Open Brave New World

Hearthome City was once considered the epicenter of Sinnoh. The metropolis seemed to have everything: a Church, a Gym, a Contest Hall, a place where pokemon and trainers could walk together in harmony. These were reasons that Hearthome was considered prime real estate in Sinnoh, and anyone owning as much as a condominium would be considered lucky. That was then. Now...

Now, the Church had been overrun by wild pokemon, the Gym torn to the ground, the Contest Hall completely destroyed, and the park had become the location of the large stone fortress that those of the rebellion had wrenched from the ground. Any human that was in Hearthome at the time of the rebellion had fled the city, if they were lucky. If they weren't lucky enough to flee, then they'd be lucky to be killed. Those that weren't killed were taken to a certain chamber beneath the fortress, where they had horrors performed on them that would make a Banette shudder.

The Chandelure commonly known as Angon was not in the chamber in question, however. He was instead on the balcony of what used to be a high-class apartment building, pondering his next move. Over the past week or two, Jiongu had chosen to distribute his forces across the South and West parts of Sinnoh, making additional patrols though the already ruined settlements, ensuring that nothing had survived the rebellion's initial "purge." In doing so, they were leaving the Crown Jewel - the city they called Veilstone - untouched.

. Even with strength in numbers, I doubt we have the strength to topple Veilstone... not yet, at any rate. It's far better for us to wipe out any stragglers before launching an attack on the single most heavily guarded human settlement.

Those were the words he'd use to convince Jiongu to stave off attacking Veilstone for the time being. While Angon admittedly wasn't sure if a direct attack against Veilstone would be enough for it to break the humans, that was of lesser priority to the Chandelure. Besides that, such a blatant, all-out attack... lacked any sort of art at all. With Jiongu, it was always blast, blast, blast until his enemy caved. No subtleties, no intricacies - just all the gracefulness a sledgehammer could muster.

The Chandelure shook his head disdainfully. The attack on Veilstone would have to have subtleties and intricacies. It needed to take an art form. After all, if they took Veilstone, the war was over. The pokemon would win, and then Angon couldn't perform his little "experiments" in the fortress' underground.

And what kind of finale would that be?

The Chandelure gracefully floated down from the balcony. The sun was just barely rising, and he needed some time to further collect his thoughts before delivering the morning report to his master. It was little work like that that would get Angon the fun he desired out of this entire fiasco. The subtleties and intricacies that would build up to a crescendo of screams and blood. Yes, today would just be like any ordinary, fun-filled day.
----
The sun was just rising over the peak of Mt. Coronet, washing its rays over the ramshackle Celestic town. Atop the rooftop of what used to be the shrine, a lone Beheeyem watched the sunrise, lost in thought.

That Beheeyem's name was Isei-Korujin - known to most as Isei - and he had been floating a few inches above that shrine for most of the night, ever since his slumber had been interrupted by the sound of a human female's scream. On instinct alone, Isei had at first tried to find the source of that scream, and when he couldn't sense a human near the town's gateways. That increased the chances of the scream originating from something else entirely, and Isei did not like that possibility one bit.

I shouldn't feel anything from that, he thought, logic dictated that leaving her to die was the right thing to do. There was certainly no way I could have outfought those... no, why am I trying to defend my actions at all? I did what was best, what was the most logical. Therefore, I did what was right... right?

The Beheeyem looked around the town. Already, the rising sun had began waking up other pokemon, and they would soon begin to go about their daily business (surviving, of course). Isei would have to push those thoughts out of his mind for now. Right now, in this human town called Celestic, he had other work to tend to.

There certainly couldn't be time for him to dwell on the past, right?

Glum had been floating around the Old Chateau all night, navigating the darkest hallways from front to back. The Dusknoir's thoughts as he headed back to the main part of the Chateau were the same as they had been since she left him. The other Dusknoir, she had been his best-... no, his mate. They were always together, no matter what was going on, until the others came. How could she? She loved the humans as much as I did... She wouldn't... She couldn't...

