Private/Closed Frozen Over

[Trucro]

Jacob and his Blaziken continued deeper into the cave. It became much warmer as they did so, and Jacob had removed his outer coat and was now carrying it. Apparently there was some sort of hot springs running through the cave, which provided at least some of the crazy heat. Nero, of course, felt comfortable in the heat; the pokemon was not particularly fond of cold places. The cold never bothered Shakespeare, but the heat didn’t appear to either, and the Togekiss continued to hover just above Jacob’s shoulder. The deeper they walked into the cave, the warmer it got.


“Aaaaaah” Nero grunted at Jacob, who stopped in his tracks. He spun around to see the rest of the group releasing many pokemon and talking amongst themselves. Jacob was capable of picking out which ones belonged to Salem by recognizing all of Cassie’s and Curt’s pokemon. With a silent sigh, he walked back towards the group. As he did, he heard the crunch of paper once again. He lifted up his foot and grabbed another piece of paper. Flattening it out, he quickly began to read it. The paper consisted of two columns, one with names, the other with a set of numbers that Jacob assumed were longitude and latitude. He quickly recognized the name “Hera” near the bottom of the list. Crumpling the paper back up, he shoved it into his pocket. Looking at the others, it became clear they had not seen him looking through the paper, or at least, they didn’t show that they had.


Jacob turned to his left where Nero had been standing, his arms crossed. He nodded to the Blaziken before looking over his right shoulder, at Shakespeare who had perched on top of a boulder just a few feet away. Comfortable with his pokemon where they were, he invaded the group. As he walked towards Salem, he glanced at Ajax, the rather large Blastoise that towered over the rest of the pokemon. Jacob had always wanted a Blastoise, but unfortunately he was raised in Hoenn and not Kanto. He hadn’t seen a Blastoise as close up before, however, and he couldn’t tell how strong this particular Blastoise was.


He continued walking, passing Ajax and stepping right up to Salem. Forcing a grin, he stuck out his hand to shake Salem’s. “You must be Salem,” he began, giving Salem a nod. “I’m Jacob. I guess you’re Cassie’s… friend.” Jacob let out a puff of air as he tried to diffuse any potential tension. He quickly looked over his shoulder at his Blaziken and Togekiss, expecting Salem to do the same. “That’s Nero and Shakespeare,” Jacob said, perhaps not being entirely clear on which was which. “Uh, thanks again for helping us out,” he added, quickly. It was true that the man could very well have saved their lives with his snowmobile, and Jacob didn’t want to come across ungrateful.


“Anyway,” Jacob continued, addressing the group at large. “Curt and I figured this place was once a Team Rocket base of some kind, probably used for storing pokemon. Looks like it was abandoned, but we should keep on our guard.” As Jacob spoke, Nero breathed out a small puff of smoke, most likely unnoticeable to the rest of the group. The Blaziken was staring down Ajax; Nero always tended to keep an eye on stronger pokemon.

 

[PentheWonderful]

“Euh, romantic, yeah, it seems so, I think,”

Cassie watched Salem’s restless behaviors and flustered gestures closely, gauging them and deciphering the meaning behind them, and she decided that she liked it. She liked the apparent influence she had on him, how greatly her words, her gazes threw him off focus and off his game, changed the direction, the cadence of the waves in the vast ocean inside him, usually so undisturbed and serene.

It made her feel big.

Because who was she kidding? This man was adorable beyond his sweet face and attractive beyond his god-like body. He was the whole package. What girl wouldn’t kill to have a man like him? In addition to that, she was the one who snagged him. She knew she did, one would have to be blind not to see it, and it made her feel so good about herself. For someone as exceptional as him to remember her, miss her, and look up to her even, she must be quite excepional herself, right? But then, Salem never was one to hide his intentions and feelings and she loved that about him. She loved his honesty and sincerity, because it was something so hard to come by in the world today.

So Cassie laughed openly at his tongue tied response, and shook her head lightly, “You are adorable.”

She watched his embarrassed shifting, his quick glances back and forth, as if searching for some sort of savior or distraction and it made her giggle even more to see the usually cool, collected, laid back surfer transform into an embarrassed school boy.

