Cloud frowned at Shadow blatantly ignoring his question. Now wasn't the best time for her to drop the 'what are my orders' mentality. Cloud grabbed her by the wrist as she walked past. "Who was that?" He repeated, his voice much more demanding this time around.

Shadow- We need to keep going I said. Master I'm afraid you're hurting my hand. * Still not looking at him in the face *

"You're still dodging the question," He didn't let her go, both because he wanted an answer, and because he wanted to keep her from walking off again. "We'll keep going, and i'll gladly let you go, once you tell me who that girl was."

Sage was watching the two with a melancholic expression. When that girl showed up she'd had a look in her eyes that the greenette girl was all too familiar with. It was the look of pain, of desperation, of sorrow...of guilt. It was the kind of look you saw on the faces of those drowning in grief, like she was, though she did her best to hide it.

It was the look of one who had lost something important to them.

It was the look of Sage when her Pokémon were taken.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the girl had lost something, maybe even someone. And that whatever that something was connected to Shadow. But even though she realized that, even though the rational part of her mind told her to side with Cloud....

Sage stayed quiet.

Shadow- My wrist hurts, let go. What happened between me and her has nothing to do with you Master.

Zoaroark looked at Shadow with a blank expression like always. She was confused, usually she would just tell about everything and forget about it. But something was different this time it was almost like she was trying to be like... " Her "

Shadow- * She kept looking away feom Cloud and now was trying to get Cloud away from her. She was now annoyed but confused about everything. Usually she wouldn't care about her situation but something told her something she had never noticed was a feeling of...guilt. * I want you to let go.

(I think i accidentally gave CloudXAra some ship competition XD)

"You know what? I'm your Master, right? That means that if i give you an order you do it without question. If that's the case, then i'll just phrase it this way; Shadow, tell me who-" Cloud's sentence stopped short when he suddenly remembered, he suddenly found himself in a whole different place....
____________

"My wrist hurts, let go!" A girl cried, tears sparkling on the corners of her eyes as she pulled with all her might, struggling against the man's cold and hard grip. "Lemme go you big meanie!" Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, a ten year old girl couldn't overpower a grown man, and all her struggling was pointless.

"Rose, no!" A younger Cloud cried, running after the man that dragging her away. He had to reach them, he had to save her, he had to bring her home where the bullies couldn't reach her, he had to, or else...

"Beat it, you stupid kid!" The man snapped, his fist connecting with Cloud's jaw, and sending Cloud spiralling backwards until he landed face first on the ground. It was cold, he thought loosely, and his mouth tasted like iron.....

"R-Rose....don't....leave..." The last thing he remembered was Rose's pink hair glowing in the moonlight....

...Then everything went black.
____________

"Rose..." Cloud, eyes wide, whispered, before the arm that had been holding Shadow went limp, releasing her and falling to his side. "I'm sorry." Not daring to look up from the ground and meet the curious eyes of the group, Cloud started walking again.

Shadow- Master Cloud have I dissatisfied you? You are lost in thought. Why? * She held his shoulder but pulled her hand back and went forward *

Rose.... Cloud's mind kept replaying that moment, that time three years ago, like a broken CD Player. He could still feel the dead cold of the concrete of his face, the flow and warmth of the iron flavored blood in his mouth, the glowing white light of the full moon shining in the dark sky, and the most vivid of all, the scream. Her scream. Screaming his name as she was dragged away and he was completely powerless to stop them.

Just like that pink haired girl with the Alaka-

Wait...

Pink hair....

"No...." He muttered, eyes wide, "No..." Shaking his head to try and force the memory out of his mind, Cloud took a deep breath. "That'd be stupid, after all," He mumbled, "She's gone." With that he kept walking, ignoring Shadow and the others completely.

No...she was gone.

Gone forever.

Shadow- Cloud! Cloud! Cloud are you OK! Earth to Cloud! * She nudged him and waved her hand in front of his face * Snap out of it already!

"I'm fine!" Cloud shouted in a sudden spurt of anger, "Just shut up and stop bothering me!" Without saying another word Cloud started running. He didn't look back at them, he didn't even look forward, he just ran. Away from them, away from his memories, away from everything and everyone, away from the problems. He just kept running, farther and farther.
___________

"Hi, my name's Rose! What's your name?" A girl with sakura pink hair greeted, extending her hand. Cloud, who was sitting alone on the swings, looked at the girl with surprise as she sat on the swing beside his own.

