All original characters, though their appearance may be a bit hazy- I gotta work on that xP
***
Night time in Nozaar City, an amusing town in West Anipacam. In this town, like in the rest of the world, there's no living trace left of Pokemon. Nobody knows why or how they suddenly disappeared, one day they were here, the next day *poof*, they were gone. Some say it's because of human greed, some say they went back to their world, but in the end, the only sure thing is that Pokemon exist no more.
Truth is, not every Pokemon has disappeared. Time by time, a Pokemon would appear somewhere in the world, usually on berserk and prone to attack anything in their sight. They would appear, destroy, and suddenly disappear again. Nothing worked to stop them, from Pokeballs to Master Balls to Stylers. Even firearms were used, but nothing would hit them because, in fact, they aren't made of flesh and blood.
And so, the Pokemon Ranger Confederation simply kept on watching them destroying everything, powerless, while at least trying to reduce the casualties while analysing incidents and witnesses looking for any possible hint or key.
For some reasons some cities were 'attacked' more often than others, which led the PRC to believe there was a connection between these cities and the vanished Pokemon. But other than hunches and theories, nothing could be made out of that for a counterattack of any kind.
The rampage of the vanishing beasts seemed endless, the destruction inevitable...
Until one day they appeared. Nobody knows who they are or why they do that, or if they are friends or foes. We don't even know if they are indeed connected. Individual squads appeared in the 'dangerous' cities, dressed up in fancy suits, some in groups of up to five people- in the most dangerous sites- some facing the danger alone. Their names didn't have any connection with each other, every group acted as an individual being. The only things that linked them were the suits that looked like from one of those Power Ranger shows and the fact they started appearing at the same time, preventing the believed-to-be-spirits Pokemon to cause any damage.
Nobody knows how they stop these Pokemon or how to contact them, but there's no need to do that anyway, as they appear without fault exactly when the spirit comes.
Right now, Nozaar - in the mild/dangerous zone- didn't suffer from any attack. The night was peaceful, cotton candy-like clouds travelled fast in the full moon sky, sometimes covering the night satellite and giving it a beautiful eerie surrounding aura.
Down on the ground, a lot of couples decided it was the perfect time to go lovey-dovey in the local park or more generally to go on a date.
Due to the rather late hour, a young couple was getting back from their dinner date; the woman, in her late thirties, was a living monument to make-up artists. Long brown silky hair, left loose in the breezy night, a tall, slender form, she was a model and, like all the other VIPs of her kind, she liked to hang around the elite area of Nozaar, which was the centre of the entertainment industry in Anipacam. She was wearing a long emerald green dress, matching her eyes- well, actually, matching her contact lens- and over it she had a matching light jacket. Despite wearing heels, she was walking rather fast, dangling her arms enjoying the walk home.
"This was so much fun!" she exclaimed, turning to her companion. "Let's do it again soon."
He smiled. "Sure, sweetie. Just call me when you're free." His smile was broad, full 32 white teeth-wide, perfect. Like his face. His traits a little too gentle, maybe, but many girls like it that way. Short sandy brown hair, in a style you'd imagine possible only in a manga, and green eyes were, along with his about 1,90 cm of height and slim build, the other features that made him a bishounen.
If we were talking about a manga, obviously. This is reality, through, so he could've only been elected Mr. Handsome by the female population aware of his existence.
She was left a little in awe, even though she was getting used to his smile, and nodded not finding anything else to say.
The street they were walking was empty. That was the "commoner" residential area, as she called it, and it was a shortcut to her mansion. Street lamps lit the way, reflecting their light on the few cars parked there. Some of them weren't working well, and often flashed, giving off an eerie feeling that really didn't help. But she simply couldn't care, she was with her beautiful- erm, handsome companion, while he simply didn't care. He just wanted to get over with it.
They passed a faded red building and turned right, heading for the outskirts of the city where she resided. Suddenly, it hit her that something wasn't right. It wasn't for the missing lights- she knew already the way to her building passed near some rundown facilities- or some sheer darkness. In fact, it was just too bright.
She looked up, and couldn't spot the moon. It has to be behind the clouds, she began thinking, but the truth was that that thick layer of clouds wasn't there before. She tried to brush those thoughts off, scared stiff but not wanting to show it to her escort, clinging for dear life onto his arm.
"Is something the matter?" he asked in a sweet, soothing voice.
"No, it's just... Let's walk faster, shall we?"
He didn't argue nor ask why. He simply took her hand and sped up a little, as she wished. He just wanted that night to end, not because he didn't have fun or something, but only because it had been a long day and he just wanted to lie down. Possibly alone.