“Oh that reminds me,” He piped up as soon as his eyes seemed to light up with an idea. Cassie observed him shuffle around a pocket of the coat he had tied around his waist, and naturally she could not help but admire his narrow waist line, the faint bulges of muscle, those of which she has been intimately familiar, silhouetted by the form hugging fabric. Arceus bless whoever put him in them. Black really was a flattering color, especially on him.

“I’d like to introduce you to a new member of my team,” His voice snapped her back to reality, blinking once before finally mustering the decency to look away from his body and back to his face, which was no less a magnificent view.

“Hm?” Only then did she notice the little Emolga she had carried in her hood once more, now hugging a Pokeball adorably against herself.

“Emily, could you let Tymolin out please?”

‘Tymolin?’ Cassie wondered, watching Emily squeak before finally popping the Pokeball open to let out a small, gray, red and white ball of fur. And then she raised her eyebrow when she realized it was a Minccino wearing a rather oversized Christmas hat. What’s more, he was posed and waving as a movie star would to their adoring fans. Once more Cassie found herself stifling yet another laugh.

Watching the tiny chinchilla hone in on Ajax and light up in rivalry as he attempted to assault the behemoth, only to get cold feet when he noticed Lady draped over his shoulders.

“Timo, meet Cassie, Cassie, Tymolin,” Salem introduced, and the moment the final word was said, the feisty puff ball leaped into Cassie’s arms and the trainer instinctively caught him.

For a brief while, Cassie simply stared cautiously at the little Pokemon. But slowly, as his warmth and the softness of his fur registered to her, her muscles lost their tension, and her heart melted slightly. The Minccino reminded her greatly of happier days, back when her Pokemon journey had just begun and Nine was still a Vulpix that fit well in her arms.

Well, that is, until the chinchilla pressed himself into her breasts. “Oh, hello there.” And then she chuckled softly. “Glad you’re comfortable.”

“I met Tymolin in Unova while on my way to meet my master,” There it was again with this… Mysterious master. Cassie looked back up to him. “Emily, this cute little Emolga here, we meet not long after. She is not officially one of mine, she just follows Timo around and helps us out a lot, don’t you chica?”

“Aha, no wonder I haven’t seen you two before.” She said in understanding, her hand tenderly scratching Timo behind the ear. “Because I’m sure I would have undoubtedly remembered.”

“I have also brought Sorano and Lenalee,” And out they came from their respective Pokeballs. Smiling and nodding in respect towards the two.

“A pleasure.” Cassie had seen them once before during the time she had spent recovering in a hospital shortly after the events of Jinko, but they had never been properly introduced.

“Sorano was actually the one who sensed you when the storm began and we were back at the research facility.” Salem continued, contemplatively running his large, well worked hands over the two remaining Pokeballs on his belt. “Achilles you have already met, and the last one is Princess Kaguya, but she does not like crowds much. You will meet her later I suppose,”

“Hm, fair enough.” She shrugged idly. Nine suspiciously sniffed at the Minccino in her hands, and then turned to inspect Lenalee, who passed his threat radar without much effort thanks to the positive energy she exuded, and Sorano, who he had more suspicions for, but also a good amount of respect if his energy was anything to go off of, and Peridot had the same thoughts. Lady of course remained ever oblivious and nonchalant.

“Hinako is not with us this time. She stayed with Lord Benjamin to help him out with his research.” Cassie’s hand seized for a moment from its scratching of Timo’s ear at the mention of Benjamin, or Hinako at that, the Nidoran-turned-Nioqueen that her father had given to Salem’s father fourteen years ago, yet she quickly shook those thoughts away. It can’t be her father he was speaking of, and it was easy to forget her worries listening to Salem’s hearty laugh and his melodious accent. “I guess I am too grown up for her now, believe it or not.”

At this, Cassie found herself chuckling softly, and smiling brightly up at him. “I think it suits you.”

