Open Maeror Astrorum

Ciara slumped to the ground, exhausted. She must have been walking for hours by now, and she still wasn't quite used to her new form. She still couldn't figure out how humans could stand walking on two legs all the time. How did they balance?!

But that was neither here nor there. Where was she to go? How could she get there? Where was she, anyway? This was all so sudden. She just wanted to find her friends. Presumably this had happened to them too. But if the Scientists had released them all after they did whatever they did to change them, shouldn't she have found them by now? She sort of just wanted to wait there until they found her, because then she wouldn't be tossed from one new experience to another.

"What happened? Here, let me help you up." Someone, a young male human going by the voice, took her hand and pulled her up.

"Thanks." Speaking the human tongue left a foul taste in Ciara's mouth. The words were hard to formulate. "Do you... mind telling me... where I am?"

"You're in Viridian Forest. In Kanto. You aren't from around here, are you?"

"No. I'm from..." What was it that the humans called it? "Um... Johto. I'm from Johto."

"Ah, I see. So, you're lost, then? I can bring you to the exit, if you want." Ciara blinked in surprise. This offer was interesting. The boy cocked his head, and a breeze sent his hat flying. He simply caught it with the net he was carrying. He didn't even have to turn around. "So?

"Surely... surely you must have something better to do?" She shook her head emphatically. "No, it's fine, I can get there myself."

"Are you sure? All I'm doing is looking for a Butterfree to show my dad. He's a Scientist, and I'm helping him with a project, but it can wait. I know how easy it is to get lost in the forest."

Ciara scrambled away from him so fast she almost fell over again. "The.. the Scientists? You work for them?" Then she ran away from the rather confused looking boy without even waiting for an answer.

"I bet he saw my tail, too," she muttered as she fled farther into the forest.

(Sorry for the delay! With luck my suspicions will be proven correct and smaller RPs=longer lasting RPs. Also, the random NPC is like a Bug Catcher, in case I didn't make that obvious.)

~Saito

Saito sighed as she sat on the second floor patio of a small restruant at the western end of Lavender Town. The Lavender Café is well known as a place to sit, relax, and think. This is what made it one of Saito's favourite places in the Kanto region.

Saito found that the mid-afternoon sun sitting over the skylines of Saffron and Celadon quite intriguing, and was indulging herself in a new hobby, sketching. Staiz herself was sitting in another chair, watching a show on the television mounted on the wall. Saito knew that the show likely regarded battling, and that Staiz was taking in what potential rivals there would be at the Indigo Conference. The air was filled with the sound of southern Sevi music, something of a Latino-Italian mix, and smelled of sweet cherries. Saito figured that if she were to have a home outside of Holly Town, that it'd most likely be here in Lavender Town.

Suddenly a ring cut through the air, making Saito frown, she knew it was her PokéTech, a special device created by the joint efforts of Silph Co, Devon Co, the Pokétch company, Passerby Analytics, and Fennel. She picked it up with a huff, and answered,

"Hello?"

"Oh, there you are, good that you picked up, Saito." The voice at the other end responded in a happy tone.

"Oh, hi dad. What do you need this time?"

"Hey, come on Saito, it's not as though I only call you when I have something for you to do...but now that you mention it, I've been getting some strange reports from some freinds of mine across the regions. People with strange appearances have suddenly been found here and there, seemingly odd and random places. Not only that, but they often seem disoriented. Recently a Scientist's son had noticed one of these people in Viridian Forest. If you notice anyone like this, make an effort to let me know, especially as to what they're like."

"Sure dad, I will, but I'm not leaving Lavender for a while now, I plan on visiting the sights here before I have to move on to Saffron City."

"Thanks dear, and have a good time!" With that, the phone function clicks, and Saito shoves it back into her bag. Saito looks up to the pale moon sitting on the southern horizion, and says to herself,

"Thanks dad, now another thing I need to think about..."

Mitch let his eyes open. There were a few small clouds in the sun's path, so he wasn't blinded by light. He was laying on his back on the little raft he had made himself on the Lake of Rage, hands behind his head. He listened to the sounds of the water lapping on the raft, the bugs skipping the top of the water... the humans on the nearest shore, children laughing...

