[IC] Pokemon: Darkness in the Aura Region

[Legion-114]

The Aura Region, a serine and tranquil land broken up by six island, which 1400 years have left its beauty untouched. Besides a few villages miles apart the only three metropolis cities resides directly in the centre of the main island. Trainers will journey through dense jungles, murky swamps and dry deserts. Aura City, the capital city, home of Quantum-Tech Industries, is hosting its 1330th Aura Region Championships. Trainers would arrive in the 3Km2 city in which high rises held advertisement billboards of various good and services, every ten minutes an advertisement for the Championships would dash across the screens, displaying a date two months from now. Perhaps it was best for new arrivals to check into a hotel and those already familiar with the city to seek some Gym in order to train. Or if they were feeling extremely brave, check out the rest of the Aura Region to see what secrets can be unlocked.

[Legion-114]

> Ka'bol Island
>> Crystal Mountain
>>> Summit


Flashes of bright blue light would blaze across the lush green summit of one of the many peeks of the crystal mountains.
Two figures were jumping and weaving between each blast as balls of energy were thrown at each other. However despite the destruction that each of these blasts caused, which ripped up large patches of dirt and rock, they weren't thrown will ill intent for one another.

After a while, the taller, human figure came to a standstill and raised his hand to signal them both to stop. The other, dog like figure nodded and withdrew his charging attack.

"It's good to stretch your legs after such a long time, don't you agree, Lucario?" The young man said softly as his attention was grabbed by the distant Aura City that laid a few miles away. "And how the world has changed."

[Zanavy]

Ka'bol Island, Downtown Aura City

"I fold," the man with the thick mustache grumbled. Three down, one to go. Chance allowed a hint of a smirk to pass his lips, then quickly resumed his poker face while he glanced at his remaining opponent's face. Unreadable, as usual.

"I'll see your twenty Poke-dollars and raise twenty," the thin woman stated smoothly, gingerly placing a portion of her large pile of cash into the center of the table.

Chance's sky blue eyes shifted to his hand for just a moment, as if looking at the cards would make them magically transform into something amazing. Though far from amazing, he did have something... and that tantalizing pot would almost make up for his losing streak.

"I'll see your twenty," the teen declared, dropping a wad of bills in a way far less graceful than the woman. What more did he have to lose? The woman spread her cards out, revealing a pair of twos and a pair of fives. Chance cringed slightly. All he had was a pair of Queens.

Chance inwardly grumbled while the balding dealer reshuffled the cards and the victor smoothed out her prize to match the rest of her pristine pile. A sudden popping sound startled the group, and a flash of light emanated from Chance's belt.

"MUUUNCHLAAAAAAX!!"

The chubby green Pokemon immediately started groping at her trainer's backpack, and she looked like she was about to burst into tears. Chance rubbed his temple.

"Can you wait just a few minutes?" the blonde sighed. "We're in the mid-"

"MUNCH!"

The Munchlax pouted and yanked on Chance's arm. Her pull was strong for a baby Pokemon, and Chance nearly fell out of his chair.

"Sorry guys," Chance apologized to the poker players with a sheepish chuckle. "Gotta get some food for Lucy. She gets cranky when she's hungry..."

A couple of Chance's opponents nodded in understanding. The rest stared in bewilderment as Lucy practically dragged him out of the run-down cafe. After walking a safe distance away, Chance stopped and smiled down at his prized Pokemon.

"Good work, Lucy," Chance praised. Along with being an awesome Pokemon partner, Lucy also served as his bail-out code. He needed some way to get out of a bad game without looking like a coward.

However, the Munchlax's act only seemed to intensify, and she began rolling on the sidewalk and wailing. Chance sweatdropped as he unzipped his large red and black backpack and pulled out a pack of cookies. Lucy eagerly grabbed the treat and gobbled down the whole pack in ten seconds flat.

Chance smiled lightly and fondly patted Lucy on the head. But the teen's smile faded as he gazed out at the bustling city. Unless his luck turned around soon, he only had enough money left for two more nights at the hotel, tops. Maybe he would have to head out on the road sooner than he'd hoped.

Chance slowly wandered down a busy street, Lucy cheerfully waddling behind him. Maybe he could find a rookie trainer or two to battle and help supplement his income.

[Roecoon]

Ka'bol Island, Aura City

Poppy sighed as she left her clients home. She never understood why people had such a problem with ghost poke'mon. This particular woman had a gengar in her basement. Apparently he had frightened her so bad she nearly fell down the stairs. "Well you would be restless to if you were shut up in a basement." He was in great shape and was just trying to play with her. Poppy clutched the poke'ball in her hand, gently rubbing her thumb across it. "Poor thing. Don't you worry. My grandpa will take good care of you, he can take a joke." She was on her way to the nearest poke'mon center to send the little guy home.