“You must be Salem,” A voice came, and Cassie quickly recognized it as Jacob’s. Turning her head slightly, there he was, hand outstretched and an awkward, forced grin plastered across his face. It was rather silly looking to be honest. “I’m Jacob. I guess you’re Cassie’s… friend.”

For the third time that day, Cassie had to stifle her laugh, a finger to her lips. Jacob blew out some air and overall looked rather uncomfortable in the current situation. Given, now he was the odd one out among them with Salem in their dynamic. He proceeded to introduce Nero and Shakespear, before once again donning his leader persona and announced, “Curt and I figured this place was once a Team Rocket base of some kind, probably used for storing pokemon. Looks like it was abandoned, but we should keep on our guard.”

He seemed so charismatic and authorative that way, and his take charge attitude had always been something she admired. It certainly didn’t take a lot to figure out how he quickly managed to rise to the ranks of admin during his brief time in Team Rocket. Compared to the common grunt, he was practically a genius.

“Sounds like a plan.” Cassie nodded at the end of Jacob’s speech. “This place seems rather quaint though, don’t you think? We could probably wait for the storm to pass in here. Frolic in the flowers and what not. For now, I’m going to check out the river. You’re welcome to join me.” Playfully, she added a wink at the end.

Grinning cheekily to herself, she turned lightly on her heel and stepped out of the discussion circle they had formed, Timo still in her arms. Walking past Jacob, however, she bumped into his arm gently to get his attention and said softly enough for only him to hear, “And loosen up, won’t you carrot head? Salem won’t bite.” She addressed him with the playful nickname she had come up with not too long ago during the beginning of their voyage to Korska. And she grinned just a bit wider, “Unless you ask of course.”

Nine seemed to roll his eyes at his trainer’s dry humor while Peridot frowned slightly. Cassie shouldn’t be telling jokes, she decided. Impatiently, the little Kirlia pushed her trainer’s legs forward, and with a small laugh, she obliged, moving towards the river. ‘Come join us at the river if you wish, Flare.’ Nine called to the female just as they left.

Lady, of course decided to stay behind on Ajax’s shoulders.

The closer they got to the river, the easier it was to pick out finer details of the tree line she observed earlier. The trees were tall and imposing, vines hanging down from their branches with thick underbrush below. Disturbingly similar to Jinko’s own flora, but hopefully lacking in genetically modified, blood-thirsty Pokemon.

By the time they reached the river, the air had become too warm for the turtleneck she wore, which she quickly peeled off after placing Tymolin on Nine's back temporarily, leaving the white tank top she wore underneath, and she sighed in relief. Kneeling down by the river’s edge, Cassie neatly folded and tucked away the shirt into her back, pulled off her gloves, and proceeded to scoop water in her hands to clean the dried blood from her temple.

Nine sat down next to her, letting the chinchilla slide down his back, on his smooth coat, and bent down to drink from the clear, cool water, and Peridot practiced her telekinetic abilities on redirecting and shifting the currents, both hands pressed against her head and her eyes squinted in concentration.

Meanwhile, Cassie let her blood flow downstream, quickly disappearing amongst the water.

 

[Curtkid]

Embertail returned Cassie's small chuckle with one of his own, but left it at that, there were the occasional moments where the Charmander knew not to push the issue further. Cassie was a strong girl, and though she could take care of herself, sometimes just knowing that a few people cared enough just to ask could do a lot of good for a person. Embertail felt that Cassie would be alright, and if she started hitting some trouble, then at least she knew she had a few extra friends to rely on.

“It is great to see you again Lady Flare, “Miss Jasper, you are both looking attractive as always, you especially Jasper. I don’t believe I have ever seen your face before, what happened to your helmet?” Salem said. Jasper didn't care what anyone said, she was a bad-ass, bone-chucking, flame-spitting, punch-taking, fighter of a Pokemon. She was not cute! The Cubone ended up blushing again, this time with a pout on her face which, contrary to what she wanted, made her look even cuter. But she ended up growling out a "Thanks" none-the-less, she knew Salem was unique in the way that he could see a Pokemon's beauty the same way he saw a humans beauty, and she wasn't such an ass that she would shove a compliment back in the mans face. Flare just gave the man a sort of soft, knowing smile, as though she had seen his type before, but in a refreshing sort of way, like she was seeing an old friend again from long ago.