No doubt one of these shores has a scientist or two ordered to watch me. It wouldn't surprise me if, due to my inactivity and the bore of watching me, they were rotating in new scientists periodically. Perhaps they do that anyway, so we can never notice one person too often.

At the least, watching me sit on a lake, only docking for food and pee breaks, is making them take turns watching me... Assuming there is more than one. Unless, of course, I'm behaving exactly as they want me to, doubtful as it is. They wouldn't go through all this trouble to make a lake ornament.

Mitch sat up rather sharply. In the end, he could not help but face the fact that he needed to do something. He had spent every moment since he woke up that one morning sitting in the middle of the lake, hoping to find some way to make a move and ditch the scientists. Their reach was simply too far for him to see a way out of this, though. In truth, he didn't even know if they really WERE watching, but it seemed like the only logical thing to do after all the work they put into him.

I suppose the only thing I can do is play along with them until I can see a weak point. He thought as he began to row himself to shore. He heard some people comment they hadn't seen anyone out there before, one person said they thought he was dead, and a little boy commented on the warm clothing he wore despite the bright and blaring sun. All meangingless.

Mitch didn't bother with the raft after he docked. He began walking south, hands in his pockets. If I memorized the tourist map right, Goldenrod is this way. No doubt one of my old friends ended up there. At the least, it's a big city, and they could have made their way there in hopes of finding one another. After I've searched Goldenrod, I'll take the Magnet Train to Saffron, see what I can find there. If that fails, I'll catch a boat to Sinnoh or Hoenn. Maybe a plane if I'm feeling wealthy. Once both those regions are checked, if I still haven't found anyone, I'll head to Unova. If I find someone, we can no doubt find the others quicker, and if not... Well, I'm on my own against the Scientists, aren't I?

Alex was tired; stealing was exhausting, after all.

He sat down, leaning against the Pokemon Center's back wall. As he opened a fresh can of lemonade, the neon lights on the Game Corner lit up, color by color, until practically the whole building shone like a Chinchou at night. He hated those things; after all, back in Hoenn, they were used as nightlights for little kids in their aquariums. It was much harder to steal then. The can fizzled as he took a sip.

Where the hell are all the other lab rats? he thought as he swept dust off his can. Oh right. They split us all up. Probably so we can't form a freakin' rebellion or something. He grinned, sipping some more "lemony delight", as he called it.

Well, they probably put us at least 9000 miles away from each other. Maybe less if we're lucky. He picked up a golden coin (imprinted with a smiley face and the words "Goldenrod Game Corner" on it) and pocketed it. He could probably trade it for more lemonade.

Or maybe somebody to talk to. he thought gloomily as he finished the can. Alex got up, tossed the can in the trash, and walked over toward the gate to Route 35. He hopped the almost nonexistent fence and sat down behind the Name Rater's tent, leaning against a tree and staring into space.

It might have surprised the residents of the Village Bridge to learn that there was a hidden watcher in their midst. This grey-skinned lurker, naked aside from a pair of lime green shorts, crouched between two of the houses on the ancient, stone crossing. If the shadows were very much deeper around him, and if this stranger's teal eyes glowed slightly as he turned his attention from one person to the next, no-one seemed to notice. He frowned in concentration as he listened to the conversations going on around his hiding place, only moving to brush a strand of his strange red hair away from his face, or to switch his attention to a different person.

Finally he focused on someone new; a hiker with a large bag on his back was making his way to the end of the bridge. Instantly, the scarecrowish figure leapt upwards, grasped the edge of a roof with both hands, hauled himself onto the tiles, and darted soundlessly across the rough, ceramic surface. For a moment, as he ran, he was outlined in scarlet light. When it faded, he'd apparently changed shape; one second he'd been a human with a strange ash-grey skin colour, and the next he was a Patrat that seemed to be keeping a lookout from a place on the edge of the roof.

