn't see where they were. Honestly, the city seemed to be getting back to normal after all these years.

Growlithe stuck close to Dusky, refusing to leave her side. After thirteen years, he was still protective of her. It only got worse after the Change when feral pokemon began to attack. Dusky could recall on more than one occasion where a feral pokemon had broken into their house in Violet City in search of food and Growlithe had been the one to save her.

Within moments, Dusky arrived at the restaurant called "The Snorlax Diner". It appeared to be a little beaten up, a few cracks here and there, and at night, when the sign was lit up, the letters 'R' and 'X' flickered continuously through the night; aside from those minor problems, the restaurant was perfect. She stepped through the glass door into the old restaurant where the owner, Sal, was just starting up the grill. At the sound of the bell which indicated there was a customer, she looked up.

"Oh, good mornin', Dusky," she said, smiling her toothless grin. Sal was an older woman, around seventy, with long silver hair she kept back in a braid. Her husband, James, was a few years older than her, and he was currently counting the money in the register. Like his wife, all his hair had turned silver, and he also had a toothless grin, which they both made up for by wearing denchers during work hours. They were the sweetest (and oldest) couple in Saffron City, and Dusky knew she was extremely lucky to be working for them.

"Good morning, Sal. Morning, James," Dusky smiled as Growlithe ran in and the door shut behind them.

"How are ya' feelin' this morning?" James asked. He seemed to always know when something was bothering Dusky.

"I, uh, just had another nightmare last night, that's all," said Dusky as she pulled the other pokeballs off her belt and let out Vulpix, Eevee, and Pichu.

"Well, hopefully today will get yer mind off it," said Sal. She and her husband both had a thick country drawl, and Dusky thought it added to their charm.

"I hope so," Dusky sighed as Pichu jumped onto her shoulder. "I don't think I can stand another restless night."

"Well, let's get you and yer pokemon some breakfast and we'll start going over today's specials," James said, pulling down a few plates. "Vincent better hurry up an' git here. I don' wanna wait."

Vincent was their grandson, who was a few years older than Dusky. He was extremely smart, and he lived with Sal and James. So, in return for letting him stay at their home, Vincent doubles as the cook for "The Snorlax Diner".

As if on cue, Vincent strolled in, his head held high. He had a head full of messy brown curls and dark eyes. His pokemon, a Pidgey, was perched on his shoulder.

"Hope I didn't miss anything," he said. Unlike his grandparents, Vincent didn't have a country drawl.

"You didn', but next time you better hurry up," said James. "Alright, now, let's get to work."

And so the day began.

[Almost_Blue]

Route 39

Beryl let out a yawn as he sat against the inner walls of the cave he was currently occupying, softly petting his bellsprout who was cuddling up to his owner, in a manner of resting. Many thoughts were racing through his head; such as the status of other trainers, 'how many actually survived?' 'Why did I particularly survive?' 'How long can we stay in this cave before the inevitable occurs?' This same thought pattern ran through Beryls mind constantly, one thought leading to another, and another. This constant over-thinking was interrupted as soon as he heard his Onix move, immediately throwing his gaze to the entrance of the cave, where his Onix stood guard. It's giant tail covered the entrance in a way of defending what was precious to it, as Beryl rose to his feet, picking up his Bellsprout and placing it down by the Kakuna who also resided in this cave with them. Making his way to the entrance the morning light blinded him for a moment, before crawling over his Onix's tail to see what was going on. Onix had already rose up in a defensive position, now letting out a guttural roar towards the nearby road. Once able to see again, Beryl noticed a man pointing his gun toward him from the road which was nearly twenty feet away. "Eh.. what the.." Beryl muttered to himself before speaking up; "What do you think you're doing?! If you know what's good for you, you'll take a leave, before something happens to you!" He confidently yelled out toward the husky man. The bearded man took no heed whatsoever, yet did quite the opposite and let out a laugh toward Beryl.