Problem was she wasn't quite sure where that was. She had recently arrived in the city when she got the woman's request. Poppy looked around then giggled "Hey guys, let's go through the back alley ways, maybe we'll find a new friend!" As part of her training she was obligated to take on any request that included ghost poke'mon. She didn't really like that part of the job, but hey, Poppy did learn quite a bit. She walked around for a while, not minding being lost. It came with the territory. She appeared to be heading towards the downtown area. So far she's seen a few zubat and a grimer, but no ghosts. Well maybe sometime soon I can find someone to ask directions.

[Zanavy]

(OOC: Based on context, I'm guessing she has her Pokemon out? If not, let me know and I will edit my post.)

As Chance reached a break in the massive line of tall buildings, he noticed a girl with Pokemon pass by on a street adjacent to him. He recognized one as... something that starts with an M. More importantly, it was a ghost type. Guessing by the appearance of the others, he guessed they were also ghost type, though one might be fire type.

Chance glanced back at his normal type, who was rooting through her folds of fat, probably searching for some leftover popcorn. It would be a tough match for both types involved. But a confident smirk appeared on Chance's face; he liked his odds.

Chance returned Lucy to her pokeball and quickly weaved through streets and alleys, not at a running pace but fast enough to catch up to the girl in a couple blocks. The blonde jumped a bit when he rounded a corner and nearly bumped into the girl, but he composed himself quickly.

"Hey," Chance greeted casually. "Lookin' for a battle? If so, you've found it."

[Roecoon]

Poppy heard foots steps behind her (which actually wasn't that unusual for her) as she turned the corner."Hey, Lookin' for a battle? If so, you've found it." She titled her head to the side and thought a moment. "hmm, I wasn't really looking for one, but why not. I'm in no hurry." She turned to her foot tall floating candle of a poke'mon. "Hey litwick, would you like to give it a try? You are the one who needs the experience." The litwick made an excited "LIT!" as it floated around in circles.

Poppy looked at the stranger "That'd be a yes. I'm Poppy nice to meet you!" She smiled fondly as litwick floated next to her. "Shall we get this match started?" She hoped this wouldn't take long. Poppy was hoping to get some coffee, maybe even some cake. After ofcourse the center.

[Zanavy]

"Chance," the teen responded cordially, though his smile wavered just a bit. So, she sent out a weaker Pokemon? Did he look like a pushover to her? Well, Chance would not go easy on anyone for making a mistake like that. Especially with rent money on the line.

"Lucy, it's game time!" Chance declared as he opened a pokeball. A Munchlax materialized, sprawled on the ground and gazing lazily up at the strangers. She cocked her head in confusion for a second. Then, realizing a battle was about to happen, she leaped up with surprising gusto and faced her opponent. Lucy matched her trainer's smirk, eager to win the match... and the junk food that follows.

(Litwick goes first.)

[Roecoon]

Poppy grinned, people always underestimate Litwick. He's so small, and a baby poke'mon, but he's a tough little guy! She would never send a poke'mon into battle unless she believed in them. He was still pretty new to the team, and Poppy knew that he needed a chance to prove himself. What a great opportunity right? LitWick was fired up, his flame erratically dancing.

"Alright Litwick, Ember!" Obediently Fire Shot out of Litwick's mouth straight at Lucy. It's glow lit up the buildings around them. Reflecting off the glass and shrinking the shadows.Poppy kept thinking, Hit please Hit!

[Zanavy]

Lucy shielded her body with an arm, cringing as the flames singed it. But she quickly shook off the blow with the help of her Thick Fat. The Munchlax smiled wickedly at Litwick and held up her index finger, but she paused when Chase gestured for her to wait, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Amnesia," the blonde ordered.

Lucy huffed slightly, upset that she wouldn't get to use her favorite move. Then the Munchlax cleared her mind, enhancing her ability to absorb special attacks. Now another Ember would do very little to slow her down. Also, it was now ensured that the stray popcorn in her flab would not be rediscovered for several more days.

[Chev]

"Beldum? Beldum? This isn't funny! Stop hiding and get out here!"

Blake sighed heavily as he continued searching the area for his Beldum. It was a constant game of Hide and Seek when he let it out of it's Pokeball. He had never seen a Pokemon that enjoyed teasing him as much as his Beldum did. He turned to look down at his Croconaw. "What about you? You smell him or anything?"