Arcane had seen a group of the tuft-tailed rodents earlier; no-one seemed to pay them any mind when they clambered onto the roof to look around, so it was a fair illusion to use. For a moment, the striped rodent sat there, looking off into the distance with one paw shielding it's eyes from the sun, and then it leapt from the roof and ran across the street as the lone hiker turned the corner near the last house. The patrat quickly followed; the instant it's tufted tail turned the corner, it was briefly outlined in red light and became the mostly-naked stranger from before. The skinny figure barrelled into the back of the man with the giant pack on his back, knocking him forward a few steps, then raised both arms above his head. His long red hair billowed around his skinny shoulders as he crossed his wrists and became outlined in a terrifying ruddy glow. The shockwave when he brought both hands down to the ground shredded the hiker's pack, sent scraps of shadow and clouds of dust flying, and knocked the man off his feet. In an instant, Arcane had the damaged pack off it's owners shoulders, and was running towards the edge of the trees. He hopped over the fence with surprising agility and vanished into the undergrowth.

He grinned wolfishly at the shout of 'Thief!' from behind him and continued his headlong flight through sparse woods. He needed no-one. At least, he needed no-one under normal circumstances; right now he needed to find his friends and work out what had happened to him. So far, he'd spent several hours listening to random conversations around the village. No-one had mentioned any strange pokemon, or funny-looking humans like himself, so it was time to move on. Another man with the same style pack had mentioned travelling, and taken something out of his pack that apparently showed where he was and the way he needed to go; and if there was something the ex-Zoroark needed to know, it was where he was, and where he was going next. No doubt he'd find something good in the pack.

A clearing loomed, and Arcane stopped to look around at the trees. A few grey-feathered pidoves watched him from the trees, before turning and fluttering further into the woods. For a moment, Arcane's green eyes narrowed, and then they began to glow; instantly, a thick, tangled barrier of thorns and nettles sprang up all the way around the clearing. More growth filled the area with a dense thicket of vines and creepers, each with inch-long thorns, so that only a small area was left clear in the centre. When he was sure he wouldn't be followed, Arcane sat, brushed his long, red hair away from his face again and pawed at the bag as he worked out how to open it.

It didn't take him long.

The first thing that he pulled out was a pack of sandwiches. They were inspected minutely as the ex-Zoroark turned them over in his hands. He sniffed at the packaging gingerly and caught a whiff of what could only be food. His stomach burbled noisily; he hadn't eaten since the day before, and he hadn't really thought about having anything since he'd woken up. As before, it took him a little bit of time to work out how to get at the contents of the packaging, but within a few moments he was busy stuffing his face.

Things were starting to look up.

It was only after he was on the last few bites of the sandwich that he tasted what he was eating; there was the distinctly sour tang of a Sitrus berry buried in the bread. Instantly, Arcane screwed his face up in disgust. For a moment he considered just leaving the half-eaten remains of his purloined breakfast, then decided against it. He didn't know when he'd next get to eat, after all, so he simply finished eating and tried not to taste it.

He wasn't very successful.

Next up was a change of clothes, which he put into an untidy pile next to him, and a tube which, when he unrolled it, looked a lot like the thing the last hiker had called a Town Map. He turned it every which way as he tried to work out how to use it, and barely heard the sounds of pursuit getting ever closer to his hiding spot.

Blazaria's eyes heaved themselves open to see a large expanse of silver gray rocks and mazes. "Twhere... whire am I?" she said under her breath, with difficulty producing the human words using the human tongue. She attempted to stand up and perhaps find at least a clue to what she should be doing. As she attempted to move her hands, they began to strain and ache. Despite that, with a bit of effort she managed to stand up (though rather wobbily.) As she shakily began to wander around this unknown area, she felt a need for company and to see if there was anyone around.

"Ofkay, fhere I goh." she said the words slowly, but getting them wrong once again. She opened her mouth, and took an all enveloping huff of air and released it out under pressure.

Flames enveloped the area, lightening things up for a moment. Only problem was... there was no one there. It was a good idea, but it only affirmed her total solitary state.