Beryl merely narrowed his eyes at the man, taking a step back into the cave to avoid his gunfire. "Onix.. this might get--" he was caught off guard as he spoke to his Onix, watching it fall off of the mountain to the ground below, with a loud crash, breaking a tree in its path. A young Machop paired with a fierce Machoke landed infront of Beryl; it was clear that they must have double teamed his Onix when they both weren't looking. Beryl took another step back as the Machop approached. Machoke merely let off a Leer toward him, before perking up as he placed a revolver to Machop's forehead, as swiftly as he could. "How dare you! You're no better than that fat-ass, conniving trainer of yours, get out of my cave!" he threatened, noticing the Machoke take a few steps back without hesitation. The Machop was too scared to move currently, with a cold metal gun pressed against its head.
Beryl pulled his heeled foot back, before thrusting it into the gut of the Machop, sending it flying back into the Machoke, who caught it, and released another Leer toward him. "I .. Said.. get out.." He coldly repeated, wanting to take whatever this was turning into, away from his weak Bellsprout.

The Machoke slid down the mountainside with the Machop in arms, as their starving husky trainer approached them with a furious expression. "Useless! You're made for fighting, what's the hold up?" He demanded, aiming his gun toward the cave entrance. Nearby, Onix was recovering from the massive blow it took from both of the fighting pokemon, showing it's endurance as it slowly rose up once again with another guttural roar. The bearded man aimed his gun instinctively toward the massive rock snake, before pointing up at it. "Rocky! Take it out, NOW!" he ordered.
The Machoke obeyed his commands, leaving the Machop to rest as it approached the Onix, it's fists clenched tight.
Up at the cave entrance, Beryl had stepped out into the daylight once again, aiming his gun toward the bearded hiker. He reached into a pocket of his jacket with his free hand, pulling out a tiny pokeball, and pressed the middle to expand it, awakening the pokemon inside. He tossed it to the area below which caught the hikers attention, but before he could aim properly the flash from the pokeball was enough of a distraction for the Cloyster to dash toward him and clamp down onto his arm with a massive force. The man screamed out as his wrist was shattering, forcing him to release his gun.
The Onix threw a headbutt toward the Machoke, who in turn caught him, and delivered a jab to the Onix's skull in retaliation, as Beryl carefully slid his way down the side of the mountain, and approached the man whom now has a crippled arm thanks to a swift Cloyster. Beryl picked up the hikers gun, and pointed it toward the Machoke, while aiming his original gun toward the Machop. "Welcome to the land of kill or be killed.. you almost had me.. but now look where it's gotten you." He explained to the hiker who was now kneeling due to the pain. The Cloyster removed its clamp from the mans arm, and took a leap backwards, having limited movement outside of throwing itself around.
It took a lot of courage for Beryl to pull a trigger to a pokemon, but unfortunately he had no choice, and fired an empty gun toward the Machoke. It seems the Hiker was bluffing the whole time, and merely used this gun as an intimidation effect. This made Beryl furious, as he pistol whipped the hiker with his own useless gun, aiming his useful gun toward the hiker instead, before tossing the useless one to the ground.
"I can't chance that you wont come back with a smarter plan, I'm sorry.." He confessed, completely ignoring the constant begging by the hiker for his life, and pulled the trigger with a loud bang, ending the mans life.

Both the Machop and Machoke were completely startled, the Machoke releasing the Onix from it's grip to dash at Beryl in a rage. Beryl took a fist to the chest that sent him flying back, causing him to drop his gun as he fell. Mere seconds later a volley of Icicle spears attacked the Machoke, only a couple of them piercing into it's body. As the Machoke grasped his neck, attempting to remove the icicle spear, a large rock tail came thrashing from behind, and came in contact with the body of the Machoke, sending it flying in the opposite direction of the cave. Onix then let out a roar toward the Machop, who was gearing up to attack, whom quickly changed it's mind and fled the scene, not wanting to lose it's life. Beryl rose to his feet, picking up his gun and holstering it to his belt. "..Thank you guys.. that was.." he started to explain, letting out a sigh before continuing. "..pretty scary.." he finished as his Onix approached calmly, lowering it's head for it's owner to climb up onto. Beryl held out Cloysters pokeball, and returned it to its safe place before rising back up to the cave with the help of his Onix, who took his position at the cave entrance one Beryl was safe inside.