Glum leaned on a wall for a moment with a sigh, and looked around. The other ghost Pokemon seemed somewhat quiet... maybe that was good. He floated into the main room and watched the sun rise. Another day, another twenty-four hours spent wandering aimlessly. He looked longingly at the door for a moment. He missed the humans, and hoped one would come in right now, just so he could spook them. That wasn't the case, though. He sighed. The lack of humans didn't surprise him, but it added to his feeling of despair.

Turning back, he floated to the upstairs part of the Chateau and floated into a small room with a TV. He kind of hovered there, looking at it, and again, sighed, knowing that the friendly little Rotom was unlikely to come out at this time. Most of the ghost Pokemon didn't come out anymore. It was lonely in the Chateau. He missed the old days.

"Just have to...keep moving....damnit"

Pressing against a tree, a rather large man hugs his arm to his side while biting back a jolt of pain. Opening an eye, he looks at his surroundings. He knew he was in a forest, he knew he's been in a forest since the attack, and he also knew he couldn't enter any of the cities while there were pokemon out to rip his throat open. He curses under his breath as he presses on, trying to not jostle his arm too much.

Brilliant. You fall from the sky, break the wing of your friend and do a number on yourself...then when it does start to get better, what do you do? You trip down a river bank and mess it up again. God I wish Mom wasn't such a klutz...

He rubs his temples, keeping close to the trees and watching over his shoulder. He has grown paranoid in the past months, watching and jumping with each noise. He was starting to make himself sick with it all, and his pokemon knew this too.

He stops with he hears the sound of static in the air, then quickly presses his back to a tree and kneels down. In his effort to keep himself hidden and covering his back and neck, he fails to see the mischievous grin on the Rotom floating above him. Floating down, the little static plasma phases through him and pops out of his chest.

"you need to settle down before you make yourself old. I hate to have to restart your heart with a good ol' zap"

"Kupo you little--" he begun to growl at her before letting out a sigh and simply sit there. He was tired and he knew this was her way to make him feel better, seeing no point in getting mad with her. He could feel her resting on his shoulder, trying to comfort him as best as she could.

"Come on. Gotta keep going old man...we just need to find a shelter in this forest and take it easy. There has to be a nice place...maybe like a abandoned house of something. Just get up and we can find it I can feel it! We are so close to somewhere!"

He smiled a bit, looking at her with a sad look. She had said that every morning since they took to the forest. She was always so upbeat, even before this all happened. Maybe it was good not everything had to change. With a strung-out sigh he pushes himself back to his feet awkwardly with one hand. "Alright Kupo. Lead the way then"

With a gleeful spark, the Rotom darts ahead of him and urges him to follow her. clutching his arm to his chest, he runs after her, getting hit by bits of bushes and nearly tripping over small roots. He pushes on after her, starting to get caught up with her upbeat attitude as they ran. Each foot covered he felt freer, each bush cleared he felt he could breath better. The sound of the wind resistance made him feel alive and drew him back from his pit of defeat. Somehow he started to feel that maybe Kupo was right this time.

Then he ran right through her and almost crashed into a bush.

"Whoa-- a little warning next time you plan to stop like that?"

He looked back at her, expecting to she her playful smile. Instead he was greeted with shock and something like disbelief. Following her gaze, he paused when he saw what captured her attention. There stood a old mansion, laying over a old over-grown road that lead to where the Grass Gym once was. Drawing himself from his moment of silence, he approached the large home with Kupo floating behind his shoulder. He lifted a hand and paused, catching his breath, before pushing the door open and slipping inside.

"...all this time. How did I not know I was in the forest where the Old Chateau was..."

Senica was tired. It wasn't just exhaustion, the heaviness of fatigue sinking into her muscles and bones, but stress. The suspense of wondering when the shielding technology would fail, if the wounded would live, if she even dared go to sleep - because what if she woke up and there was an attack? Yes, it had been quiet for some time now, but that only made their isolation more striking. Veilstone could well be the last city left, or maybe there were others fighting and they had no way of knowing it.