Pewter City should be in this direction... Mitch stared directly south, into the thick woods beyond Mahogany Town. If I cut straight through, going west soutwest, I'll run into a bit of tough terrain, but I should avoid the bulk of it. I should come out right around the intersection of Routes 35 and 36. Heh. And if the Scientists are following me, there's the small chance of me losing them. They'll undoubtedly pick my trail back up in Goldenrod, if they haven't already started waiting for me there. He hopped up into a branch, a little girl behind him trying to get her mother to see what he had just done.

Yes, I'll play their game, but I'll play rough. If they want me to become more active, then that's what I'll do. From my past movements, this should be either a startling turn of events, or a very nice surprise. Another thought crossed his mind, and the sly grin left his face.

Unless they've already figured me out psycologically, and I'm doing what they expect, even when they expect it... No, I hid myself from them in that cage. I didn't let them read me out. Still, I must consider the possibility. With that thought in mind, he made a powerful leap to another branch, heading west southwest, to the junction of Route 35 and Route 36.

I certainly hope I can find someone in Golderod. No telling how long the scientists will let me roam free like this until they tire of me. As he leapt through the trees, he began mumbling words to himself, to get the hang of his new tongue.

~Saito


Saito's thought's were interupted when Staiz tugged at her shirt. Saito groaned inwardly, she knew that Staiz still had reminiscent personality traits from her father, and one of which was impulsiveness. Staiz's right paw was pointing at the screen, indicating that there was to be a tournement in Goldenrod city in a couple of days. Saito quickly interpretted this as Staiz wanting to participate. "Competitive, to a fault..." Saito thought to herself as she gathered her things. She knew that Staiz didn't bother her about these things unless it would be a noteworthy tournement.

Saito checked out of the room she was staying in at the PokéCenter and departed to Saffron City, Staiz happily following along behind her.

"Remember, I'm doing this for you, so you best do your best when the time comes." Saito growled slightly, irritated that she had been forced from her relaxation to make her way to one of the busiest cities on the continent, and just for a tournement. Staiz piped back a response in what seemed like a sarcastic tone.

"Oh yes, get snarky with me, we'll see who's laughing when your on the bench." Saito retorts, a half bemused grin hidden from her companion.

The trip to Saffron would take the better part of the rest of the day, and Saito would check out a room at the PokéCenter in the north end.

"Another end to another day. I really hope something extrordinary happens tommorow..." Saito thinks to herself as she falls asleep.

Having run around the cave, which had exercised her legs, Blazaria began to have a bit more confidence in her mobility, but also was still tortured by her solitary state. Running a bit more by her newfound strength, Blazaria began to see a small bit of light ahead of her, filling her with hope. Aside from this amazing sign, Blazaria reflected on what had happened to her memory.

"Okay. I was sitting in a cage, yes? Yesh. Then the strange 'people' gaive me food, yes? Yes. Then I fell asleep, right? Right. And then I woke up, sftuck in this strupid space of tothal ALONENESS wifth no company whatsoever? Ugh..."

Talking to herself previously while running had helped develop her speech as well, it seemed. Not saying her speech was perfect, but definitely improved. As she went on running, she came to a point where she could no longer run at such a speed.

She didn't need to. The opening of the cave was just a few steps away.

She slowly stepped into the nourishing light, feeling herself covered in a new feeling and lightness of heart.

Ciara slowed down, and slowly tilted her head upwards until she could see the sky - wait, the sky? She had reached the edge of the forest while she was running, without even noticing. She shielded her eyes with her hand. The Sun was very bright, and high in the sky.

She suddenly realised how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten since the Scientists had given her the drugged food in the laboratory. But where would she get the food she needed? And what did humans eat, anyway? She could always go back into the forest and find some berries, but she was still terrified of getting recaptured by the Scientists. No, she would have to walk on.

Ciara looked forward again. That almost looked like a... what was it called... a city, that's it. Maybe she could get some food there. And maybe she could find something out about her friends. So she headed towards it, at a more reasonable pace this time. She didn't want to fall over again, now did she? she noticed that one of the perks of wearing shoes was that gravel and pebbles didn't dig into your feet. This, combined with her longer stride, made the trip faster than it would have been if she were still an Umbreon.