[DuskingMorning]

Saffron City - The Snorlax Diner

Around noon was when the restaurant began to get busy. Mostly people who lived in the city stopped for lunch, happily catching up with Sal and James. A few teenagers ventured into "The Snorlax Diner", sharing the latest gossip with each other. Eevee, Vulpix, and Pichu were the center of attention; the little kids who came with their parents eagerly flocked the small pokemon, happy to see pokemon who weren't vicious. Growlithe also got attention from the little kids, but he stayed by Dusky's side the entire time. The other three pokemon were happily darting around the restaurant, visiting with the customers. Everyone was friendly, sharing smiles and jokes.

Tommy, a small six year-old boy with short blonde hair and big blue eyes eagerly ran up to Dusky as he and his mom entered the restaurant.

"Dusky! Dusky! Dusky!" he exclaimed, hugging Dusky tightly around the waist, which caused her to laugh. The couple she was waiting on smiled.

"Tommy," Dusky said, "I'm working right now."

"I know! But guess what!"

"Hold on a second," she warned him. She turned back to the couple. "So, have you decided what you want?"

"Oh, yes," smiled the woman. "I'll have the Tauros burger."

Dusky cringed a bit on the inside; the thought of eating pokemon greatly disturbed her, and she couldn't help but feel guilty when she ate meat. She would've become a vegitarian, but after the Change, there was barely any vegetables around. The grass pokemon greatly depleated, and she hadn't seen a single grass pokemon in years.

"How would you liked that cooked?" Dusky asked.

"Well done," said the woman, closing her menu and handing it to Dusky. She took it and looked to the man.

"And you, sir?"

"The same as my wife," he smiled while handing his menu to Dusky.

She scribbled their order down in her pad and, with Tommy still clinging to her waist, shuffled over to the kitchen and tore out the order and handed it to Vincent.

"Thanks!" said Vincent. He looked at Dusky and saw Tommy attached to her. "Hey, you know you have a kid hanging off you, right?"

"Yes, I'm very aware," she laughed. Tommy let go of Dusky, and she saw he was pratically jumping up and down. "Okay, okay, okay. What do you want to tell me?"

"My dad is coming home!" he exclaimed. "And he said he has a present for me!"

"Is that so?" Dusky asked, smiling. Tommy's father traveled all around the Kanto and Johto regions for long spands of time. The last time she saw him was five months ago. Tommy's mother usually worked over at the Pokemon Center, and Tommy spent a lot of time at the diner; he looked at Dusky like she was her older sister.

"Yeah! Isn't that exciting?" he asked eagerly.

"It sure is!" Dusky said.

"Hey! Waitress! I'm thirsty!" barked someone. Dusky looked up and saw her least favorite person in all of Saffron City; Daniel.

"Alright, Tommy, go back to your mom," said Dusky. Tommy happily obeyed, petting Growlithe before bouncing back over to his mother. Pichu ran past Dusky and into the kitchen, and Vulpix and Eevee followed him. Dusky knew Vincent was probably giving them lunch.

Slowly, Dusky made her way over to Daniel. Resentfully she said, "Welcome to the Snorlax Diner. How may I help you?"

"It's about time someone showed up!" he said, his voice loud and arrogant. Daniel was your typical jerk; rude, cocky, and very annoying. He seemed to greatly enjoy pestering Dusky on a daily basis, and he was getting quite good at it. "I think I'll have a soda pop, and I better get it quick. I don't like waiting."

Dusky just rolled her eyes and got him his soda pop. It was going to be a long day.