"Cloud," He mumbled, awkwardly shaking her hand.

"Cloud? That's a cool name! Just like the poofy ones in the sky!" She giggled, and Cloud blushed bright red. Did she have to talk about his name like that?
___________

He ignored the tears stinging the corners of his eyes and the slight blur in his vision.

"I'm sorry...."
___________

"So, Cloud, whadd'ya wanna be when you grow up?" Rose asked. The duo sat on those same swings they'd sat on nearly five years ago when they first met, the sky a gentle orangle color signifying the sunset. Cloud raised a brow.

"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?" Cloud questioned, and Rose giggled.

"Well, your tenth birthday's tomorrow, and you like Pokémon, so i just got curious," She explained, and Cloud nodded.

"Oh, well, i wanna go on a Journey and be a Pokémon Master of course!" He declared proudly, and Rose grinned at his response.

"Then take me with you!" Cloud blinked in confusion.

"Huh?" He muttered dumbly.

"A Pokémon Journey sounds like fun, plus, i wanna be there when you get all your badges!" Cloud grinned too, nodding.

"Right! You're definitely comin' with me!"
___________

He ignored the weird, hurting feeling in his chest.

"I'm sorry...."
___________

"CLOOOOUUUUUUUUD!" Rose screamed as she was being dragged away. Cloud was slipping in and out of consciousness by then, but he still heard her loud and clear.

"CLOUD, HELP ME!"
___________

He let the tears flow down his cheeks, ignoring the strange stares he got from the few people he passed.

"I'm SORRY!"
___________

"Let him go," Sage told Shadow, knowing what Cloud was feeling all too well, "He needs to calm down on his own."

Shadow- Ok. But will he come back?

"I don't know," Sage stared off in the direction Cloud had ran, "That depends on just how strong Cloud's feelings are...i don't know what you said or did, but it reminded him of something he didn't want to remember."
_____________

Cloud finally collapsed in the grass after however many seconds he'd been tunning, landing on his back in the grass. Still breathing heavily, the black haired boy stared up at the sky. It was as blue as always, like an endless, calm pool.

Not a cloud in sight.

Shadow- I feel like whatever it was it was my fault...

"I don't think so...." Sage muttered thoughtfully, "I haven't known Cloud long, but from what i've seen, he isn't the type to get super emotional, y'know? So if he got upset enough to run, and to have that much sadness in his eyes...it must have been something he's kept bottled up for a long time."

Shadow- I'm gonna go get him... and if he wants me to leave I'm going on.

Sage shook her head. "Don't....nobody, not you, not me, can help him at this point. He won't talk to us, and the only thing we could do is make him angrier," She tried to explain, before shrugging her backpack onto her shoulders. "If you wanna go, then let's just keep going to Violet City. Once he comes back and can't find us, he'll know where we went."

(Just got bored and looked at the pages of the first two RPs, and realized both that i used to be a horrible writer, and that i'm the only one left from the original squad. Pipi's been gone for over a year, Dragon's gone, Misshedgehog's gone, and Noji's...i'm not sure, but it's been nearly a month. But in either case, i'm the lone survivor, which is kinda sad when i think about it. But whatevs, i'll just enjoy my cupcakes. XP)

Shadow- Fine lets get moving already

"Right," Sage agreed, and began walking again. In the back of her mind, she was worried too. Cloud was strange, at least when it came to his feelings. When he came back, if he came back, would he be the same person?

Shadow- She thought, "Whats with the awkward silence its like we cant function without him

Trying to do something about the almost suffocatingly uncomfortable silence between them, Sage tried to change the subject. "You know Shadow, even if Cloud and Ara are gonna star in my novel, that doesn't mean you can't be a supporting character," She began, "Ever been interested in anyone?"

Shadow- Never have, never will.

"You sure?" Sage questioned, her tone almost teasing, "Haven't you ever gotten those butterflies in your stomach, that glint in your eye, that beat skipped in your heart?"