She felt a sudden chill up her spine, but creepy as it was she would welcome some human presence. She glanced back to check on the presence, but behind her there was a void. Which she found strange, as the lights of the alley they just passed were lit. But beside her she could see only darkness. Things were becoming just too creepy for her.
Suddenly, she began to see something. Two shiny car lights-like bulbs of light appeared far away in the darkness.
But car lights weren't supposed to be red, were they? And they weren't supposed to be floating in midair- she was sure that it was just a perspective trick but still, those things weren't meant to levitate. She was struck in horror.
He finally noticed her expression, wondering what was going on in her mind. As she wasn't showing signs on turning her head back, he turned his head behind and saw.
A strange figure was appearing from the shadows, a pearly white aura surrounding its shape as it slowly walked out of the darkness. It was slightly shorter than the two of them, and they weren't exactly short, one being a model and the other being able to link arm with her as a proper gentleman, a strange sharp shadow sticking out in the dark, near the crimson eyes.
They didn't know what it was yet, but they knew right away it was dangerous.
"Anya, run! Now!" he exclaimed, while shifting protectively between her and the 'thing'. The 'thing' stepped into the light range of a street lamp, only enough to show its monstrous foot mounted by a white coat of fur.
She didn't made him say it again, as she left him there running away panicked to her house, screaming for help.
"I may be offended," the thing said as the woman was out of sight. "You consider me dangerous. It makes me sad."
The guy relaxed. "Alas, you're saying you're not? Then what about last time?"
"That's a special case. You basically asked for a beating when you stole my food."
"Well, that's all because you keep on grooming yourself with my things. It really pisses me off."
"Ha! As if you really care about that." The 'thing' finally stepped fully in the circle of light, its fur a dazzling white while reflecting the light. The demon-like foot it had shown before was actually one of its four nailed paws- and dear Lord, it had some pretty sharp nails- while the sharp shape on the head could be called a scythe-shaped case of bed fur but it was more of a facial feature than anything else, as it was black like the skin, unlike the pure white fur. "Anyway, enough of this, we've got a job."
He sighed. "You never bring me good news, Cass."
The female news-deliver animal gave a muffled laugh. "Can't be helped, you know. That's what I am, I foresee catastrophes, not lottery numbers," she remarked. "I can give it a shot, if you want, but they tell me I'm not exactly a lucky one."
He managed to smile at the joke his partner made, despite not being in the mood for extra work.
"Or maybe you wanted to get back to your lovely company?" she teased stressing the last words. "If so, I'm sorry but I can't let you go. You're stuck with me."
"Dear Lord, no!" he quickly replied. "She's a nice woman and all, but she's so vain! She kept showing me off all the evening to everybody we met, she acted as if she was the one who taught me all I know. I'd rather get a proper job than meet her again." He pounded his chest as sign of his resolution. "By the way, you still haven't told me where, when and how."
She closed the crimson eyes for a fraction of second- a movement so quick you'd miss it if not looking closely- and when she opened them again, she spoke in a different tone, low and distant. "Mazar's park, in another 30 minutes, but I can't make it clearer. You'll have to do without my help this time."
He smirked. "As if I need that."
"Don't get too full of yourself, last time I had to save your a** because you didn't analyse your opponent's strengths and weaknesses."
"Last time I was an idiot."
"Oh," she made a surprised face, "you mean now you aren't?"
"As much as I'd love to stay here and chit-chat, I think we have to go."
"You're no fun!" she groaned. "C'mon, follow me now."
She leapt back in the shadows without waiting for him, while he raised his knuckle and brushed the ring on his middle finger- a gold, elaborated ring with bolt-looking decoration all over- on his lips, whispering softly. "I need your help, Raiki."
The ring shone and the young man was enveloped in a curtain of light. As soon as the light wore off, he took off trailing behind his companion.
***
"Today's not my day..." a young girl exclaimed, sitting unseemly on a bench in the park. She was down because she hadn't been able to save up some money that day either, no job or anything helpful.
She was wearing a pair of olive loose pants, full of pockets, just as she liked them, and a simple cloth long-sleeved shirt, covered by a green canvas jacket- her friend's gift, she loved it. Hanging from her neck there was a camera, a simple yet professional looking one, memento of her father and her main source of income. She worked part-time for a pro, hourly wage as she needed money, and occasionally, if she got any interesting photos, he would give her a bonus. He was a nice guy, that Olivares. He even asked her if she wanted him to adopt her, after her parents passed away. But she knew that his offer was more out of respect for her father than anything, and she didn't feel like imposing on him just to feel better.