"(Ah, still the charmer I see Salem my dear, Cassie is going to have to fend off all the women you'll attract with a stick if you keep this up)", Flare said with a good humored chuckle, "(But it is indeed good to see you again as well, I have missed your romanticism...)"

"Yeah, you're going to make Nine AND Cassie jealous at this rate!", Embertail chimed in while Salem was removing the goggles he had strapped to his head, before handing them to the Helmet-less Cubone.

“I know it’s not the same, but you can have these if you’d like something”, Salem said with that warm, heart-melting smile. Even the normally firm Jasper would have gotten at least a few butterflies in her stomach at the sight of the islanders smile, but right now the goggles were taking up most of her attention. Due to Cubones having their skull-helmets on almost 24-7, they rarely, if even, wore any other head apparel and Jasper wasn't an exception. Jasper never liked those fancy hats, glamorous bows, or all those other silly, cumbersome head pieces that some trainers liked to slap on their Pokemon like they were dolls. However, Jasper had to admit these goggles looked pretty cool, they reminded her of those humans she saw that rode flying Pokemon, or even those weird flying machines (planes, did Embertail say they were called?) high in the air. Jasper always respected those who tried to fly without wings, like they were defying nature itself and taking their destiny into their own hands.

Jasper happily took the goggles and immediately strapped them on her head, this time giving Salem a much more hearty "Thanks!". Jasper's glee at putting on such an item put smiles on the faces of Curts entire team.

"You better becareful Embertail, I think Salems trying to steal your girl", Curt said, smirking at his Charmander buddy. Curt had to admit, a first he was a little wary of Salem when they first met him. He seemed like a hopeless romantic of a jungle man whose only knowledge of modern society was how to (admittedly skillfully) woo women, Curt and his team only tagged along with him at first because they were afraid he'd end up as road-kill if they didn't. But after spending sometime with the man they realized how thoughtful and kind the man was, and what they thought was"flirting" was actually his way of being extremely friendly to, well, just about anyone he met. Curt had to admit, he was just a tad envious of the natural charm and confidence Salem seemed to possess, the trainer had a feeling if he tried what Salem did with the ladies he'd just end up getting laughed at.

"Hehe, if Salem was, then I think he'd have more to worry about from Cassie then me!", Embertail exclaimed cheerily. As they walked along, they heard Cassie make a remark about how Embertail may have had a point, and that this place was a bit romantic, only for Salem to get flustered. That was a bit hilarious to see a man who was normally so suave get so flustered when someone else tried their turn at being smooth with him. Their little love fest was cut short a bit when Jacob spoke up, likewise alerting the two that there maybe a Rocket base in here, though possibly abandoned., but still advising them to keep up on their guard. Then Nine jumped ahead, informing them their was a river coming up, and personally inviting Flare to join him on a more...private excursion.

‘Come join us at the river if you wish, Flare!’, Nine yelled out to Flare as he headed towards said river.

"(I'm going to join Nine up ahead at the river, need to make sure he doesn't fall in you know, we'll meet up there, alright?)", Flare told the group before running after Nine.

"Sure, we'll see you at the river!", Curt replied to the eight-tailed Ninetales.

"YOU TWO LOVE BIRDS HAVE FUN!", Embertail cried, and even sprinting away one could just fairly make out a frustrated grunt from the female fox. It was a short walk to the river, a few minutes at most, but still, it allowed them a few more moments to take in the scenery. As they went further in the patches of flowers became more sparse, being replaced with more tree's and thicker foliage, if this pattern continued it would become fairly difficult to maneuver through this cave. Not only that, the greenery was also becoming darker, more healthy looking, and more vibrant, as though the deeper they traveled, the more nature seemed to be claiming the cave. Curt reminded himself that was probably the case.