It wasn't really a surprise that when she did manage to get some sleep, half of it was nightmares. The best thing to do was try to be useful, try to focus on something that was not wondering when everyone would die. She was alive, her team was alive, the others trapped in the city were alive - wasn't that the important thing?

That didn't stop her from checking on the gates and those guarding them, which was turning out to be a new bad habit. She just found it easier to deal with her own fears if she did something in view of the gates. If anything happened, she would be close enough to do something. And it gave her time to refresh her supplies - after the first waves her antivenom had definitely run low. Stifling a yawn, she released Arkios.

"What's going on?" he hissed. "Oooh, are we doing something interesting, Trainer? Are we being attacked?" That last statement was followed by a snigger as he bumped his head against her.

"Obviously not. Come on, I need some more venom." Her Pokemon hissed again, this time disappointed as he curled around her, back of his tail carefully nudging her.

"But it feels weird..." he complained, already obliging her by opening his mouth. She took out the silicone dish and let him bite it, finding herself drawn back to staring at the gate. Arkios had done this enough to know when to stop, which gave her the opportunity to keep an eye on things. She knew it was stupid and paranoid to keep worrying - but it was better than not worrying at all, right?

Glum floated back into the hallway, looking around. He was not in a good mood, though more pissed then sad at this point. He wanted to do something! He threw a small ball of shadow energy at a wall in frustration.

As the dust cleared from the blast, Glum heard the tell-tale creak of the Chateau door. His mood lifted, and he rushed toward the front room. He stopped at the door and peeked down the stairs from there, watching the human and Rotom enter cautiously. Finally, he thought. I'm not alone... and maybe I can have some fun.... He chuckled darkly as he waited.

((I choose to blame the server being infuriatingly busy for the appalling lack of activity I’m seeing here))

A young man and a Samurott walked side by side in the streets of Veilstone. The latter of the two was speaking to the former in a hushed voice, his expression unreadable.

“With the defenses being solid as they are, Maylene is planning to start sending search parties to the north. Veilstone has not heard anything from Snowpoint or even Celestic since before the rebellion broke out, and apparently she along with a few of the other leaders think there is a chance that there might be some survivors up there.”

Robert nodded absentmindedly. Over the course of the past two months, three of the gym leaders had made their way through the routes and reached Veilstone, some a little more quickly than others, and they banded together to become the de facto head committee for the surviving humans. As Veilstone’s leader, Maylene was the unofficial leader of the community, so she had the final say in what did and didn’t happen.

“Volkner is not happy about this decision,” Jack continued, “he thinks that the entire north area is a No Man’s Land that will have killed everyone that was there by now. He wants the searches to be focused to the south; closer to his city. I along with a few others that have seen what Sunyshore looked like were able to convince him how bad of an idea that would be.”

For the second time in the past few minutes, Robert nodded. “Thanks,” was all he said after that. The Samurott looked at him with what Robert could tell was a combination of rebuking and disappointment. “I do think that the committee would be more readily inclined to agree with the argument if only humans had been there to state the case, Robert.”

Robert looked at Jack for a moment before turning his attention to the empty street. "They know you're a trustworthy pokemon, Jack. You and Helios have provided my opinions at the committee ever since we ended up here."

The Samurott shook his head. "That does not matter. You might not have seen the fearful looks some of them give me... I have. I fear that soon they will no longer allow me to appear in the meetings for fear of... well, I am not sure."

He turned to face Robert. "We have known each other for over ten years now, and I trust your judgment. I just hope that my fears will not be realized in the coming days."

Spencer dangled his leg from the tree and swung it half-heartedly. Veilstone was plainly visible from here, not too far. He hadn't actually gone in the city. This was probably the closest he'd gotten.

A voice interrupted his thoughts. "Just gonna' say it again. They'll let us in. They also have rooms. Warm places. Readily available food. Probably girls, too-"

"Shut up, Xhan." He told the Lucario. The Lucario shrugged, and went back to picking at the roots at the base of the tree. Spencer knew they had these things, and if Bryce was alive, he'd probably already be flirting with the girls in town while he waited for Spencer. But Spencer didn't like the idea of looking for him in the city. He'd rather be out here, as dangerous as it was. When he really thought about it, it was no more dangerous than it was before the attacks started. If people died every day falling in bathtubs, then everything was this dangerous.