Nevertheless, he had found a way to keep an eye on her while not giving up his freedom- and he even gained an helpful assistant in the making. Giving her a job was the perfect choice for him.
She waved her long dark hair trying to find a way to make some money. Seriously, she couldn't believe there wasn't anything worth a shot when, just the week before, she had caught three different local VIPs in sconvenient attitudes with their new escorts. Well, those were the kind of pictures she hated the most taking, but at the same time they were the most commercial. The corruption and degrade of a former Pokemon facility wasn't exactly easy to place in a gossip filled world.
A icy juice can was placed on her cheek, startling her to death. She yelped and leapt up as she felt the coolness, poised to kick everything in her range, only to see her friend, Josh, laughing like crazy. "That wasn't funny, jerk!" she shouted. "You scared me!"
"Oh, chill out Maya. You're oversensitive. Besides, you were so selfcentered that was my only way to wake you up. And, speaking of which, what were you thinking just now?"
She threw herself back on the bench the way she was before. "The same. Always the same."
"You shouldn't bother with money this much," he comforted her, sitting next to her and fiddled her hair with his fingers. "You're gonna get bald- and that would be a pity."
"Well, I'm sorry for being greedy," she remarked acidly. "But you know it's not for myself I do this."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he stretched, "so what now? Heading home?"
"I don't feel like it," she shrugged, "but I don't think I can get anything out of this evening, so I guess it's for the best..."
"Hey, wanna go to movies? It's my treat," he proposed, trying to lighten her up.
"Sorry, I wouldn't be much company."
"Aw, don't be like that!" the blond boy complained. "C'mon, it's gonna be fun!"
She smiled at his effort. He really was something, when it came to cheering her up. He would try everything, and she would accept more out of exhaustion than real desire. But she never regretted it. She stood up, waving her brown neck-long hair, and decided to cut it short. "I guess you'll have it your way this time. Like every time, after all."
He laughed. "I'm pushy, am I not?"
"Truly," she agreed and joined him. "So, shall we go? Where did you want to go?"
"I heard the theatre on the other side of the park is showing 'Nii-san Gorokushi', the movie adaptation of the short story by the same name by Horace Tristan. You like that author, don't you?"
It was her favourite, and he knew it. "You know I do, but I was thinking you'd propose something more, how do I say it? ," she mumbled, "more wish-washy, if you get what I mean."
"Well, I'm sure it's got something else scheduled as well, shall we go take a look?"
"Deal!" she agreed, giving him a high-five.
So they took off, crossing the park and joking loudly, attracting glances and here-come-the-weirdoes looks from the other couples. They didn't know those two fourteen years old weren't like the other couples around. Suddenly, as they were mimicking a scene from school- their French teacher, Mrs. Seri, innocently and unknowingly hitting on the new Gym Assistant- a ruckus happened: people were running away from the centre of the park, near the fountain, screaming for help and tripping down. It was a shameful show, seeing people panicking and trying to save their life off another person's.
"What's going on?" Josh asked beginning to worry. "What's happening?"
Out of habit, the girl took the camera hanging from her neck in her hands, and was about to take off to see, when she found out she was restrained by something tugging her jacket.
"Are you crazy? It might be dangerous!"
"Relax, they're probably overeating like you."
"You're too reckless- let's go back."
"No!" she said struggling free of his hold. "I'll be fine. See you later!" she then took off to the cause of the uproar.
"MAYA!" Josh shouted after her. He wanted to run after her, but the panicked current just grew bigger without letting him go further."Tch. I hope she'll be alright..."
***
"Are we there yet, Cass?" the young man asked, leaping behind his animal lead.
"That's the tenth time you ask- this is your city, you should know yourself! And just so you know, it's not my fault we're going so slowly," the female Absol remarked. "You're almost going at walking pace, despite your using the speed form."
"I want to save energy, is that a crime?" he replied. "If it annoys you that much, you can always give me a ride."
She glanced back and gave him a dirty look that would've made any person shiver and cower in fear. But he wasn't any person, and he got used to the look-that-kills she would throw. It was his personal goal to be able to make her do it as many times as he could. "Fine, let's speed up, but I don't want to hear you complain again about my methods- they're usually right."
She would've shrugged, if she wasn't running and wasn't a four-legged animal. "Whatever you say..."
***
Maya was in a bind. The flow was so thick going counter stream was impossible for her. But she had to, she had a reason and a strong will to do it, so she had to find a work around.