Shadow- Sage we should just get to the gym. * Her face got warmer *

"I can see it! You have felt the warmth of true love in your heart before!" Sage said trimphantly, her glasses shining a bit. "So, who was the lucky guy, hm?"

Shadow- Sage! Gym! That's all that's important!

"Aww, look at your face! You're getting all flustered~" She gushed in a song like tone, "Now i know something's up!"

Shadow- Nothing is up! Just shut up!

"Shadow's got a crush, Shadow's got a crush~" Sage sang, repeating the verse a few times before giggling, "C'mon, i won't tell, i promise! I just wanna know!"

Shadow- I do not! So I have nothing to tell.

Name- Ai Hokisareta

Age- 16

Gender- Female

Appearance- Pic

Personality- Loving, lonely, selfless, cowardly, doubting, loves everything except herself, doesn't believe in the word "ugly"

Backstory- to be shown

Likes- Animals, Nature, Pokémon, Singing, hanging out with friends, her big brother, love

Dislikes- loneliness, sadness, death, pain, strangers or people besides close friends

Starter Pokémon- snivy

Pokémon Team- Serperior, Riolu, Garchomp, Skitty, Meowstic, liligant, tokepi, evee, budew

Dream/Goal- To meet the love of her life, share love to others

(R.I.P I think.)

(I'm feeling pretty darn nostalgic today, so hi all zero people who are gonna read this, been a while. After all the health issues, technological issues, and simply lacking the motivation to write or interact or do anything, really, I am full time back on Fanpop, so that's cool. And besides that, yeah, I'm feeling pretty nostalgic, and even though I'm sure nobody from the old PAK crew or even new members of this RP is even here anymore(Haven't heard from Noji in two months, Dragon I have no clue the last time, and Pipi was here two days ago but she probably left again since nobody answered), I just wanna say thank you to all of those mentioned for helping me so much, I kinda sucked at having real life friends, especially since during the period I was here the most I was either home sick or bullied. I made memories and formed friendships and learned so much about writing and I can't express how grateful I am for all the experiences I had with you all. But as much as any words I could provide would ultimately prove to be in vain, as no words can express my gratitude in a way that does it justice, I still just want to say thank you, even if nobody ever sees it.)

(Well then, allow me to give a reply no one's ever gonna see, then. Taika, you and everyone else were extremely important to me. I'm glad that we could give you such wonderful experiences, even during those hard times. Honestly, I'm super flattered to be considered as a close friend by someone who was so awesome! And that's no exaggeration. You and everyone else I RP'ed with were the coolest people to me, and you were my best friends during those days.You were amazing writers, bringing the characters you would make to life, and bringing out the best in me. I miss RPing with everyone, and I also miss just talking to all of you. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is... It was truly my pleasure!
~The artist formerly known as DragonAura15)

(Gonna say fuck it, I'm back, bored, and this is what I'm gonna do lmao)

(Also, broooo that legit made me tear up, that's wild)

"I've spent long enough thinking about that." Cloud mumbled, deeply breathing in before standing up, dusting off his jacket and pants before closing his eyes. "She's gone. I lost her a long time ago, thinking anything else'd be stupid. That chick with Alakazan..." He frowned slightly, "She's another enemy, that's all there is to it." With that the boy began strolling back from where he'd come, hands stuffed imn his pockets and mind once more calm and collected.
-----
Sage giggled at Shadow's aggressive response, taking out a notepad decorated with Bulbasaur stickers and making a small not to have a talk with the girl later, "if you saaay soooo~" She sang, placing the book back in her pocket. Right after, she went quiet, the prior events seeming to overtakr her memory like a sudden storm. She stiffened, flashes of Alakazam blowing up the house and her Pokeballs being taken playing as though her imagination ewas some twisted high speed slideshow. "Bul..." She whimpered, unable to get outt the words before the sensation of fihhting off tears claimed her throat.

She was weak, and it had cost her everything.
-----

"Matthew Waters, former finalist of the Kanto Region's Pokemon League, one of the handpicked trainers assigned to the Legendary capture mission by Professor Oak, completed the Kanto Pokedex, childhood friend of former champion Red. Disbander of Team Rocket...That's quite the resume you've built in just over a year, no?" Matt frowned, reaching for Blastoise's pokeball on his waist.