Croconaw shook his head.

"Alright...we tried tracking him, we tried surprising him and we tried to lure him in with poke-bait bait. I think we need a new strategy." He said as the Croconaw nodded in agreement.

Blake raised his voice as he spoke. "I sure wish my Beldum was here, who else is going to help us finish this delicious lunch of sweet rolls and chocolate swirl bread."

"Beldum?" Blake smiled, he had heard the voice above him and so had his Croconaw.

"I guess we'll just pack it up and find someone else to share it with!"

"Bel! Bel! Beldum!" Blake smiled as the Beldum floated down in front of him and looked around expectantly for the food. It turned to look at him as it realized there was no food laid out.

"Alright, now that we've got you back here, now we can set up lunch. I don't think we should do it here though, if we do we're going to be swarmed by insect Pokemon." Blake's Croconaw nodded in agreement as did Beldum although it was a bit more reluctantly.

As the group traveled forward for a few minutes Blake saw what appeared to be a Pokemon Battle in progress between two trainers. It looked like a Munchlax battling with a litwick.

He saw his Croconaw watching the battle with keen interest. "Don't even think about it." He said with a grin. He knew Croconaw would love to battle one of the two trainers but it would be incredibly rude to interrupt the battle. He looked at the floating Beldum. "And you behave, no bothering anyone."

[Ginger Kollie]

Kai Allum

“Come on Sora! Go! Fly!” Came a loud, encouraging shout which sounded throughout the area. She was running, the Pokemon held high above her head with a large, wooden, feather-cover prosthetic wing attached to her side. Kai had been working on the wing for months, hand crafting pieces of wood found along walks and collecting Pokemon feathers vigorously to make it streamline. She had just spent her last chunk of money (meant for food) on buying the last nuts, bolts and string in order to finish the wing off. It was this moment, right now, that both Kai and Sora had been anticipating. After months of hard work and commitment, the wing was finally ready for Sora to try out and maybe, just maybe, Sora would be able to fly for the first time.

It wasn’t long before a small breeze came and took the Pidgey up, away from her trainer, but only by a foot or two. Could it be? Is Sora, flying? Kai smiled joyously, watching as the wind lifted the Pidgey into the air, Vivie watching along beside her.

CRACK.

A fatal sound followed by a falling Sora wiped the smile away from the young trainer’s face as she made a run for it, diving and grabbing Sora before they both hit the ground with a painfully thud. Slightly dazed, Kai released her grip around the Pokemon and looked down with a worried gaze.

“Pidgey...” The Pokemon said softly, looking down at the broken mass of wood and feathers attached to her side. The prosthetic was completely destroyed. Utterly. Kai unwrapped the straps tied around her body, letting it drop to the ground. She couldn’t hide her disappointment as she stared at the failed prosthetic solemnly, switching her gaze back towards Sora.

“I’m so sorry, Sora.” Kai sighed, still sitting on the ground with Sora in her hands and Vivie by her side. The Vulpix nudged her arm lovingly as Kai gave her a faint smile. She paused slightly, scanning the area briefly. “Seems like we’ll be camping tonight, then.”

Kai turned to look at a near-by battle going on, between a Munchlax and what looks like a... a Litwick? She continued to watch, anything to take her mind off the failure of her latest wooden mess.

[Legion-114]

Aura City, All Districts (Story Post)

On all the TV screens and window shop monitors suddenly cut to a female new anchor with the urgent announcement tune playing almost deafeningly loud. A hook-line scrolled down at the bottom of her with the title:'Quantum-Tech Industries Finished Construction of Orbital Facility'

"After just four years of ongoing construction, Doctor William Knight, Head Researcher for the Quantum-Tech Company announced that the new Orbital Research Facility has finished construction and is due to be operational in the next month. It was Doctor Knight who had discovered the Quantum Crystal, a corrupt form of Aura Crystal that grows with the natural energy of the region. Doctor Knight began construction plans for Orbital Research Facility to safely research the effects of these crystals and determine their purpose and origin."

---

Aura City, Downtown

Walking into the city wearing robes that hadn't been in fashion for 1200 years caught the attention of one or two people - however most believed him to just be wearing a costume for the upcoming anniversary of the banishing of Gunzar.

Alex stopped and looked at the city around him, astonished by how much the small town he had once called home had changed. A tear fell from his eyes, he knew that everyone he had known and loved was dead - even her. But he was not alone, down by his feet, offering a smile of reassurance was his Lucario who had been caught in the same spell that Alex had been caught in.