She walked through a gate, and stopped in wonder.

The city was positively the hugest human settlement she had ever seen. The buildings weren't terribly tall (she had heard of buildings that touched the clouds), but there were a lot of them. She could see a large building with a bright orange roof down a little lane. Lots of humans were going in and out, most with Pokeballs on their persons or Pokemon in their arms. There was a large sign in front of it that read "Pewter City Pokemon Center".

Figuring it was a safe bet, Ciara headed for the building. She joined the mass of people going in, and immediately a perky-looking woman with pink hair came up to her and began to speak. "Welcome! Is there any way I can help you?"

"Umm... yes. Do you... know where I could get some food? I'm new here, you see...."

Just then there was a gasp from behind her. Ciara turned and saw a portly woman pointing at her. "That... that girl has a tail! Please, somebody tell me I'm seeing things!"

Oops. Ciara thought. I suppose I should have hidden that first.

Alex had just dozed off when a small young girl walked over to him. Her pink dress fluttered slightly in the wind as she prodded him with a foot-long wooden stick.

"The hell do you want?" he mumbled, slowly opening his red eyes. He glanced around, eventually meeting the girl's confused gaze. Her eyes widened in fear as he realized his idiotic mistake.

Dammit.

"Why are your eyes red?" she muttered, "Are you one of those people the Scientists released?"

"Yeah, kid. They decided my mental health was good enough, so they let me outta the loony bin. Had to take an oath to never strangle anybody again," he said with a grin, as if he were proud of his lie. He snickered under his breath.

"I'll have my mommy call the police! Get away from me!" she yelled. He sidestepped toward the gate to Route 35.

"Just... calm down, kid. I'll make a deal: I run like hell away from you and you never tell anybody 'bout this. Deal???" he frantically said as the girl's eyes teared up.

"MOMMY!!!" she yelled, running to the flower shop. He ran - no, sprinted - through the gate and into a tree on Route 35.

That was gonna hurt later.

As Blazaria got the wonderful taste of the sweet, fresh air in her mouth as opposed to the dusty and metallic haze of Mount Silver, she began to grin. She started frolicking around the area in front of her, a field full of lush grass. And weeds, probably, but that didn't matter. After a good twenty minutes of aimlessly jumping and falling childishly, Blazaria's mind shifted into a more serious mode.

"Alright. Where areh the ofthers? Why did they leafve me alone? Why couldn't I have gone... with them?" She began to quietly sob as a small girl walked torwards her. "Hi!" the girl cheerfully chimed. "..." Blazaria, unsettled by this strange encounter, turned around as she muttered "Yeah, hi." "Don't go! What's your na--Your tail! Your tail!!" she shrieked in excitement more so than fear, but Blazaria, having just gotten used to the human mobility, let alone mannerisms and pattern of speech tone didn't recognize the excitement part and fled.

After stopping under a tree, unlikely to be disturbed, Blazaria once again started to shed tears. "Why couldn't they have brought me?"

The trees whipped at Mitch's face as he took powerful leaps through the thickening trees. He ignored them, since they drew no blood, and continued mumbling to himself. He slowed down for a moment, leaping to the top of his current tree. In the distance, and to the south east was Sprout Tower, the massive monument just a small black pillar in Mitch's eyes. Pleased with his progress, Mitch dropped back down, on the move once again. In his current direction, he wouldn't come out directly on Route 35, but he'd be close.

It took several more hours, but he saw the trees come to sharp halt as they met the road of Route 36. He dropped down to the ground, walking out of the woods, looking like he had just relieved himself. Nobody would question it, and he'd seem innocent enough. He began jogging directly along the Route, to the west, and sped up to a run before long. His bones were aching at this point, his lungs burning, and his breathing was in sharp heaves. He ignored the fire in his legs, pumping his arms, letting the sweat roll off him. Nobody he saw on the path made any attempt to speak to him, though one did whistle when they saw the amount of sweat gathered on his face.