"Who's asking?" He questioned icily, "Another Rocket Admin? I handled one of you just fine last time, I ain't afraid to do it again." The man in question chuckled, putting his hands in the air.

"No, I'm afraid not, but I'm glad you're on your toes. Anything less and I'd be disappointed the International Police sent for you." Matt's eyes widened, and the man chuckled again. "Yeah, I figured you'd listen up after I revealed who sent me." Matt relaxed slightly, but his hand remained on his waist as the man lowered his arms.

"And what do such important people want with me?" He retorted, eyes momentariy flashing rainbow colors, which did not go unnoticed. "An arrest?" The man reached into his pocket without a word and a few moments later, he threw a black card towards Matt, who easily was able to catch it.

"Not quite, Matthew. A mysterious group has been making noise all throughout Johto, spouting prophecies and burning down small towns while keeping their true faces under hoods. And we believe their leader may be connected in some way to..." The man paused, letting Matt flip over and read the card, "Giovnanni." The boy stiffened up again, and the rainbow colors flashed in his eyes once again.

"If that guy has anything to do with what's been goin' down over here, then that's all I need to know. Count me in." He leveled a calm but deadly stare at the man, who smirked, offering a handshake.

"Had a feeling you'd say that, Mathew. The name's Looker, by the way." Matt accepted it, finally relaxing his guard a little bit more.

"Pleasure to meet you, Looker," He frowned a little bit, before adding, "But the name's Matt. I hate Matthew."

(So, it seems like the gods have smiled upon me on this cloudy day, and I check Fanpop only ONE day after Taika pops in. Seriously, what are the odds?

Anyways, this forum got lost in the activity feed at some point, and seeing these replies now is like a kick in the stomach, because the nostalgia is strong and you guys are, like, sweeter than cupcakes. I really do wish I wasn't so busy and distracted these past few years, and didn't end up ghosting this RP and eventually losing touch with you and Pippy. I still talk with Epi, but you guys were super important to me back then as well - you were wonderful company, creative and witty and hilarious to talk to when I was having trouble being social myself.

But this is getting long, and I don't wanna film a soap opera or anything, so I'll just get to the point: I miss you guys. And now that school isn't constantly looming over my shoulder, monitoring my every move, I'd like to try talking to you more frequently again. This mostly goes to Taika and Pipi, if you guys ever see it, because Epi and I still talk, but yeah. XP If you'd like to give this RP another shot too, that's perfectly fine with me, because it was fun as hell, but for now that's all I'll say.

Also, I haven't written anything more than a few paragraphs in English for at least a year, so if my words aren't very cohesive, I apologise XP)

(I literally wasn't on here for like a year, yeah, so purely the work of the gods lol But yeah, same in the sense that life has had my hands tied, be it school or work or other people, I'm always busy with something, it's kinda crazy. I'd love to communicate more than once a year, that'd be nice XD You were one of the first friends I had, plus nobody else understands my cupcake obsession, so yeah. We gotta t a l k mah dude.

Also, I just replied for the hell of it to be honest, but I'm down for trying the RP again if you are, I've got more than three minutes a day to be on the internet now

Alsoalso, if that's your english out of practice, you're already better than most people I know who use it every day XD)

(Oh yes, talking more than once a year, I certainly would approve of that development XD It might actually be possible this time, as it's summer vacation for me and uni doesn't start till, like, mid-October. So if you also have time to spare, I think we could work this out XP

I'd be more than happy to continue the RP now that I actually have time, honestly! There's tons of potential with this story, and the character interactions are too fun to ignore. Also, I saw Matt about to make a comeback? That should be interesting to see XP

Thankfully, I've been reading stuff in English and talking to people, so I don't sound like I copy paste stuff straight from Google translate XD In other words, I'm glad it doesn't sound like gibberish!)

(Say no mooore, we talkin' now XD)

Agreed! And yeah, Matt's gonna be doing important stuff now, so he'll be occasionally popping in during important stuff lol

And you succeeded, your english is solid m8, congrats)

(Yes, agreed. There's no turning back XD

That's absolutely fine by me! Let the boy come in, I can tell he's gonna be needed. XP Also, I think I'll go ahead and join you real quick, and hopefully I'll manage to cover everything I missed in my reply.