Alex Moved through the back streets and past an alley where some ruffians where battling their Pokémon but took no notice of them and continued down towards the city centre, however far that may be.

[Roecoon]

Poppy was rather impressed, amnesia was a pretty good move, and one she wasn't expecting. However Litwick wasn't done. H was still pumped up, determined to show what he's got! Poppy Smiled and said "Great move, but see if you can handle this!" She gestured towards Litwick "Litwick, Confuse Ray!" He let out a loud "Wick!" and a ray shot out of Litwick and went straight for Lucy. Poppy crossed her fingers, "Come on that had to have worked!" The suspense made her energetic, bouncing up and down a little as the battle progressed.

[Zanavy]

Chance gritted his teeth slightly as Lucy began swaying, stunned by the Confuse Ray. It wasn't too surprising of a move, coming from a ghost type, but it could really cripple her odds of dealing damage.

"Lucy, you can shake it off!" the blonde urged. The Munchlax turned toward him with a bewildered look on her face, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. "Use Metronome," Chance added, slowly and clearly like he was talking to a young child. He waggled a finger. "Your favorite move, remember?"

A lopsided grin stretched across Lucy's face, and she belted out a drunken-sounding laugh. The Munchlax waggled her finger, staring straight at Chance. The teen quickly paled as a look of horror crossed his face.

"No! Not me!" Chance stammered. "The ghost!"

Lucy giggled and turned toward Litwick just in time for her stubby fingertip to glow with a soft, unearthly light. Metronome was a truly exhilarating move. It felt like the fabric of the universe was a giant box of chocolates, and she was pulling a random tasty morsel out of it. This time, it was... hmm, interesting.

Lucy let out a grunt of pain as some of her health was drained. Then, an illusion that looked exactly like her materialized out of thin air. At the same time, Lucy saw her own body go strangely ephemeral, as if she turned invisible. Substitute was a painful move, but it sure was cool!

Meanwhile, Chance's cheeks flushed at the realization that a harmless Substitute nearly gave him a heart attack.

[Ginger Kollie]

Kai Allum

Kai continued to watch the battle, though her thoughts were quickly distracted and her mind wondered over to her own Pokemon. Training really should be our priority right now... but... She sighed silently, gazing down at her Pokemon in thought. Vivie still hasn’t learnt that Flamethrower they’ve been working on, by a long shot. And Sora, oh Sora, being unable to fly is an extreme disadvantage in battles, especially for a Pokemon that depends so heavily on it. She’s slow on her feet, very slow, so dodging on-coming moves is a big issue. In fact, Sora has never won a battle before in the limited number of battles she’s been in. Well, lets just say, Kai is quite protective over her little Pokemon... That’s it, Protect. I’ll teach her Protect, then she doesn’t have to dodge al-

Suddenly, a loud, booming sound of an announcement rang through her ears, zapping her out of her thoughts and back to reality. She stood, Sora hopping onto her shoulder and Vivie by her feet, she walked towards a nearby shop window, edging closer and closer to the two battling trainers. Walking past them, she peered through the window and watched the women on the screen carefully. A Quantum Crystal? It wasn’t a term she was familiar with. She stood and watched until the announcement was over, if it was on all the monitors, then it had to be important. Though, what she had heard so far wasn’t particularly interesting, she didn’t have anything else to do.

[Roecoon]

Poppy grinned as she saw the munchlax start to sway. She waved as the random person left that was watching the battle. Chance and his poke'mon went back and forth a little bit. She prepared herself as Lucy turned to Litwick. Poppy took the trainer's blush as a sign she was starting to win. She heard a voice in the background that sounded like it was a broadcast, but that didn't concern her right now.

"Don't worry Litwick, I think we've got them!" Then the little guy started bouncing around frantically out of excitement "Focus! you'll wear yourself out like that."

Poppy caught a glimpse of the hurt expression on Lucy's face. Hmm I guess whatever she tried to do she hurt herself in her confusion. Thinking for a brief moment, Poppy knew just what to do. "Litwick, use Smog!" Poison gas started rolling out of Litwick's mouth, concentrating on the munchlax that they could see, then thinning out as it spread.

[Zanavy]

Chance heard the news announcement, too. But he quickly tuned it out when he realized it was just a bunch of sciencey gobbledegook he wouldn't understand. He had more important things to think about at the moment.

The Smog attack blew right in the Substitute's face. However, it didn't cough or gasp like a normal creature would after inhaling poison. Instead, a thin crack formed across the illusory Munchlax's cheek, like one you might see on a porcelain doll.