[Jacogos]

Lavender Town

Shaun Dayme stared out from the window in his house, vaguely transfixed by the light of the sun that shone through the dirty glass. His left hand idle stroked the top of his Houndoom's head, whom was laid out beside Shaun's chair in a sort of passive defense as ferals stalked the town today. Mostly Ghost Pokemon coming down from the Tower, but a few were ferals brave, hungry or careless enough to come within the town limits. Sometimes they got bold enough to attack houses, usually only those on the edge of town though. Shaun had replaced that window quite a few times since last November.

A shadow fell across the window as a Fearow dove past the sun, snatching up a careless Rattata in its fearsome claws. Shaun shook his head slightly and got up, causing his Houndoom to lift its head and yawn slightly. It was do or die out here, the aged man thought. What had happened to this world? It wasn't the first time he had asked himself that question. Peering over towards the kitchen, he smirked slightly. "Still stokin' the fire, Mort?"

His 'nickname' for his Magmortor was not really a nickname so much as a shortened version of its Species name. It was a mouthful to say 'Magmortor' all the time, so he shortened it. The Pokemon in question turned his head slightly and nodded, the fire that illuminated the kitchen coming from a small pit in the center. It was much easier than using the ancient oven that the house had, and Shaun preferred to keep his campfire skills up to date as well. Of course, he was cheating at the moment by having Mort help, but it was better than nothing at all.

Walking over, Shaun deftly took his third Pokeball from his belt and tossed it, allowing Crobat to come out for a moment to stretch her wings. Though she would rather prefer staying out, she knew that she'd be unable to be much use after flying constantly for hours. With only two sets of wings and no legs, Crobats were unable to land and rest, which made their lives pretty interesting. Shaun's was fine to be allowed only her ball so long as she could come out often enough to eat, fight, and stretch her wings from time to time.

For now, Shaun was preparing soup made from the last Pokemon he had been forced to kill, a feral Pidgeotto. Though it didn't taste nearly as juicy as Farfetch'd or Fearow, it was still passable and only a bit more fat-ridden. He couldn't understand why, with how skinny the bird was. Shaking his head at the oddities that were Pokemon, he started spooning out servings of the soup for his Pokemon. None of them complained. They had at first, when he resorted to eating Pokemon again. Most people didn't before the Change. Now... Well. That's why they called it the Change, really...

[Darman501]

Lavender Town

Philip hadn't cried often, especially after the change. But this was one of those few time he did. He had just buried one of his friends, his Arron named Buck. His Mightyena kept watch nearby for any pokemon that might stray to close and think they were entitled to a free meal. Gengar was wandering from grave to grave, almost in thought himself. Philip kept Flygon in his pokeball most of the time for the change had affected him very badly, causing him to become part feral as well.

Philip sat there for a while before getting up to leave. Mightyena nuzzled Philips hand while Gengar returned. The three left the famous pokemon graveyard of Lavender Town and returned to where they had been staying. The rumors of Kanto having recovered where false, much to Philip chagrin. He used what little money he had left to buy a couple pokemon pellets to feed his pokemon and himself. He sat quietly while his pokemon ate pondering where he could find a job tomorrow. He heard that there might be a trainer or two left in the town. He decided he would go look for them tomorrow.

[Preach]

Viridian City

She had been there for three nights now, and it would have been four if she hadn't gone to check out Pallet Town the day before. Pokemon from Victory Road were finding their way down to Viridan recently, so it was the least she could do to try to stop as many as she could - Pallet Town was in considerably less danger. Her routine had been the same as it always was when she was on a job - first, she would ask Espeon to use it's psychic powers to give a general 'reading' of the day. Considering how many variables there were, it was difficult to predict exact occurrences, but he could predict general trends. More specifically, he could predict how violent the day ahead would be on a scale of: "Nah, it's chill" to "Try not to soil yourself". Within a given margin of error, his predictions were generally solid, so Mina relied on them to prepare for the day. In the recent past, the trend had been quite stable, with a moderate level of danger and violence involved. The trend for today had been, unsurprisingly, moderate.