I'll go ahead and toss out a few paragraphs then. Hopefully, I won't mess up the language too badly XP)

Ara wasn't sure what to make of anything anymore.

It wasn't hard to figure out what exactly it was that had sent the girl into that panicked state, gripping at Cloud's necklace and yelling. Shadow's tossing two Pokeballs at her had only comfirmed Ara's suspicions, though it didn't prompt her to speak up; to side with Cloud, to help the girl, to confront Shadow. Instead, the girl sank even deeper into silence - as if she hoped that by being queit as she could she could fade into the background, become a mere spectator that was not in any way associated with this group. To her very core, Ara realized that she wanted /out/.

First it was Sage, now this.

She wanted out, out, out. Away from these girls.

But she couldn't leave yet, because - there were these damned mysterious necklaces around their necks, and they had to find out what they were, how to get rid of them. Preferably without being blown up by evil guys in suits.

As she watched the girl leave, the group's conversation became nothing but background noise. Too many thoughts seemed to plauge her at once - would they make it out of this alive? Could she defend herself? Could she use the stolen Pokémon to do so? Did she even have the right to use them? And what about her brother?

What startled her out of her thoughts was Cloud. But - he was louder, and angrier, than usual. She turned to look at the boy, wide-eyed and startled, as he shouted and muttered a name that she didn't quite grasp. Suddenly, she wished she hadn't tuned out of the conversation. While she still didn't enjoy standing anywhere near Cloud, she felt this need to - console him? Pat his shoulder? She knew that the boy would appreciate neither gesture, so she simply stood and watched as he ran, as he left.

She furrowed her brows. Her gaze shifted to the others girls. What was /that/ about?

Sage suggested to leave him alone, and silently, Ara agreed. She couldn't help but glance back as the three continued on their way, herself lingering a few steps behind. She quickly found that the conversation the other two soon engaged in did not interest her, and she soon found herself zoning out again. Her thoughts seemed to travel back to the girl with the stolen pokémon, to girl with pink hair, to her brother - even to Cloud.

God, today was messed up.

"Do you..." she started, finally speaking up after a while, "do you know where we'll be staying while waiting for Cloud?"

(Nope, not a single way out XD

Hellz yeah he will be, maybe some other people too, ya never know :) I also added a Little bit more to my return post AND the plot thing before the character sheet, if you wanna peep the extra details

That was good, you literally write like it's your first and only language XP Must be nice to be talented

I'm gonna co-parent Shadow, assuming Horofox ain't coming back)

Sage blinked, turning her head slightly to see Ara, whom she'd almost forgotten about, in all honesty. The girl had gone mute, nearly erasing her presence until just now reappearing, as if some kind of ghost type fading away and back rather than a human being. "Oh, uuuum," She quickly shot a look to Shadow, who looked equally as clueless, "Well I guess we should keep moving forward, no? I mean, if we keep walking the way he ran, we're bound to find him eventually." Shadow nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Master Cloud is bound to be ahead of us." She chimed in almost robotically, turning to Ara. "Does that sound fine, Master Ara?" She smirked, before adding, "We shall encounter your husband soon enough." Sage giggled, fighting the urge to pull out her story notebook and add to her AraXCloud fantasy story. She could write when the group was settled down a little more.

(I would also love to give this RP another shot! I'd like to further develop the character I put into this, and I really want to interact with you guys again, Taika especially, since I haven't seen you in so long.)

(I'll just kinda jump back in with a short post)
Wylie wasn't quite sure what was going on, but decided to back off. He was suddenly overcome with the feeling that he was intruding on something he didn't understand. Instead, he turned his attention to the necklace around his neck, silently debating what it could mean, and its sudden appearance. (Not sure where he'd be XD)

(Ayeeee, you're here too, nice. Been a while, bud. You're welcomed back into the wacky world of Taikamodo XD)

(Thank you, buddy! Good to see you again.)

(Good to see you too! How has everything been?)

(Pretty good! Thankfully, I've improved on my writing and art a lot in the past few years. And you?)

(Now that Epi is here too, all I need is make a sacrifice to the gods and hopefully make Pipi appear. XP As for where Wylie is, let's say he was near but not with them?