He found the junction, and took it as an opportunity to rest. He needed some nourishment, or at least rest, before he could make the last stretch. He cut through some of the thicker trees to be officially on Route 35, glancing around for some sort of food or water. Nothing other than a little green puddle with a few dead flies in it. The risk outweighed the benefit, until he found a trainer walking by themselves. He approached the person, telling her he had lost his possessions to the forest a week ago, that his name was Jared Kapeller, and that he just needed a small bit of food and maybe some water. She pitied his false identity, and gave him what she could spare: A couple of 'nutrition bars,' which were, ironically, covered in mass amounts of chocolate, and a few sips of her water. 'Jared' ate the bars thankfully, though in all honesty, he detested their flavor, said goodbye to the northbound trainer, and began South.

So... She's getting out of town because there's a tournament? Lots more tourists than usual, I suppose. That almost certainly means Arcane won't be there... Alex would flourish there, the dirty little sneak; but in all probability, the Scientists wanted him out of his element and stuck him in some Hillbilly town in the Orange Islands... Who knows, maybe I'll find someone there, maybe I won't. No use fretting about it until I'm actually there. All the planning in the world, and your plans could be interupted by a full bladder, empty stomach, or, Arceus forbid, tripping over your own feet.

"You're gettin' better at lying if I do say so myself," Alex said with a grin, becoming more visible as the seconds passed. He was up in the same tree that had nearly dislocated his nose, examining the gold Coin in his pocket.

"Those things that kid gave you look nasty, by the way."

[ooc: sorry for short post!]

~Saito

Saito was on the train and shooting towards Goldenrod city at a near unbearable rate. If one thing were true, it was that the Magnet Train made the fastest trips between two locations. The train stopped only a half hour later, and Saito disembarked, thankful that there was a special system on the train that ensured that passengers only felt a fraction of the true momentum.

Saito blinked several times as she emerged from the train-station, the bright lights of the big city less traditional than those of Saffron. Saito had yet to take on her Johto journey yet, but that hardly limited her travels between the two Countries. Staiz was taking in the sites with awe, perched on Saito's shoulder, and looking around as Saito made her way to the PokéCenter.

"Bigger, brighter, louder...and smellier, Goldenrod has little in comparison to Saffron. Well except for the Department Store. Major freaking attraction it is..." Saito remarks as she leaves the center, a room checked out, and now following her map to the north end of the city, where the tournement was to take place.

Mitch's heart almost leapt out of his throat, though he did a pretty good job of concealing his surprise. Some punk in a tree. He looked up at the little shrimp, his brow twitching just ever so slightly in irritation. Better? He thought. ... No. No, he can't be one of them. Except that smug grin on his face... Yup, that's him. Figures he'd be the first I meet... Just my luck, to. I would much rather have Blazaria's optimism or even Vesta's wierd mood swings.

"I've always been good at lying, you little sneak." Mitch looked Alex up and down, deciding he was happy with their size difference. "We should go into town. We can blend in a little better." Mitch began to wonder if Alex really had recognized him. The little bugger might've just had a nagging feeling, and told him he was a better liar to see if he reacted in a unique fashion. A ruse to get Mitch to tell him everything he needed to know. I need to be more careful. "If anyone asks, do you think you could pass as my little brother? My little brother who until now, never heard about escaping experiments?"

Maybe he'll think I'm paranoid. I just want to avoid being noticed in someone else's eyes. The risk is outweighed by the benefit of information in this case, though.

Alex could just tell that he'd shocked Mitch, even though he'd hidden it so well.

Note to self #1: try to freak out Mitch more.

"Oh yeah, of course I can! I mean, come on, I convinced a kid in Goldenrod that I'm a former mental hospital patient, for cryin' out loud!" Alex said as he leaped down from the tree. He landed right on his back and a couple of lemonades rolled out of his sweatshirt pocket.

Note to self #2: try to hide stolen goods better next time.

"And, uh, I'm kinda prohibited from entering the Department Store for about six months. Sorry 'bout that," Alex muttered with a slight grin on his face.

Note to self #3: try to get in the Department Store.

"That's just about it."