After this, Mina would eat whatever the townspeople had to offer her, and take a ride on Charizard to perform surveillance of the surrounding area from the sky. If she (or Charizard) could spot any trouble, they would warn the townspeople and prepare the defenses. If not, then she would go back anyway and try to make herself useful. She would do these surveillance every few hours or so. If there was any actual danger, which there had been plenty of in the last few days, she would station herself -more specifically, her Pokemon- on the front lines, where they could absorb the brunt of the offense. Thankfully, attacks typically consisted of single Pokemon instead of hordes, which made everything easier to handle. Today, the only dangerous Pokemon to approach had been a pair of scrawny Mightyenas, which had been taken care of easily enough.

Mina was currently on her fifth patrol of the day, flying above the wastes on her Charizard's back. This was her favourite part of her job - there was a sense of freedom which was incomparable. She surveyed the landscape, looking for anything moving or approaching Viridian. Everything seemed clear, until she noticed some figures coming in from the west.

"Char, do you see that?" Her Pokemon grunted in confirmation. Mina continuted, "Can you see what they are?" The Charizard growled lightly, signifying that she didn't think they were hostile. They flew a bit closer and noticed that it was people who were approaching, not hostile Pokemon. As curious as that was, it was unlikely to be a great threat, so Mina let Charizard know that they should head back to the City as nothing dangerous was apparently heading this way at present. As they landed, some of the kids gathered round to take yet another look at Charizard. Sure, seeing a domesticated Pokemon was somewhat rare nowadays, and Charizard didn't seem to mind, but the attention made Mina uncomfortable, so she tried her best to ignore them. Instead, she walked over to the Pokemon Center and slumped back against the wall, with Charizard laying down beside her. There was nothing that needed her immediate attention, so she figured she could relax.

[Familiar]

A drop of blood slowly made its way down Alexander’s cheek, the liquid trail obscured by the dirt and grime that it had to climb over as it fell, the earth so thick on him that it clung to the hunter like a second skin. Still, Alexander was used to it, both the blood and the dirt, it was only part of the trade, after all… You couldn’t really expect to go out into the wild these days for any length of time and not come out with at least a few scratches at the very least and Alex had been out there for FAR longer than merely a few days.

A customer had asked for a dozen noctowl pelts, for what reason, Alex had not asked. All that he knew was that the amount offered to him for this bounty was more than enough to keep his ammo pouch stuffed with every type of round he could need for a good many months. All the ammo in the world, however, didn’t make hunting those damned owls any easier. They were near impossible to spot in the daylight, hiding themselves within withered trees or amongst cliff faces, and at night they were nearly ghosts, striking from above without so much as a whisper of sound. The only real way to hunt them reliably was to sit in the treetops and watch a caterpie, hoping that the stupid little insect managed to get itself eaten. Needless to say, sitting and watching a caterpie was hardly an exciting way to spend a night, especially when you needed to worry about being put on the menu yourself.

It had taken just over two weeks, but eventually the hunt had drawn to a close, Alex heaving a large and noticeably bloody rucksack out of the woods, never wanting to eat noctowl again in his life. All that was left now was to turn his skins in and collect his reward, then he could take a shower, get himself cleaned up and get ready to head out again, ready to spend time in the wild NOT watching asinine little bugs squirm around all night.

The location of his buyer was a small clothing and housewares store near the centre of town, a decent enough place to get something that you needed, with a slightly deluded owner that continually pumped out rather ‘unique’ clothing designs, despite the complete impracticality of such things. Despite himself, however, Alexander couldn’t help but admit that if his kills wound up being turned into a noctowl cloak he would probably wind up being sorely tempted to buy it for the warmth and visual appeal alone. He’d have to check and see what was done with them the next time he was in town…

So wrapped up in his thoughts of what exactly would be done with the owls, Alex didn’t even notice the reactions of the rest of the townsfolk as he walked, not that he really cared, regardless. He’d seen it all before, the wide berth that they gave him, either due to his appearance or his parcel, the nervous looks that inevitably went to the large knife on his hip or the rifle slung over his shoulder. Even the ‘domesticated’ pokemon were generally either wary or openly hostile towards him, with most hissing or growling at him as he moved by, made uncomfortable from the scent of old blood that emanated from his clothing. He had tried to get rid of that, of course; it wasn’t good to have a smell that could be tracked or noticed by whatever he was stalking, but it had turned out to be far more trouble than it was worth, seemingly nearly buried into his very skin for how fast his new clothes acquired it.