He ate a bit of fruit he'd managed to get his hands on earlier. It was starting to go bad already. Xhan spoke again. "If Bryce is dead, what do you suppose you're waiting out here for?"

"A replacement." Spencer answered simply. It was the truth. If Bryce was gone, he needed a new partner in crime that didn't have a tail. Or at least one that wasn't Xhan.

"... You can still go to the city alone. I have a better chance of surviving solo than you. Less-than-friendlies will think I'm just one of them. As long as you're around, I'm at risk as much as you. Plus, the people at Veilstone may not appreciate my presence. Even if they let me in, I'd never have trust from them. Especially with my habits of 'surprising' people when they aren't looking." Xhan laughed at his little joke. Spencer just ignored him and his idea.

He creeps further into the entrance, glancing over at Kupo you opted to float outside the door. "Think its safe, Kupo?" he whispered, wandering about the grand foyer at the old armours and paintings. He looks to the stairs, seeing the bits of light that could get past the dusty windows cling to the strands of cobwebs between the railing bars.

"I think its a place where we can stop running for a while and let that arm heal, Payden. And let Bran stretch her wing so we can see if she's gotten better since the accident."

He nods, turning back to her with a smile. He actually felt like this was a good time to let himself go and breathe. He had been running for so long, trying to keep his pokemon safe so they wouldn't risk their necks for him. Trying to find his wife so he'll be there for the birth of his child. He had been searching for so long, trying to keep himself alive so that he can continue the fight to finding her.

Now he feels able to breathe and allow himself a moment rest without worrying of mad pokemon wanting a piece of himself to chew on. He starts to walk toward Kupo, trying to get her to come inside when the slightly of creaks silence them both. He freezes where he stands and waits, his defences returning. "Be careful Kupo..."

She shrinks back a bit, her body starting to spark wildly like a localized light show, collecting the static in the air so she can try to protect her trainer. She focuses on the room before her, ready for the slightest of movements.

Then when a armour collapsed he let loose a discharge that forced Payden to hit the ground to avoid.

"...oops. Sorry. Guess it was just the creak of old armour..."

Glum snickered to himself again, then ducked back at the discharge from the Rotom. Maybe it's best I not go for the 'old introduction'... that Rotom's a livewire. He peaked out again, his eye in a bit of a glare as he takes another look. The human seemed injured, as well. It would be bad to startle either of them at this point. He slowly floated out and toward the stairs, trying his best not to look threatening. Kind of hard for a Dusknoir, but he tried.

As Glum came up to the stairs, he bumped an urn on the railing, sending it down with a crash. He stopped where he was, looking down at the Rotom and the human, unsure what to do. He stayed there, floating idly, and waited.

Payden rolled onto his back, holding his arm to his chest and looked up at Kupo when she floated over. He gave her a bit of a smile to let her know there was no hard feelings before sitting up. He flinches as he moves his arm, muttering under his breath before looking to the armour that spooked them before. "We make mistakes Kupo...and we've been dodging a lot lately...but try not to zap everything that creaks alright? I don't need this place catching on fire..."

She let out a sigh and started to float about the room, looking down at the armour and giving it a second jolt as if telling it to stay down. She then turns and looks to the paintings. "You know they say Rotoms can be found here along with other ghosts...and not all ghosts want to kill us so maybe they are friendly." she called back to him, staring at a painting as she wonders if the eyes are following her.

"I'd settle for ghosts that didn't try to turn us over to the human-hunters...but this place feels safe I guess. Maybe if I wait...they will come and I can see my wife again and all her pokemon. If I can have them with me...have them save...then maybe..."

"Payden. Everything will be alright, okay? So the world has gone loopy loopy lunchbox but things will get better you'll see! Just have to stay positive and never stop trusting that good things are to come. You never know! Maybe the one that caused all this will croak and everything can go back to normal!"