She left the path, which was the only way to get away from the crowd, and crept closer to the fountain, while still being hidden behind a bush.
The scene that she saw was something she wouldn't imagine.
There it was, barking an hollow laugh at the sight of what it had caused, crossing the scythes it had in place of arms and hands. Quite unhandy when handling things, she thought. Yet, things being as they were, it did not need to. It was tall, standing on its feet on the top of the fountain statue, most of its body a dark green disjointed armour, the skin showing under the grieve and the chestpiece was a reddish colour- she wasn't sure, it wasn't light enough for her to see. Wings on its back, they were thin and translucent, you could see the sky behind them. Its face was strange, but she couldn't see it clearly, she only had the feeling it was animal- no, more insect-like- and the overall feeling it gave off was eerie and exotic. Like ninjas!
She couldn't hold herself, such a picture was worth a lot, even if it was risky. If the thing- the Pokemon, she now was sure of it, even if she didn't recognize its specie- saw a glimpse of her, it would attack her without remorse or second thoughts. But, as stated earlier, she needed money and she wouldn't give up. She raised the camera, focused on her subject and then thought the most important thing: flash or no flash? This hamlet doubt made her wonder. If she used the flash, she would have a clear picture, but she would be most probably caught. Yet, in that darkness, she would be lucky to catch a blurry shade of her target.
She shrugged and turned the flash on. She'd rather have a good picture than nothing and be safe.
Snap! She took the picture and a bright flash lit the area for a split second, enough for the insect/ninja-like Pokemon to detect and target its new prey. With quick thinking, it decided a sudden rush was the best way to attack her, and so it did. It jumped and flapped its membrane wings, diving off to the girl's hideout. She knew she had no time or chance to run away, so she ducked and covered the best way she could.
She heard a thunder-like sound and, as she felt nothing of what she thought she would feel- you know, chopping, slashing, cutting, things you'd imagine a couple of sharp curved blades doing- she risked a glance, and saw some shining light figure facing the blade armed monster.
"That's so ungallant, my dear friend," the figure said. "Attacking an harmless little girl, you have no shame."
Maya felt irritated. She wasn't a little girl, and she was going to say it, if her self-conservation spirit wasn't telling her to be quiet.
The light was beginning to fade, and the Pokemon growled its answer, which, as meaningless as it was, seemed like a stream of profanities and comments on the human figure's mother to Maya. Her defender, now that Maya could look at it closely, was very human like- even if odd. It was a little shorter than his opponent, and Maya was pretty sure he was a guy. It had a yellow suit, or something like that, she found it strange because it was, well, spiky. Just a little, but it was noticeable. On his neck, or so she thought, there was a white spiky collar- more like a mane- and his helmet was somewhat spiky as well, with small ear-looking things on the top. She could see small black bolts on his arms' and legs' sides.
"I'm your opponent now," he said to the Pokemon, then he turned to the girl and ordered her to go away. "This is going to be dangerous, you'd better get out of here."
She was more than glad to do so, but as she left she began thinking about the occasion she was missing, so she went back and hid again behind the bush.
***
"Bring it on!" he challenged the ninja Pokemon, crouching four-legged ready to attack. He got another growl as answer.
The scythed monster had the first move, quickly covering the distance between them and preparing its blades for a deadly twin attack. The man was faster, and avoided the first blade smartly. "Too slow!" he teased, before getting hit by a smashing attack in his guts that sent him flying. He regained his feet, and proceeded to a quick counter attack, an head clash that stun the poor Pokemon.
What an hard head, Maya thought. The man and his combat style reminded her something, but it wasn't clear to her.
An elbow thrust was the next choice of the man, followed by some kind of needle attack he threw from his hands. The green insect shrugged the pins off, proceeding with an attack on its own, swiping the air so harshly it even made a strange noise. The swipe left a strange energy blade flying off to the man, that ducked right to avoid it and leapt to the attacker, giving it two high kicks.
Maya had to duck as well, since the wind blade almost hit her. It hit a tree behind her, leaving a deep dent in the trunk. "What the hell?!" she murmured shocked. "They could pay more attention!"
The monster raced to its opponent, crossing its scythes into a scissor to attack. The man replied by crossing his arms as well, in a defensive stance. Both tried to push the other away, but without any visible- to Maya, at least- result.
Suddenly, something in his opponent made the man waver- a glance, or a mean look- , long enough for the scythed being to finish its combo, giving him a body blow and a twin cut.