"Metronome again," Chance declared, a hint of a cocky smile returning to his face. Substitute would certainly draw this battle out longer, and long battles meant greater odds of victory for Metronome junkies.

Lucy tried to lift her finger in her semi-existent state. Instead, she found that she was frozen in place, but the Substitute began lifting its finger instead. The Substitute let out a delirious laugh as Lucy made it stagger around in a dizzy dance, the confused Munchlax finding this whole puppet-master situation very amusing. But the fun only lasted a couple seconds. Then, it was game time.

The illusory Munchlax waggled its finger until it glowed. Then, nothing appeared to happen, other than a brief heavenly glow appearing to descend upon the fake Munchlax. But Lucy felt a pleasant warm sensation as the sunlight soothed her mostly self-inflicted wounds. The Substitute glanced up at the sky and smiled. Thank you, oh universal chocolates, for a well-timed Morning Sun!

[Roecoon]

In the middle of the battle Poppy's poke'dex received a message. With clear irritation she pulled it out and opened it up. She groaned, it seems her grandfather really had nothing better to do than here from her. The message said this:

" Where are you?! You said you were going to a job site to retrieve a specimen threee hours ago and then never showed up to the center! Did you get lost again? Do I need to call someone to get you? DID THE POKE'MON GET AWAY?! That aggravating woman didn't hurt you did she? Or the gengar, OOh I would be so mad! Anyways hurry and contact me or I will send out a search party just in case. Hurry hurry hurry there is no time to lose!!"

Poppy sighed and put her dex away Reluctantly she pulled out a poke'ball and pointed it at litwick. "I'm sorry little guy. Grandpa won't wait any longer. Litwick return!" With her poke'mon safely in a ball she tossed the money from her most recent job at Chance. She didn't particularly want it anyways "Sorry I forfeit. I am just no match for you." Returning the other two poke'mon she looked at him, "Would you happen to know where the poke'mon center is?"

[Zanavy]

Lucy's Substitute blinked at Poppy in surprise for a second. Then it cheered and started shimmying in a victory dance. Chips of the illusory Munchlax tumbled off, vanishing as they touched the ground, until nothing was left. Then the real Lucy faded into reality, quickly becoming winded as her actual body was forced to do the dancing.

Chance didn't seem so happy. The teen stared at the prize money, then frowned suspiciously at Poppy. Lucy had yet to lay a finger on Litwick. Why would the girl forfeit just like that, and why would she need to go to a Pokemon Center so urgently if her Pokemon was still in perfect condition? What kind of scheme could she be plotting with whoever was messaging her? Of course, she could be in a rush for completely harmless reasons... but something smelled Qwilfishy to Chance.

"I think it's closer to the middle of the city," the blonde answered carefully as he scooped up his prize money. Chance looked around at the narrow alley for a second and realized he'd lost his sense of direction more than he'd thought. However, he also noticed a young man about his age, just sort of... watching them.

"Hey, you!" Chance called out to Blake, his blue eyes starting to shift warily between the two teenage trainers. "Know how to get to the center of the city?"

[Chev]

"Hey, you!" Chance called out to Blake, his blue eyes starting to shift warily between the two teenage trainers. "Know how to get to the center of the city?"

Blake had been watching the battle intently and he had to say he was impressed with what he had seen. So impressed that he had barely managed to catch the message that had been announced earlier But he snapped out of it when one of the small group of people had assembled had asked him where the Pokemon Center was.

"Sorry, I just got here a few days ago." He said with a smile. I heard about a tournament and here I am although it looks like I'm really early. If you don't mind I'll travel with you for a bit though, I was hoping to give my buddies here a look over at the center."

Blake turned and looked as he heard the sound of his Croconaw trying to get his attention. "What's up buddy?" He asked and a moment later he had his answer as his Beldum floated in front of the Munchlax. From what Blake could see, it looked like he was trying to get a laugh out of the Munchlax.

"Bel. Beldum. Bel."

Blake walked over and tried to grab the floating Pokemon. "Don't you remember our little talk about getting in other Pokemon's space?" He asked calmly as he tried to grab Beldum only to have it float just out of reach.

"Beldum."

Blake sighed heavily and looked at the others and forced a smile. "He's still a bit new to my little team. He also likes to have fun at both me and my Croconaw's expense. Come on, don't misbehave like this!"

Blake looked up and saw that Beldum was making a familiar sound. it was laughing at it's own antics.

"Would you please behave just once?!" Blake called up in mock desperation.

"Beldum!"

Blake shook his head. I'll take that as a "no."