Stranger - Route 116[hider]”This is how the world should be!”

A man was shouting from atop a boulder along Route 116. A small crowd of curiosity and slight confusion had formed around him. They looked on with skepticism and slight bewilderment.

“This is a tragedy!” a woman responded as she clung to her small daughter as if to protect her from the poison of his words.

“What is the ‘tragedy,’ my dear woman?” he responded with a light-heartedness that didn’t fit the atmosphere.  “Before all this technology, this is how life was. It was simpler and safer!”

“What’s safer?!” a man in a white coat shouted. “The Hospital is shut down and we have lost all real advancements we made in medicine!”

“Those ‘medicines’ keep the weak alive when nature should have claimed them to repurpose them.” 

A low murmur of disbelief started to grow as he said this.

“We must rely on the earth for our own health. We must rely on our own bodies to keep strong in order to survive, as any organism must. These technological advancements cheapen the relationship between Pokemon and humans. We can heal them almost instantaneously and without consequence. Near-death of our friends and companions shouldn’t be treated with nonchalance.”

The strange man made sense. 

“Still, medicine is all around us!” he continued, addressing the doctor more directly. “Nature has its own remedies to ailments and injuries. We look so far for treatments instead of simply looking down.”

He slid himself off the boulder and immersed himself into the small crowd. He touched the grass beneath them and dug his fingertips into the dark brown dirt underneath. “We still know so little about what nature has to offer,” he continued as he rose with a handful of grass and dirt. “There are so many wonders we’ve neglected for the sake of unnatural cures and technologies that tear us apart and cheapen the bonds we share. [/hider]

Forrest - Route 102[hider]The small campfire played with the shadows of those surrounding it and cast large silhouettes upon the nearby trees. A gentle breeze puffed through the orange air around them and rustled the Coaklea leaves which lovingly brushed themselves against each other. The warmth of the night wasn’t quite as comforting as the fire’s, and the flames created a light that the night would not produce.

Forrest’s hair lifted and pulled ever so slightly at his scalp. When it got into his left eye, he pulled it back behind his head and braided only some of its length. He knew the breeze wouldn’t be strong enough to undo the heavy weaving if he just sat still in front of the fire.

His large hands reached out to the fire as much as his elbows, which rested upon his knees, allowed. His back created a peaked mountain of muscles surrounding his shoulder blades. His sun-darkened skin looked brown in the dull orange of the fire. The shadows created by the peaks and valleys of his musculature seemed exaggerated.

Jeanne looked coyly at the large man, appreciating the long hours and hard work necessary to create such a visage. When Forrest pivoted his eyes to look at the woman, her own eyes studied the fire and twinkled from the flames and sparks shooting from it. The coils of brown from her head shone white and black in the firelight. Half of her chest was black from the shadows made from the convex nature of it. Her legs were crossed comfortably and she sat poised and straight as she kept an eye on their children.

The eldest, Jerrek, sat like his father. The 10-year-old’s small stature mocked the mass that was his father. The boy’s blue eyes pierced into the fire, ignoring his siblings and almost in a meditative state. And this, despite the fact Jerrek allowed a small Shelynn to rest upon his shoulder, showed a kind of intense focus on his surroundings.

The girl’s curly auburn hair looked ablaze at the fire. Her soft pale face was white in the light and her eyes, though closed, sparkled like her mother’s. The fair face would occasionally twitch or nuzzle at the boy’s bare forearm. Being only four, she was already tired and ready for bed. However, any attempts to bring her there would result in a soft protest that dissuaded anyone to disturb her comfort.

Elizabeth stroked Shelynn’s fiery hair, passing her fingers through the scorched springs. Elizabeth’s high spirit seemed to be calmed by that of her younger sister’s presence. She lost any desire to play with the fire or run around in the dark forest around them. She seemed to situate her hair in a manner akin to her demeanor. Though it was usually loose and wild, the dark brown strands were pulled back straight into a simple ponytail.

Rowan betrayed them all and lied on the ground rather than sat on a log like the rest of them. His mass of curly marbled-brown hair was a pillow for his head, and his hands rested between it and the ground. Like his brother and father, he wore no shirt and allowed the earth below him to caress his skin. He soaked up the magicks the earth had and his rounded chest rose and fell with his breathing.

Forrest lifted himself up, his stature no longer being disguised by hunching over while sitting close to the ground. His bare feet glided over the grass toward the pile of wood next to his wife.

“One more?” he whispered through the gravel which coated his throat.

Her eyes never strayed from the fire when she switched her legs to the left resting on the right.

“Sure,” she whispered back with the sweet honey which coated her own throat.

With one hand, Forrest grasped the largest branch, almost a foot in diameter, and slowly positioned it upon the dying fire as to prevent the creation of sparks and ashes to fly out and harm anyone around the fire.