Blazaria had since decided to head out, on the gut feeling she'd find someone to trust. Hopefully one of her friends, and if she got lucky, maybe even Mitch, who she had always wondered about his distant personality...

She ran down the cliffs of Mount Silver with great agility, jumping from one rock to a ledge to trees at the very bottom, but sustained several cuts, scrapes, and bruises. After scaling the large rock formation, she set out west, cutting through the barren wasteland and going for Route 45. She was now limping, and ached all over; however, the adrenaline rush of jumping all over and jogging somewhat numbed the pain.

"Right," Mitch turned and motioned casually for Alex to follow him. "Let's get into town before someone questions two kids chatting in the middle of the Route, uninterested in the upcoming tournament." He didn't wait for the little man to follow, only walked towards the city with his hands in his pockets. From how crowded it was in the northern part of town, this was where the tournament was supposed to be. Huh. You'd think people would be acting a little more prepared for battles. I think I should act like a tourist, here to see a battle or two. Who to ask, what to ask? Hm... She'll work.

He spotted a girl with a satchel and ponytail, sweater tied around her waist. He made himself look lost and confused, and sound just a bit pathetic. "Excuse me, but my little brother and I are a bit confused. We're trying to get to a place where we can rent a room for the night; You wouldn't happen to, um, know an inexp-inexpensive place would you?" If I'm lucky, I can casually bring up scientist experiments. If she knows anything I can innocently ask, 'I've haven't seen one of those, but I wish I could! Have you ever seen one?' Heh. Hopefully Alex doesn't blow the whole thing by picking her pocket or something.

"Doug! Use Cut and get through those vines!"

"Drilbur!"

The odd sensation of having a part of his illusion cut caused Arcane to look up, one arm still buried in the backpack he'd stolen. He looked around, blinked, and focused on the direction the hitherto unnoticed sounds of cutting seemed to be coming from. For a moment he hesitated, wondering what to do, and then he frowned. The glow from his eyes brightened imperceptibly as he shifted the focus of his illusion from concealment to distraction, then he started stuffing things back in the bag in a thoroughly messy way. The vines around him coiled and hissed through the air menacingly while he inspected the rips on the front pocket and across the main body of the backpack itself. Most of the contents of that front pocket were fine, but one bottle was a little cracked and leaking some kind of red fluid.

Some kind of sweet red fluid, he corrected himself after licking his fingers, with just a hint of spice.

He couldn't help sampling it again, then bundled the bag into his arms and set off at a hasty trot, away from the sounds of distress. Around him the illusory vines were tearing themselves out of the ground, balling themselves up like giant snakes, and becoming something gigantic and threatening. When he reached the trees at the edge of the clearing Arcane grinned a secretive grin to himself, and a loud, and above all gigantic, roar from his creation echoed around the forest. He turned and looked back as his green, thorny illusion started lumbering towards the village, seemingly intent on smashing all the puny humans in the area.

Something like that would definitely distract attention away from a skinny thing like himself if he happened to take the main road, Arcane decided, and he ambled in that direction. While he walked, loud explosions, shouts and crackling flames echoed as the Trainers in Village Bridge defended the settlement from a nonexistent threat. It was almost poetic, Arcane thought, as he tossed his bag over the fence and clambered after it. He stumbled as he landed on the road and toppled sideways into one of the open-mouthed gawkers in the crowd. Instantly the thorny monstrosity, visible even over the trees, swelled up enormously and burst with an entirely inappropriate quiet pop.

Shocked silence reigned.

"FIRE!" The cry was made quiet by distance, but it was immediately taken up by other voices and the sound broke the spell. Immediately, the crowd surged into action; some dispersing, and others, mostly trainers with water-types, heading towards the distant yells of panic and alarm. It was almost as good a distraction as some giant monstrosity lumbering through the woods; no-one noticed the skinny, grey-skinned stranger with oddly-coloured, mostly-red hair ambling through their midst with a damaged backpack clutched between his arms. Those who did certainly didn't seem to care.

That was fine with Arcane, who turned his back resolutely on the nearer mountains and headed all unknowingly towards Opelucid City.