Payden fall silent, looking off to a window layered in dust. She knew fully well what would happen if the one that caused this vanished. The trainers and pokemon that stuck together would form closer together. They could herd the ones that killed all those people...and he knew what would happen. Like any threat, they would meet the same end.

And it sickened him more than anything. The cycle would only continue and there would be a trust lost between people and pokemon that may never fully recover. The world would be fragile and waiting for the next disaster to tip the scale enough for a full-out collapse to happen.

What scared him more was the thought he would be alive to see that very collapse.

"Maybe...but for now I need to focus. We need to focus. Somehow...we may need to get to Veilstone's stronghold. Though its likely going to become a target...maybe there my Wife and child will be safe...and maybe they are already there."

Kupo smiled a little, about to say something comforting when a urn passed right throuhg her and crashed on the floor below. They both look up at the frozen Dusknoir, falling silently as they watch the pokemon and waited to see what they were about to do next.

Glum stared back for a short time, then slowly, floated down the stairs toward them. He raised his arms in a defensive motion as he came, and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. He dropped his arms and sighed. Giving them a glare, which looked more depressed then sad, he nodded. "I guess I could say welcome... I would have given my signature... introduction... but you, little missy..." He chuckled as he shook his head at the Rotom. "You gave me as much of a fright as that armor gave you. I've been listening. You'll be safe here... none of us here are with them... maybe your presence will make the others come out too..."

Glum sighed, and waved for them to follow. There was only one room where the other ghost Pokemon didn't already have residence. He'd have them rest up there. It was the best he could do.

On the west side of town, the sky above Veilstone cast a shadow over the city gateway below. Boated grey clouds obfuscated any trace of light, be it from the sun or the moon, cloaking the area. Despite this natural shroud, the ground glittered like a field of diamonds, covered in ice, with each individual snowflake a bright glimmer in the darkness. With the shield around the city still holding strong for the time being, from the outside it was almost like looking into a snow globe of colossal proportions.

Although the air was bitterly cold, stinging against his cheeks, Malcolm sat with his legs folded over the shoulders of an Abomasnow, his hands resting with flat palms on the top of her head. Indifferent to the freezing temperatures, wrapped up snugly in several layers of warm clothing, he sat and listened to the sound of the relentless hailstorm that was localized to the area just outside of the shielded city fortifications. Hailstones the size of bricks fell upon the forest like a shimmering rain of death, but bounced harmlessly off the barrier, causing a buildup of frozen matter to gradually build up around the rim of the shield.

By now this was a daily occurrence. Guard duty over the gates was a monotonous task, but a necessary one. And given the nature of his Pokemon, Malcolm could hardly protest that he had anything better to do. Everyone in town seemed like they were playing a waiting game. How long would the shield last? Was there still a chance someone could come to save them? Were they really holding out against the odds, or just delaying their fate?

"Malcolm..." rumbled the mass of walking alpine shrubbery he was presently sitting on, alternatively known by the nickname Yulla.

"What is it, is there something wrong?" he asked, his voice muffled by the scarf around his face.

"No, I'm well enough! It's just that... we've been standing here for an hour now, and you haven't said anything." speaking in an old motherly tone, calmly overlooking the frown she received in return from Malcolm, she carried on without heed. "You don't have something on your mind, do you?"

Pausing, as if deliberately giving him the opportunity to speak up in the hopes that he would respond to the gesture, Yulla shifted her shoulders around, wobbling her trainer in what was intended to be a coddling manner. Truth be told, there was something on his mind. Something other than the regular concerns about safety, but with a grunt, Malcolm abruptly dismissed his Pokemon's nagging inquiry.

"Maybe. Just about the situation with the shield, I guess." he said with a half-hearted shrug, making the effort to turn up the corners of his mouth a little, to make it seem more convincing. Getting into another discussion about his little private obsession wasn't something he wanted, mostly because it was... well... private.