“So, Dad,” Jerrek said in his boyish voice that he tried to force down so it’d be similar to his father’s. “What’s going on?”

The children knew something had occurred across Hoenn, but they weren’t being told anything. Jerrek didn’t want to be left in the dark, if only for the sake of protecting his family as if Forrest wasn’t their protector.

“We don’t know, hon,” he responded. The bass of his voice almost overwhelmed the softeness he tried to portray in his tone. “I guess they call themselves ‘Team Zodiac’ and they’re trying to rid the region of technologies and rehabilitate the relationships between Pokemon, humans, and the environment.”

The large man didn’t look over to his son; he just stared into the fire with focused brows that darkened the eye sockets on his face. The image of his bare skull could be seen from this lighting and angle. 

“That wasn’t my question,” Jerrek said with a slight pout. 

“You’re right,” Forrest said with a quiet chuckle that seemed to make the fire push through the air. “They’ve destroyed the Pokestations all over Hoenn. They’ve disabled the Sea Mauville Hydro Plant and cut off all power to Rustboro. The Hospital is nothing more than a field tent.”

“So injuries and sickness is harder to heal?” Jerrek asked.

“Correct.”

“What about battling?”

“That has been currently restricted by the Elite Four.”

“Oh…”[/hider]

Valoria vs. Aries - Southern Island[hider]The deep and winding labyrinth collapsed from the awful electrical explosions of Ampharos. The trees slowly seethed by Talonflame’s heat. And these two Pokemon were fending against six Pokemom each and holding their own. Aries had total control of the environment and knew her Pokemon well. But she knew her opponents as intimitately.

Talonflame was taking advantage of Caleb’s Pokemon’s typing. He only trained Fighting-types and Talonflame had the reach and speed to fly through them and soar away before getting smashed by his, admittedly, powerful Pokemon. The fire bird wasn’t doing much other than harassing them, but she had her true target in her sights. 

Ampharos took her only advantage over Psychic-types, and that was inhibiting mental capacities with slight though focused shocks to the brain. Her own mind and those of her opponents were stilled or paralyzed by her skillful application of electricity. Valoria had never experienced an electric-type take advantage of nerve activity, which was the origin and power behind psychic abilities. It was something she overlooked in her training, and it seemed as if Aries knew this.

Caleb and Valoria had heard of a tip to explore Southern Island to learn more about Team Zodiac. They hadn’t expected to find that a single member, with only two Pokemon, could fend them both off without much issue. Valoria’s Alakazam determined it was a trap when they arrived, but it was too late. Aries was on a war-path. She was impassioned to expel from this world any threat to their cause. She was certainly effective in her role.

Lucario shot at the Talonflame, trying to lure her into an area where Pangoro or Conkeldurr could chuck anything they could to bring it to the ground. The others were relatively powerless, until Machamp decided to toss entire trees at the bird. He eventually landed a hit and the rest raced toward the bird in order to overwhelm and beat her to pulp. But she erupted in flames and took to the air once more.

Alakazam was completely paralyzed, there was nothing he could do with his mind or body. Chingling kept to Valoria’s side, trying to keep the thoughts of all her Pokemon and Caleb’s connected to her directly. Though it was two against twelve, she felt completely overwhelmed. Espeon was trying to recover its state and her mates’ conditions, but she could only keep up with Amapharos’ apparent strategy to merely incapacitate them all. 

A huge explosion, larger than any from before, surrounded Caleb and his Pokemon. Valoria only noted the sudden silence of all their thoughts. “[i]It was a combination of Brave Bird and Flare Blitz,[/i]” Chingling telepathized, saying no more in order to avoid upsetting her trainer any further. 

Valoria’s eyes welled with water, but not a tear fell. “Bitch,” she whispered. Her nose twitched with a sneer. “Espeon, get her,” she growled.

Espeon’s eyes glowed and gazed into Aries’. The woman was lifted into the air a few feet and each of her limbs stretched wide. Espeon continued to pull, threatening to dislocate all of her joints at once. Aries just cackled and taunted them to kill her, knowing the girl wouldn’t be so ruthless and become a murderer herself. Beheeyem sped in front of Espeon with a Magic Coat which reflected a Thunder Wave directed toward her. It wouldn’t affect Ampharos, but Meowstic and Grumpig joined Beheeyem in protecting Espeon. Alakazam recovered himself and Disabled any kind of movement either Ampharos or Talonflame could perform.

Valoria whipped her head to her right. The grass had turned black and the trees were now piles of soot. It was an ocean’s coast of void without depth despite the shining sun. There was nothing except a grounded Talonflame seemingly unharmed yet exhausted. She cursed her inability to predict such a ruthless move, but then again, she predicted Team Zodiac would not add homicide to their list of crimes against Hoenn. 