Also, I saw the added details, and I think they're neat! We get to have Looker join the club and honestly, I'm down for that XP Also, Matthew out there making us proud 💖)

Ara gave a little nod at Sage's suggestion, accompanied by a small "Right." Unless Cloud decided he was better off without them and continued on - she wouldn't put it past him, as the boy was more than vocal about his not wanting to even breathe the same air as the three. Not to mention how upset he seemed to be at Shadow; it'd make sense for him to ditch them. But then again, he /did/ almost choke trying to ask her to travel with him, so maybe...

Her trail of thought was abruptly interrupted by Shadow's comment, and the giggle that came from Sage. As a response, Ara tilted her head and sighed.

"Are we still not done with that?" she protested. She sounded more tired than annoyed, which genuinely surprised her. "Cloud and I are /not/ married, we don't even like each other. In fact, Cloud would probably sell my soul to Giratina for, like, a single corn chip, given the opportunity."

She was almost certain this wasn't going to stop either of them, though, but she didn't have enough time to dwell on that thought - for her gaze rested on a familiar face, and Ara gasped.

"Wylie!"

The girl rushed over to him, relieved to have finally found someone that neither irritated nor reminded her of things to be guilty of. Ara smiled at him, then remembered the commotion from before, and quickly began examining the boy for cuts or bruises.

"Are you okay? Did those guys hurt you? We only saw two of them, I don't know if there were more, but... Did you see the building they destroyed?" she was bombarding him with questions, now, concern evident in her eyes. He seemed to be relatively okay, and still had the earth necklace on him - though she wasn't too sure if that was something to be relieved about.

(Sounds like you had that character development in my absence 😂 I'm doing okay myself, honestly have no idea if I'm better at writing though)

(Duuuuude Pipi coming back would be wild. She never joined this RP though, so someone would have to PM her we're here. Also, she owns Matt's crush, my boy needs his character development 😂)

(Thanks 😎 Looker should be fun to write, plus, yes, Matty boy is growing up)

"For Aceus' sake, what is that buzzing?" The raven haired boy hissed, stopping in the middle of the dirt path with a scowl, irritation written all across his face. He'd been walking for a while now, and for the paste few minutes a low humming noise had been following him from somewhere he couldn't pinpoint. His eyes darted around, trying to find the source of the low hum that filled the air around him. He could only seem to catch glimpses of it, darting into and out of bushes and trees with nearly impossible speed to follow. "Well, whatever you are, I get the feeling you aren't here for tea and chit chat, unfortunately. But that's fine, I've got plenty of anger to get out of system." Smirking almost evily, Cloud tosssed out Sneasel's pokeball, the weasel pokemon emerging arms crossed and cocky as always. The humming got louder, transforming into a full on buzz that seemed to shake the trees and bushes around him.

"Oh, I'm doing quite well, thanks for asking." He said dryly, as if replying to the noise. "On guard, Sneasel. I believe we're dealihg with a Beedri-" His warning was cut short by the buzzing seeming to get even louder, near ear splitting, and in the blink of an eye, Sneasel was sent flying into a tree, crashing and sliding to the ground with a pained cry. "Wh....what?" Cloud gasped, eyes wide in pure disbelief. I didn't even see a movement...this is insane! What kind of Beedrill is that!? He turned his attention to Sneasel, who was slowly climbing to his feet. "Sneasel, can you still fight?" The ice type finally stood up, breathing heavily for a moment before looking to Cloud and nodding.

"Snea!" Sneasel replied, uncharacteristic passion in his voice. Cloud nodded back, turnning his atteention to the surrounding foliage. "That Beedrill is too fast for me to even see....It hits pretty hard, too. Interesting." He smirked again, despite the fear evident in his eyes. Or maybe it was excitement? He honestly couldn't tell. "Seems like I've found my first catch." Straightening his jacket, Cloud stared straight into the trees, the intense buzzing growing even louder. "Prepare yourself, Beedrill. Because you're about to be mine!"

(Gosh that's trueeee, we need Matty boy's crush to torment him XD Don't worry, I'll totally inform Pipi of this rp if the stars align and I see her again.