Although she was rather indifferent to the cold, chilling weather, Beatrice sat on the steps of an apartment complex building near the barrier, shivering in the black, fur-necked coat that was obviously for someone much larger than herself, as it hung past her knees. Her cheeks were cherry red and flushed, but it wasn't as bad as it seemed to be; Eeristatz was radiating heat nearby, and the coffee-skinned girl wasn't one to complain. She watched as the white flurries gradually drifted by, some landing on the coat she grabbed from her house moments before, and some sticking to the ground, causing a few specks of light that shone through the gray clouds to dance across them brightly. She didn't want to be in her home, however; something compelled her to stay outside in the cold rather than be huddled up on the couch in her warm abode.

Her Chandelure floated nearby her, his violet flames flickering brilliantly from the winter winds, his soulless yellow eyes scanning Veilstone with little emotion or change. They glazed over a pair over near the west point of the town, a trainer and his Abomasnow, it seemed, but he turned back to Beatrice. "You seem... distant," he noted, his voice rich in a dialect from a foreign country. Beatrice, who was looking over at the shield with her different colored eyes, blinked, and turned to her Pokémon. "O-Oh, I... I'm just thinking," she assured him, the first word coming from her mouth squeaking unintentionally, as always.

Eeristatz gave her a look of seriousness for a brief moment, but shrugged it off as he glanced over at the shield. "Need not worry. It will stay active for you, Beatrice. Do not fret over its well-being... Or your fate, for that matter."

The shy trainer felt her eyes widen a bit at her Pokémon's statement, and she looked away. How did that Chandelure know her so well? Was it that obvious that she was worried about the shield and how long it would hold up?

"... I'm sorry. I'll... I'll try not to," Beatrice promised softly, though her voice was hollow. In all truth, her mind couldn't stop wandering back over to the barrier protecting her and many others within Veilstone, and when it would crumble. How long would it take before the psychics couldn't hold it up anymore? What would happen to her, Eeristatz, and everyone else that took refuge in the town? Would they... perish at the hands of the Pokémon seeking the demise of the human race?

The girl turned her attention to a man off in the distance, and she sighed. It was the same one that Eeristatz had looked over moments prior, and she noticed the Pokémon he had. A walking mass of... snowy tree, perhaps? Or maybe a shrub of some sort. Either way, Beatrice remembered seeing it somewhere in one of the many books she read years before, though the name didn't come to her. She looked at the man it was carrying, noting the scarf he sported, and then looked back at the shield. ... Only a matter of time, she thought monotonously, and with that, her mind went blank.

(Finally got to post here.)

Shawn woke to the sound of hail. His eyes popped open, and he started running to avoid getting hit by the hail. Although, a look of realization appeared on Shawn's face. He looked at the sheild, and felt amazingly embarrassed. He could be really stupid sometimes. The Absol looked around to make sure no one was watching, and took a step. And he fell. "Damn holes," Shawn muttered. What Shawn had fallen in was actually one of the craters created by the four meteors. He always found them interesting, but some days the holes were freaking annoying. He sighed as he climbed out, and started to walk down the street. He was hoping to see someone he knew.

As he strolled down the stone-paved road, his mind started to drift off into Thoughtworld. Once he realized what was happening, he snapped his mind back. Just stop thinking about it, thought Shawn. It'll only make things worse. So he just kept walking, his claws making a small clinking sound as he walked.


Rose stared at the ruined stage, and sighed. Things were rather busy that day in Hearthome, (by her standards) so she was lucky to get away from all of it. It gave her some time to think. Like Shawn, she couldn't help thinking about her past. The scenes from that hellhole day, watching her mother die, and then there was the day she left Shawn. That had always haunted her. It's all my fault... she thought. She felt on the verge of tears, (not for the first time), but she forced herself to keep a straight face.

The Absol trodded out of the building, and into the bustling streets. She walked for a while, and then found a spot she was quite fond of. She stopped at her favorite fountain (which was also the only one that wasn't crushed) and took a drink. Then, her mind drifted off again, and it didn't take long for the old feeling to kick in.