Aries began to screech as Espeon slowly pulled on her limbs. “You’ve failed,” Valoria growled through a sob. 

She looked toward Chingling. He noticed her eyes were beets with onyx circles. Color waved and bubbled upon them against the sun. “Get us back home,” she ordered sternly. 

Chingling began to cry himself. His body bobbed in a nod and the seven of them vanished in a white light. Aries was released and dropped to the ground without grace. She twisted her ankle and wrist and her entire body was sore. She then vomited, the mental torment Espeon performed before they teleported now taking effect on her body. 

She looked up to where they had been only a moment ago and grinned viciously with vomit still trailing her chin. 

“She’s right,” a male voice spoke from beyond the trees to her right. “You’ve failed.”

Pisces emerged from the trees that remained on the island. “And for that,” he continued, “you must be punished.”

His tone was even, almost apathetic. But it held a sinister air.[/hider]

Sergeant Broadson - Route 105[hider]”You all look like Wurple!” a voice shouted at men and women crawling through the sand. “Let’s pick it up, Rangers!”

Sergeant Broadson was harsh on the new recruits. Being of the Marine Division, however, meant they these Area Rangers needed to be tough, both mentally and physically. He watched them crawl into the crashing tide as they slipped into the waters of Route 105. “Let’s fucking pick it up!” he cursed at them. There was no visible signs of hustle, which was expected. 

“Sergeant Broadson,” someone saluted behind him. “You’re requested at the base.”

The boy’s chest was held high with pride and nerves. “Take over, then, Corporal.”

He was surprised to see the Master General there. He was surrounded by other ranking officers. Sergeant Broadson deduced he was making rounds to all the bases. He knew what this meeting would be about.

The Master General was of average stature, but no shirt sleeves would ever fit those enormous arms of his. He often tore off sleeves to his shirts and never had the patience to visit a tailor. His western-style hat was also always on his head, stained and aged from the era when his own father had been a Grand General and wore the hat throughout his own lifetime. 

“Ah, thank you for making it, Sergeant,” the Master General nearly shouted with a haughty chuckle. “Now I can let everyone know the plans.”

He rose from the Grand Colonel’s seat and walked around the desk littered with papers.  “As you know, Team Zodiac is the number-one enemy of the region of Hoenn, currently. However, there have been Rangers who’ve sided with their cause. They have been seduced by the claims of this ‘Pisces’ stating that’s he’s merely enforcing what we’re ordered to protect. If there are those who sympathize with him, they will be discharged and dealt with accordingly.”

This meant much more than what he stated plainly. They would be imprisoned at the Rangers’ Headquarters until with the threat was dealt.

“I will not allow the desertion from the organization purposed with protecting Hoenn.” His face was completely stern, almost accusatory of each individual in the room. His tone was harsh and unapologetic. “The Fairfax Association is not the beginning of the downfall of Hoenn, and those who believe such have been manipulated and misinformed. See to it that traitors are rooted out and dealt with.”[/hider]

Forrest vs. Mitchell - Route 103[hider]Route 103 looked like a war zone. The turf was torn up which the fertile soil underneath the thick green grass. The few rocks and small boulders lying around had been tossed and smashed into rubble. Pokemon were fighting against each other while two men fought and wrestled each other. Explosions sounded from powerful attacks and cries were heard from far away when those attacks landed. And considering the current events, the Pokemon League would not be happy with this.

Aggron took Flygon’s point-blank Dragon Pulse with a Metal Armor he’d set up. The blue and green energy splashed away from Aggron and seared the ground in his immediate area. The energy was so intense and focused that it didn’t allow for the grass to erupt in flames. Flygon shot through his own attack and crashed into his opponent. Though Aggron was three times Flygon’s weight, he was still pushed back a few feet. Aggron disengaged by flinging the giant antlion into the air. Flygon Dragon Rushed back down and formed a small crater with Aggron in the middle. Aggron had performed a reversed Heavy Slam. It, somehow, perfectly countered the attack and he recovered, unfazed, by the impact. The earth around them flung up and away as they met for a bout of hand-to-hand wrestling. Flygon was determined to prove his inferior weight was not indicative of inferior strength. 

Along the beach and grass by the bay was a display of beauty and grace rivalling that of nature itself. Masquerain performed a swirling Bubblebeam that turned into a fascinating vortex of color which arched over and down onto Roserade. The flowers from her hands erupted in rainbowed petals, matching the speed and form of the bubbles, perfectly countering the attack. However, the bubbles erupted in vibrations that bent the air around Roserade but wouldn’t disturb the grass under her feet. But as this occurred, thorny vines shot up and twisted around Masquerain. She was trapped in a Leech Seed of thick rooted vines and which thorns dug into her skin and sapped the life from her. From the outside, the vines had created a living sculpture of their creator, Roserade. But before the art could be admired for too long, the vines were sliced into fine grass-like shavings which were then whipped up into a cone of green and shot outward.

