Welcome to Gaia! ::

Riku would find the stairs to be quit sturdy as she ascended them, though the footing would be somewhat difficult with the state of her leg. As she reached the middle point where the stairs began to tilt downward, the sound of crumbling would reach the child's ears.

Off and to the side, the ropes of the bridge abruptly snapped, sending it down into the chasm. Besides it, the straight path began crumbling from both ends toward it's own center; the action so rapid that the middle stones did not fall till they were all that remained.

Only when the girl reached the other side would she again hear the Lunatone's voice. ">The quickest path is not always the smartest, nor is the simplest path often the best. Sometimes the long way must be taken, providing ample time for one to think and reflect upon what is to come<" The voice spoke calmly, as if teaching the child a lesson ">You have passed the Challenge of Wisdom...you may now proceed.<"

Now that she had reached the other side, Riku would see a doorway leading into a hall, and at the end of it would be another room. Another chasm; but this was a test of a different sort...

::Claudandas couldn't think, it had swallowed Jasmine somehow... it hadn't eaten her entirely, it couldn't have, it swallowed her whole!::

::And now, those looming shadows came, it was coming for him! Claudandas didn't know what to do... but instead of dodging to the sides, he'd rush forward... he'd head towards the stone itself, looking to rush past the tendrils of shadow, maybe he couldn't attack it directly... but maybe, just maybe, he'd give the Spiritomb something else to worry about, he'd make it answer him, as he went to hit the stone itself, to use his momentum and send the thing into the circling waters below!::


((EDIT: Damnation <_< ))

[18+15] - [13+8] = 12, /2 RESISTANCE = 6 DMG
CLAUDANDAS = 3 HP REMAINING

Raven openly sighed as the girl began her own escape attempt. Figures really. Had he just not thought of her as honor-less and weak? Well, this certainly didn't help to dissuade his feelings about the girl.

"Back to Plan A then" He muttered, sheathing his sword quickly and reaching for the farthest ball upon his belt. Well, she'd just insulted him, as well as attempt to ditch him...by all rights, he was no longer honor bound to protect her.

Fleeing was not always a sign of weakness. One needed to have a keen understand of their strength, and it's limitations.

"Good luck!" He shouted rather abruptly, tossing his most recently obtained Pokeball into the air. The sphere flashed as it opened, releasing the striking and powerful form of a Skarmory onto the field. One whom squawked immediately as the weight of a boy and a small Sneasel suddenly spread across his back.

"Fly. No time. Go now or we're all dead" Raven spoken speedily. He doubted the Skarmory would be entirely fond of the circumstances of it's capture; but now wasn't the time for it to be disgruntled or argue.

The birds yellow eyes quickly took in his surrounding ">We have very much to discuss after this is over!<" The metallic bird crowed before darting forward, flapping his wings as he attempted to gain some lift.

At the very least, if they didn't manage to fly, the Skarmory's gleaming metal body and sharp blades would certainly act as a deterrent for the surrounding Sneasel.

[Roll#1:Crowe's ability to get Airborne /Roll#2:Raven's Escape ]

::They were both there, as much as Claudandas had fought, he'd still been grabbed, he'd been caught and enveloped, dragged into this world of darkness now, where he felt his lungs ache, as if they couldn't breathe, yet at the same time, didn't need to::

::This world around him, he could feel it through his Dark sensitivities, seeing the souls coming for him::

::But then there was a light::

~~~~~

::There was a light, among the many thousands, one that Jasmine saw as she fought back and back with her crutch, it swam away from her, it was shining, she looked at the direction it was going and saw the small, tiny feline figure in the distance: Claudandas!::

::The girl cried out, her words seemed to echo into nothingness in here, like screaming underwater, she pushed herself toward the cat::

::And although Jasmine couldn't be heard, the cat could see her, as he too would fight the current of the souls, heading towards her as well!::

::The pair were swimming toward one another and the bright sparking soul, Jasmine threw back her crutch into the melee of souls to use both her arms, reaching out, she grabbed the Purrloin, clutching him to her chest, they were together again... but now what?::

It was a true deterent for the sneasel that stood behind them, but for the Weavile well she didn't think much of the metal bird as she would start forward using quick attack. Hoping to ground the bird before they could escape as one claw reaches out to hook him ...even as Victoria took that moment to grab her Emolga in the dust cloud. Sprinting towards the circle of sneasel as the dust billowed out she would literally run pass their circle and out into the clearing.

The dust would hide for the moment as the male would lash at where she had been only moments before. Discovering that the girl was gone as Aella lay limp in her arm ...the pokemon's ears drooping considerably. She knew they had left the boy to fend for himself ....as the girl beats a rather hasty retreat.

It would happen then as the different small mouths would start to merge to become one large on that that light would surround them both. Brighten considerably as the mouth was forced backwards by it's glow ...and in the midst of it all they would see for a flicker of a moment the Vullaby as her voice rang in their ears.

~I always repay my debt~

The light intensifies considerably as the darkness would shatter under that light, and everything was enveloped in that final light .....the girl and her pokemon would lose track of time and space then. Only to wake up as the splash of water would touches her face and the salty wind would smack her in the face. Sand and waves would be the telling tale sign ...she was now at the beach ...that meant she was now once more at the beginning of the island.

::And so it was Jasmine would awaken, her body was beaten, battered, her dignity as well as her body certainly bruised... but it seemed in the end, kindness had been repaid::

::And as she sat up... and would see Claudandas there in her lap, conscious, if only barely, she smiled to him, looking ahead to see the same Lapras as before...::

::She'd gotten very far with his help::

::She only lamented in the end, she couldn't have done further, she still had caught no other pokémon... and still, she had no way of knowing what was there asides the Spiritomb::

::But they had their lives, for now, that was more than enough reward, as she'd pluck up the cat and find her crutch::

::She had the Amber for the Professor, it was time to speak to her at least::

::She gave the lightest bow to the Lapras:: ...Would you please be so kind to return me to the mainland, to the Pokémon Center?

Thank you.

::She turned on the island... and wondered about it all, what she'd experienced here on this island... would that really be it, her first journey... only one pokémon... a strange unknown berry, and nothing else? Perhaps she'd not be leaving the richest girl from this experience, but at least she got to as she gently got onto the Lapras' back and she'd depart, Claudandas slowly clambering onto her shoulders as a perch:: ...Onward we go now...


[EXIT TO POKEMON CENTER]