Payden was silent as the Dusknoir spoke, then he smiled when he begun to show them a place to rest. He's not sure if it was the whole situation, the look the Dusknoir gave them, or the events that lead up to this but he started to find himself chuckling. His chuckle grew to a laugh and finally he could feel his gut starting to hurt. He clutches his arm to his chest as he continued to laugh, following the way the Dusknoir motioned to. Kupo looked at him, the rolled her eyes and floated near the Dusknoir.

"Don't mind him. I think after everything he finally went a little funny in the head to hear some good news. He'll laugh himself numb and likely pass out to rest. Hey would anyone here know how to use healing moves?" she chirped to the Dusknoir, floating around his head as she spoke before letting out a giggle herself. "Sorry if I gave you a fright. Just gotta keep him alive, you know? He's my old trainer's Son and I need to make sure he last till the end of this whole mess...clumsy as he is. Though his mother was a klutz too so I can see where it came from"

Payden paid no mind to Kupo, moving to the room the Dusknoir lead them too and found himself collapsing on whatever looked the softest, He closes his eyes, his laufhter starting to die down as tears finished dripping from his eyes. Wiping half-heartedly at them, he opens one eye and looks to them both. "Are there any others that have taken shelter here?"

"Senicaaaaa," Arkios hissed, uncomfortably close to her ear. "I'm done."

That little trick - no, knowing he was about a millimetre away from licking her face was not funny in any way - earned him a quick shove before she pushed his tail away, collected the dish and started walking. Arkios was far too bulky for her to carry for even a moment, and he knew it, so he uncoiled from her and simply slithered after, scales rasping on the pavement. "That's enough for a few days, isn't it?" he almost whined, though his tone of voice was ruined by the fact that he was sniggering.

"It's not like you actually mind," she retorted, lazily kicking in his direction. She never would have meant it, and the fact that she wasn't even trying told him she couldn't care less about his attempt to annoy her. She didn't even mind his attempts to be up close and personal - not when it was genuine. When he was simply trying to freak her out, she tended to be a bit terse, but surely that was allowed? She didn't need one of her team trying to make her flinch considering the situation. "It only takes a few minutes, anyways."

"Which makes it a pathetic distraction. I can do far better~" And the Seviper was off, heading for the gate and its guards, with his trainer stifling a sigh. Why he was going to pester an Ice-type, she had no idea - it would only make for complaints later. Still, she stalked after him. She knew what he was trying to do, and she might have been inclined to appreciate his efforts if not for the cold and the shield and the general fear of the future. She caught up to him when Arkios was already rearing up as if to strike, eyeing the Abomasnow with interest. "You look preoccupied. Or bored. I honestly can't tell the difference!" he announced, followed by the stuttered hiss that was his version of a laugh as he swayed close.

"I apologize for my moron of a Pokemon," she drawled, glowering at the serpent who was doing his level best to ignore her. "Leave them alone, Arkios. You don't mess with guards on duty." Who was doing the guarding didn't matter in the least. As long as they were doing their job in keeping a look out, she had no complaints.

Glum turned to the Rotom as they entered the room, answering her first. "His change of mood is fine.... On the note of healing... most of us here are... less than adept. Sadly, his best choice is to just rest here." The Dusknoir looked at the man for a little while, silent. What he was feeling was unreadable by the expression in his eye.

After a couple moments, Glum sighed. He looked away, then back to the man. He spoke quietly, and trailed a bit. "You're the second to have come here... since then... the first left some time ago...." The Dusknoir trailed off again, then shook his head.

"It has been quiet in the Chateau. The others have since hidden away, worried that they'll be hunted for... preferring human company around here.... I've been left to wander alone.... You two are the first company I have had in... some time.... The Dusknoir looked between the two with a sigh.

Suddenly, there was a crackle of static. Glum looked to his right, staring at something. He then floated to a corner of the room, where the other of two televisions in the building sat. It had just come on, on its own. The Dusknoir chuckled. "It seems that one of our residents has decided to at least acknowledge another presence."

Swaying herself around gently, rocking him whilst humming to herself in a voice like the sound of crunching snow and pine needles, Malcolm tugged on his scarf, drawing it over his mouth more to better conceal a grimace. Wishing that he'd come up with an excuse that wouldn't so easily have provoked her impulse to comfort.