He's gonna do wonderful, but also this reminds me that I might have to go back and reread out previous rps to refresh my memory. At the same time, though, I can't bear to look at my old writing XP

Also, Cloud running around on his own is practically illegal, so....)

The boy only allowed his shoulders to relax when he felt grass underneath his feet and tree bark against his back.

Elio let out a long sigh. His hands still trembled, heart still raced. He hadn't allowed himself to pay attention to either when he was still in the laboratory, picking and choosing files and tossing Pokeballs into that brown bag. The files had been shoved into a bag of his own, which was now set into his lap. As for the bag full of Pokeballs...

He pressed his lips together. It had been one of the riskiest plans he had ever come up with, and he was certain he was going to be beating himself up over this for weeks - months - to come. But the 18-year-old boy clenched his fists, and forced himself to shove those thoughts at the very back of his skull - for now, at least. What's done is done, and he should be focusing on his next move rather than scolding himself.

Elio got to his feet. Pink eyes were raised and he gave a little smile up at the Abra sat on his head - she was squinting at their surroundings, as if to provide more help than she already had. "Thanks, Allie," he told her. The Pokémon squeaked with what Elio figured was embarrassment, and the boy chuckled. "You should rest for now. I can assure you I'll be needing your help again - soon."

The Pokémon squeaked again, as if agreeing, and Elio rolled his eyes, muttering something about how sassy she had become. Pulling the bag over his shoulder, Elio began walking ahead, down the route he had made sure to memorise before coming here.

He hadn't walked more than a few steps when he heard the buzzing.

Instinctively, the boy dove behind a tree, Allie teleporting right next to him. Elio had to brace himself before he tried to peek at the direction the sound was coming from; he couldn't detect the source of it, not quite. What he did see, however, was a kid - he kinda looked his sister's age, didn't he? - and a slightly beaten-up Sneasel by his side. Despite himself, Elio raised his brows.

He wasn't planning to interfere with this kid's battle, wasn't planning to make himself known at all. But much to Allie's evident exasperation, the battle had caught his interest, and he wasn't moving an inch.

(Them stars better get to aligning then 😂 Can't play these games, I already took Shadow for the plot, I can strike again

(Dude, reading our previous RPs makes me borderline suicidal 💀 My writing, be it grammar or spacing after commas or capitalization or being a corny cornball of corniness, I was soooo bad

Oooo I forgot Ara's brother. Wonder how he's gonna react to Cloud bullying his sister 😂)

The buzzing roared in Cloud's ears again, and he looked around frantically, still unable to figure out the direction it came from. Sneasel was faring no better, mirroring Cloud's movements to no avail. And then another movement.

A blink of the eye, and Sneasel was blown back again. "Sneeeea!" The weasel cried, digging his feet into the ground. No matter how much it hurt, he wouldn't fall again. Cloud grit his teeth in frustration, hands trembling. He couldn't see where that stupid Beedrill was coming from, it was driving him up the wall. He needed to slow that bug down, but how? It was too fast to even see moving, let alone hit to slow down. He neede some sort of area of affect to to slow it down...wait...the area.

That was it.

"Sneasel, use Ice Shard to form pillars of ice around yourself!" Sneasel raised a confused brow, before suddenly smirking, realization setting in. Without any more hesitation, the ice typed weasel began forming icicles in the air above him, that scattered and dug into the ground all over. Suddenly a light mist coated the area, the temperature dropping rapidly. Cloud took a deep breath, remembering his years of weather resistance training with Pryce. He was going to cool the air arouund him. Bug types, especially Beedrill, became weaker and slower in the cold. If he couldn't fight the Beedrill in its element, he'd just bring the Beedrill to his own.

The buzzing began to lessen, as Cloud predicted, but the boy remained alert. There was a rustle of leaves.

There.

"Ice Shard! Hold it!" He ordered, and Sneasel materialized the spike of ice, holding it in it's paw like a dagger. Then it happened. Beedrill shot out, but this time, Cloud could see it.

And that's all he needed.

"Now!" Sneasel threw the Ice Shard expertly,, and it dead in the center of Beedrill's head, sending the bug type hurdling backwards into the ground. Cloud smirked, and Sneasel mimicked his reaction.

It was anyone's game now.