With a tired shove, Alex made his way into the clothing store, dropping the package onto the counter with a sigh of relief. For birds, Noctowl were HEAVY! Yet another reason to hate the bloody things… He didn’t bother to speak to the owner of the establishment. They had worked together before, and she knew all too well that he would have nothing to say, good or bad, about the task that she had sent him on. So, she simply handed over a small bag, its size comfortable in Alex’s hand as he gave it a small bounce. He wasn’t really sure why, but it was a ritual that he always did upon receiving payment… Perhaps it was a callback to the old movies that he had seen on the TV growing up? In any case, the currency of the land was in bills, making the weight of the gesture sadly insubstantial. Turning and moving towards the door, Alexander uttered the only words that he would that day to the shopkeep. “You know how to contact me if you need something else.”

It was a good feeling to be done this particular job, and the only two things that occupied his mind upon leaving were, firstly, a nice hot shower and, secondly, what exactly he felt like going after next. Hunting when he was flush with cash was always more fun, as he could go after game that he wanted to track down, favouring the rare beasts that hid within the forests and caves of the land. He had spotted a shiny ponyta on this most recent trip, and the possibility of bringing it back was a tempting one indeed… Probably would fetch a decent price as well. Maybe this was one that he should bring back alive? People seemed to have a love for the discoloured version of animals that bordered on the fetishistic, and the horse was certainly small enough to fall prey to tranquilizers.

Unfortunately, Alex’s train of thought was rudely interrupted by the sudden appearance of an obstacle in his path, a rather large charizard blocking off most of the roadway in front of him. It was hardly the first time that he had seen the animal, its patrols above him having been a common sight for his time in Viridian City, but he still held an innate distrust for the massive dragon, not wanting to get within striking distance. Still… It was right outside of the inn, and that was really where he wanted to go right now. With a long suffering sigh, he settled himself against the wall of the pokemon centre, a few metres away from a black-haired woman that looked about the same age as he was. He didn’t bother to introduce himself, instead staring blankly at the wall in front of him, silently hoping that the charizard would move soon.

[Marc Raehh]

Chris paced back and forth at the edge of Pallet Town, he looked back at it, remembering what it used to be with a foggy memory, perhaps it never was as amazing as he thought it would was, but he did remember legendary trainers of the past were born there, and he took a moment to reflect on how they were no longer around and how he was.

"Well, Romanov! Are you ready to head back to Viridian? There seems to be no work left here anyway," he called at his Tyranitar who was looking glumly at the Horizon towards where Cinnabar once stood proud in the ocean.

It merely looked at him and gave him a nod, then started to walk down route 1, leaving Chris to catch up with it, their time together brought them close, but even now there were some uncertainties between them, Chris always had the fear that his best friend would one day attack him, and Romanov had the fear that Chris would become insane and try to kill him. But for the most part they trusted each other, and they loved each other like family.

As they made their way to Viridian City they started to hear movement in the area, and suddenly three large Fearow burst into the sky, and attacked the duo of misfortunate travelers. Chris acted fast and retrieved his pistol, shooting one of the closest of the beasts, but only clipping it’s wing, so it tumbled to the ground, but quickly rose and started to glow with strange light.