He was pushed back, the yellow suit absorbing the attacks but fading in colour ever-so-slightly. At distance, finally, the green Pokemon started to rethink its strategy. It apparently stood still but, with movements too quick for human eye, it was actually running around, creating illusionary copies in the area.
"Nice thinking, mate," the masked man complimented with a whistle. "But two can play the same game, you know."
He mimicked its moves, creating just as many copies of the scythed insect, but keeping on making them, quicker than the monster could so that he had the upper hand.
The ninja-looking Pokemon was confused- its tactic got reversed. It had to find a way around, but if it strayed from the carefully created environment of doubles it risked to blow up its strategy.
"You're such a newbie," he mocked it. "Watch what's the real potential of this strategy!"
The man's doubles moved in unison, dancing in a skilfully mastered choreography, chanting softly to raise his concentration. The mantis was scared, as it did not know what was his object, and was running out of ideas.
The pace hastened and the dance arrived to its peak. From the fountain, water drops were evaporating, only to condense again some feet higher, a thick layer of stormy clouds formed right over them, menacing rain.
"Wow, that's... cool, really," Maya commented with a low tone.
It started raining on them- a light drizzle, in the beginning- and the Pokemon seemed to be calmer, now that it knew why it all happened. One of the copies suddenly took off and slashed one of the many masked men, yet it missed the real one. "Too slow," he commented. "Watch this!"
He raised his arms high up, and roared. Lightning bolts appeared out of his hands, hitting the clouds, that echoed that very same roar way louder, and a series of thunders came down and hit all of the winged insects, finding the original one. It was struck by the lightning and paralyzed, yet it was still standing. Unbelievable, the man thought.
"Fine, let's finish this now," he said, storing energy in his fists. One last attack, and it would've ended. He joined his hands, and proceeded to his opponent while it was still unable to move. You might think it's cheap, but it's life, duh. You could hear the static electricity crackling between his hands. When he was within close combat distance, he braced himself and then...
Maya had to shut her eyes as the light was unbearable, and when she opened them again, she saw the man approaching the monster, trapped in a cage of electricity, unable to move. "You're good, really. I wonder, would you be against joining me?"
Maya couldn't make out the Pokemon's expression, nor could she see the masked hero's face- both because he had an helm and because he was in front of her- but she knew something was going to happen, so she was ready.
"Okay then, let's see." He kneeled on the ground and placed his hand on the walkway that- much to Maya's surprise- didn't suffer much from the whole battle. The guy started shining, a sudden glow getting off him. Slowly, the glow wore off, revealing his identity to the girl. His face didn't make any bell ring in her head, through.
She crept a little closer, waiting eagerly for what was next.
As the glow faded away and reached his hand, something started to appear right under the ninja insect. Some kind of circle, a pretty elaborate one, like those you find in devil summoning guides or alchemy texts. Maya was seriously wondering what he was doing.
The magic circle on the ground shone, and light vines came from it, entangling themselves on the Pokemon's body. But it didn't look painful to Maya, its face looked ecstatic, almost. She was being charmed by the beauty of the scene- yeah, poor sandy-brown-haired-hero didn't deserve any attention for her.
The vines kept on creeping over its tall armoured body, enveloping it in their light as they did. When they got it all covered, the figure started shrinking, up to the point Maya could only see a faint glow on the ground. The man picked it up.
"That -was- so -freaking- awesome!" she couldn't hold back anymore, and jumped out of her hiding place, the camera banging on her jacket. "You're truly something, aren't you, Mr. Handsome? Defeating that thing all alone- by the way, what specie was it? I didn't recognize it."
"A Scyther," he answered without thinking. "Just wait a moment, who the hell are you?" He looked at the camera. "And why are you wandering alone at this hour with a camera?"
"Oh, this, you mean?" she took it in her hands. "Don't worry, I didn't take any picture of you- it's enough already with all the other people I have to take photos of." She gave him a thoroughly examination, which before she couldn't perform. "Now that I look at you closer, you remind me someone, but I don't remember who- but who cares, where is it now? What happened?"
"It's here," he said, swept away at her pace. He just wasn't connecting his mind with his body. He showed her what he was holding in his hand, a light ring.
"A ring?!" she asked confused. "You turned it... in a ring? That's- that's- that's monstrous!"
"I haven't turned it into a ring. But this, if it'll let me, will enable me to contact it again."
"Oh, I see. Well, I hope we'll meet again, I should be home now. Bye!" She waved and ran off, leaving him... speechless. Definitely, she was different from the females he was used to deal with.
The ring shone in his hand, the will of the mantis Pokemon still struggling at the idea of partnership...