"If you've got the energy to worry, then you've got to find a way to put that energy to better use!" Yulla nagged encouragingly, waggling her busy brows so much that a few flakes of snow were loosened from them. Leaning his head away, so that she couldn't quite see his face, Malcolm rolled his eyes at the bluntness of her so-called optimism. "Leave the worrying to the Pokemon outside, the poor ones who'll get themselves killed if they try and break through." Nodding towards the raging blizzard happening outside the dome, once more bringing it to Malcolm's attention, there was some truth to what she said about that. A harsh truth, but comforting if you were human.

Opening his mouth to thank her for her efforts, Malcolm's grip suddenly tightened around Yulla as a sudden hiss from behind sent a fresh shiver running down his spine. Catching him off guard, but also triggering a nearby inconspicuous mound of snow to sprout pink feathers and gleaming claws. Moving with both speed and silence, his feet touching the snow so lightly as not to even leave tracks behind, within moments there was a Weavile squatting in the unruly Seviper's shadow.

"Ahem." it said, in a tone that hinted at a supreme lack of amusement. Brandishing it's claws and clicking them together, making a sound with an uncanny resemblance to the ticking of a clock, the creature locked eyes on the serpent, keeping a keen watch even as the poison Pokemon's trainer arrived to make her apologies.

"Shoo away, pesky one..." he chimed in after the girl was finished speaking, or scolding rather, Malcolm recognising her as the local medic whilst his own Pokemon remained ardently glaring at the would-be-prankster. "Aren't you cold-blooded? You must be experiencing discomfort here..." Over-protective as ever, Shanter seemed to have made himself a new "friend." His claws clicking out a steady steel-edged rhythm as he tapped his feet, eager to increase the Seviper's distance from his trainer posthaste.

Although he had every right to be annoyed, squabbles between Pokemon were not something to be encouraged, especially with tension running so high with the humans too. "It's perfectly fine... Senica." Malcolm added, after taking a moment to match a name to the other trainer's voice. "You were the one who saw to me, along with some other Gym Trainers from Snowpoint when we first arrived." Since Yulla had now turned in order to face away from the barrier, so as to give a better view of the other human, in the distance Malcolm spotted the telltale flicker of witch-fire, which he mistook as a sign that his replacement had arrived.

"I think it's time for me to go now anyway," he muffed through the fabric of his scarf, lifting one arm and waving it in a beckoning manner towards the nearby phantom and his trainer, "you don't need to apologize for this, because as far as I'm concerned, it never even happened."

(Encounter happened prior to the beginning of the RP.)

"That old trick hm. I remember my own little pranks in the past with the aid of the two I refer to as my Brother and Father. Well as long as they are warming up to us...and we won't put you and your friends in danger if we can help it. Now...time for you others to stretch~" Kupo chirped as she bolts toward Payden, nicking the other three pokemon balls from him and releasing the three that had stayed quite during this time.

The first to take form of a Unfezant, stretching one wing before setting down on the floor and checking over her other wing in a sling. Following her was a Pupitar, finding himself prone on the ground and blinking up at the Dusknoir with mild surprise. Finally the last member formed and as if on cue the Weavile went to the tv to stare at the static with obvious curiosity, tapping her claws on the floorboardsand waited for something to happen.

"These are the rest of the gang that stuck with us. The others are off with Payden's mother in another region...we...we haven't been able to connect them as of late."

Glum nodded. "Yes... that old trick. They're fond of that one.... As for the others, we'll have to see...." The Dusknoir watched as the Pokemon were released, and looked down at the Pupitar for a moment.

After a bit, the Weavile's claw-clicking seemed to irritate Glum slightly, as he turned and said sternly, "Standing there and waiting will not get you a response... you might scare it away in this case. Sadly, Pokemon are a bit harder for them to warm up to after the rebellion..." After actually mentioning the event, the Dusknoir went dead silent. The whole room seemed to darken just a slight touch, as if to emphasize his mood about it. It was easy to tell something was on his mind and it troubled him deeply.