Romanov quickly took down the biggest and slowest of the group with a powerful stone edge technique, hitting it swiftly over the head and cracking it’s weak skull open like an egg, then started towards the unharmed Fearow, roaring with a ferocity that was only seen in wild beasts. Meanwhile Chris noticed the clipped Fearow’s plot and started towards the beast, drawing his sword and lunging at it, but just as he struck the bird its stored energy was released, knocking Chris high into the air, and his sword into the distance.

He landed about 5 feet away from the bird, injured from the shockwave of the energy, and the Fearow drew close, proud of its victory, but just as it readied the final attack it was struck by Romanov’s sharp claws, nearly ripping off its entire head. Blood splashed into the air for a few moments before it ceased to bleed.

Chris pulled himself together and rose up to meet the eyes of his friend, and after a few moments of silence he hugged him. “I’m getting a little careless...” was all he could say before trailing off to silence.

After a few moments of standing there in silence, he released his hug and retrieved his blade, sheathed it, and continued to walk towards Viridian, when they got to the small town they walked towards the town Pokémon Centre, and collapsed against the wall, letting out a tired sigh, he didn’t break anything in that fight, but he was in a lot of pain. Romanov sat next to him and gave him a caring nudge, showing that he is concerned.

[Preach]

Viridian City

Mina had been happily resting her head until her reverie was interrupted by the distinct scent of unwashed human. Charizard perked up as well and stared straight at the man who had just slumped down near them. Unusual - she didn't typically care. Mina glanced over subtly, noticed his general appearance, his lack of pokeballs, and his rifle, and concluded that he must be a hunter of some kind. Before the Change, this would have been nearly unthinkable, but now there were a foolhardy few who decided to make that their way of life. She had met a few on her travels, but most of them had had at least one Pokemon with them... This guy didn't seem to have any. She had to admit, she was intrigued. Besides, this guy seemed well seasoned. He had to be, else he would have died by now. She didn't bother introducing himself though - he didn't really seem like the social type.

It was then that some other guy sat down near her as well - this one with a full-fledged Tyranitar. Mina was suitably impressed - having a Tyranitar after the Change was no small feat -not to mention she had yet to evolve her own Pupitar, and she considered herself a relatively good trainer. She had once been attacked by a Tyranitar out near Mt. Silver, and it had been a really close call for her team, so she was, simply through instinct, slightly concerned. She just hoped it's trainer could keep it under control.

Charizard was apparently unconcerned with the huge rock-type Pokemon, still focused on the hunter. In any case, the wall of the Pokemon Center had apparently become the 'it-place' to hang out right now, which disconcerted Mina. She preferred being alone - or rather, alone when it came to people. And Charizard was acting weird, which made her feel even less at ease. She reached down to her belt and pulled up Charizard's pokeball.

"Alright girl, you should get some rest for now. We have some time before the next patrol, so best be prepared for when that comes around." Charizard stared at Mina, apparently disagreeing. Mina raised her eyebrow and tapped the pokeball with the index finger of her free hand. Charizard grunted, and was grudgingly withdrawn. Mina stood, and realized that her pokemon had apparently been in the way of... Well... Everything. Whoops. She looked over at the smelly man, who had probably been trying to get somewhere, and said, "Hey, sorry about that. I didn't realize she was taking up so much room." She flashed him a wide smile, as charming as she could muster. Then, smiling politely at the other guy, and the Tyranitar too, she started heading into the Pokemon Center before realizing they were both relatively bloodied. This gave her pause, and she glanced back at them - why where they covered in blood? Neither of them seemed to be bleeding, so it was likely they got involved in a relatively violent fight with some Pokemon before arriving at the City. Being able to keep their own against those sorts of threats, and having a Tyranitar, allowed her to classify them as good fighters - probably mercenaries. Good to know she wasn't the only one here, in case any fights broke out. Satisfied with this conclusion, she looked away and headed inside, the doors closing smoothly behind her.

She headed up to the counter and placed her three Pokeballs on it for Nurse Joy to take and heal. Funny, so much had changed, but Nurse Joy was seemingly still a constant. Good thing, too. That loss would probably have been too much to handle.