Within the forest just north of the Route, Ninjask swirled around the trunks of the large trees and through the branches that stretched up into the blue sky with white patches of puffs. Shiftry hid in the dark of the shade created by the leaves. His yellow eyes glowed bright, but were masked in two perfectly positioned gaps in the leaves where the sun shone the brightest. Ninjask sliced through any area his opponent may have hid but also worked on lessening the areas in which Shiftry could effectively hide. But Shiftry wasn’t reliant on hiding. He was waiting for the Ninjask to get close enough for him to strike hard and fast. Shiftry noticed the area immediately around him was cleared by the Ninjask’s attacks. The bug knew exactly where the Wicked was and was merely playing dumb. Shiftry shot down from the branch on which he was perched and into the bright sunlight. Ninjask’s speed had only increased as the time passed, but with Shiftry soaking up the sun, he was more than quick enough to respond to Ninjask’s claws outstretched and glowing a threatening red to erupt in leaves in which seeds were mixed. Though Ninjask could avoid any leaf in the storm, he couldn’t avoid the blasts from the Seed Bomb.

Breloom’s endurance was being tested on the beach as Sharpedo crashed into him with all the speed and power he could muster. Each time Breloom was knocked back a few yards while flinging Sharpedo back into the bay. Breloom had enough time to return to his spot in the sunken sand before Sharpedo shot out of the water and crashed into Breloom again. Each time they connected, a sonic boom was created and the sand around them continued to fly away, as if to escape the abuse.
	
Along the border of Route 103 and Oldale town, the image of a ghost appeared around a Crawdaunt. One couldn’t tell from observation, but Banette was slashing at Crawdaunt with a Shadow Claw each time she passed the crab with lowered opacity. Eventually, scratches could be seen to form along Crawdaunt’s shell, but only for a short time until he performed Withdraw. When Crawdaunt was knocked back by an impressive Shadow Force, by this Banette’s standards, he clamped down upon Banette’s leg, threatening to rip it from her body. She cried loud with a Screech and vibrated the immediate area, making Crawdaunt’s soft insides knock against his shell in a most unpleasant manner. He had to release his opponent in order to make the Screech cease. From his large and curved claws shot out powerful streams of water, covering the Banette and drowing her in a forceful torrent of a Hydro Pump. She disappeared again and shot out of the blast. The air around Crawdaunt grew dark despite the sky being cloudless. It began to warp and shift into shapes Crawdaunt couldn’t quite discern, instilling him with fear and a sense of terror that overwhelmed his mind.

Milotic and Manectric were thrashing out attacks against each other from a distance. Deep green-yellow sparks filled jets and waves of water that exploded and dispersed at their touch. The Milotic set up several measures of protection around itself. Its body significantly larger than most, but it moved with a grace few could rival. Manectric moved swiftly back and forth around the Milotic. He dodged attacks as effortlessly as he unleashed powerful sprays of electricity. Milotic just enjoyed the array of colors they created, together.

Huge bursts of sonic waves pushed through the area as an Exploud countered an opposing Cacturne. It seemed the Cacturne couldn't get close enough, but keen eyes would notice a thick Leech Seed bound around Exploud's feet. Cacture was barely close enough to have his Drain Punch at all effective, and the Ingrain at his own feet extended several yards to maintain freedom of movement. Exploud was testing Cacturne's endurance. Cacturne was learning how to effectively counter Exploud's techniques that simply overpowered the Cactus.

A Medicham simply hovered in the air, deep in meditation and stretching her mind to each and every Pokemon and human in the area. She tracked each battle and bout with her eyes closed and her mind clear. She heard each boom and blast. She felt each struggle and slash. She could smell the scents and odors from the upturned earth and sweating beasts. She could sense the fear, exhilaration, and anticipation. Though the sights of the current happenings could overwhelm anyone who tried to concentrate on it all, she was perfectly at peace. Eventually she would erect Light Screens and Reflects before stray attacks could reach her.

A Mightyena remained quiet and oblivious to the goings-on around her. She just groomed herself, taking her physical appearance to a priority higher than that of honing her skills to prepare for a battle that might never occur. She wouldn’t allow these bullies of Team Zodiac touch her pristine coat that shone beautifully with the sun.

But her trainer, and the trainer of the other half of the Pokemon, was wrestling. Forrest and Mitchell were tearing and wailing upon each other. Each trying to prove to the other that they could take punishment as well as they could provide it. They were drenched with sweat and every shade of red and blue. They were fighting just as hard as any of their Pokemon, but with infinitely less finesse and grace.

Caleb’s murder would not go unpunished.[/hider]