Eventually, they made it to the river, and it was almost odd in its placement. There was very little of the normal, thick shrubbery or moss stones that normally accompanied flowing water such as this. It was almost as if something hastily forced this thing right in the middle of these woods! Then again, this whole cavern was more then a little strange, so it wasn't like it merited THAT much investigation. Curt cautiously bent over the stream, as though anticipating that something was going to jump out at him. However, the stream turned out to be very shallow, barely above being knee deep, it was unlikely any monsters were lurking in its depths. Flare rejoined the group, her business with Nine done apparently, Curt decided to leave the two foxes to their privacy.

"Well, this would be a good place for you to unwind, eh Lockjaw?", Curt said to the blue alligator. Lockjaw looked over the water, even more cautiously then Curt did, but once he was sure it was safe, he happily hopped in and began slashing around. The water was a big relief to the alligators rough, dry skin, they hadn't been to many area's that were exactly rife with water, so they felt that the blue member of their team really deserved this. Curt was momentary lost in the bizarrely cute display of Lockjaw sloshing around in the water that he didn't notice the Master Ball on his belt shaking at first. The ball snapped out with a loud POP! and out tumbled that familiar, smelly Bidoof, who seemed to be struggling to pick himself up, but somehow he forced himself up, wobbled over to the river, and stuck his head in the water, taking a long drink.

"Hehe, yeah, I guess you're feeling more thirsty then anybody, huh Barry?!", Embertail exclaimed as he joined the rest of his team, bending over the stream, cupping his hand, and also taking a drink of water.

"Rehh, renda reh huran rhu?", Barry mumbled at Embertail, pulling his head from the stream, water dripping from his chin.

"Huh? Oh, water doesn't hurt me too bad so long as their isn't a lot of it on me...or if it doesn't get near my tail!", Embertail said, answering Barry cheerfully before taking another drink from the stream.

 

[Nygenn]

Salem watched Cassie’s Ninetales as the fox carefully inspected his companions. When he pointed his nose in Lenalee’s direction the cheerful cherry hopped forward to plant a pop-kiss on his nose, followed by a soft giggle. The startled response of the elegant Pokemon drew a chuckle from both Salem and Sorano.

The Absol was slightly larger than the Ninetales, but the fox’s many tails made him seem the grander of the two. Sorano just nodded at the other canine then kept his attention on the tiny cherry. She was a curious little thing and completely oblivious to danger unless it was staring her right in the face so the older Absol often took it upon himself to play the chaperone.

“You must be Salem,” a voice suddenly distracted him.

It was the orange haired man who spoke as he stepped up before the islander.

“I’m Jacob. I guess you’re Cassie’s… friend,” he said.

Salem looked from the man to his outstretched hand, then back to the man before he flashed him a bright grin and eagerly took the offered greeting.

“I am,” he replied. “I am also Sir Curt’s friend and now yours as well. A pleasure to meet you Sir Jacob.”

He listened as Jacob introduced his Pokémon and already took a step in their direction for a closer inspection. He hadn’t seen either species up close before and the Blaziken looked mighty fierce. He could barely contain his excitement, but then a soft popping sound drew his attention downwards. Lenalee was smiling up and making kissy faces at him. Smiling Salem reached down to pick up the lovable cherry and held her up so she could kiss his, Aeryn, and Emily’s cheeks. The Emolga sparked happily in response and flew after the Cherubi when Salem put her back down and she hobbled off to greet everyone else. Sorano followed behind at a small distance.

“Curt and I figured this place was once a Team Rocket base of some kind, probably used for storing Pokémon. Looks like it was abandoned, but we should keep on our guard.” Jacob informed the group with some authority.

Salem never minded the ‘take charge’ type. They usually got things done, or at least moved things along. Salem was his own man and moved at his own pace, but often with his head in the clouds. Having a responsible person around would do them good and keep them focused. Cassie and Curt both seemed to defer to the man and Salem decided he had no problem doing the same for now. Besides, his advice to stay on guard seemed sound, though he did wonder how, or why, a nice place like this could belong to Team Rocket. Would this mean there are Pokémon to be encountered here like on Jinko Island, or would this mean the place was devoid of any life at all?

More such thoughts raced through his head until he saw Cassie nudge and wink the orange haired man and playfully invite him to join her at the river. A sudden flare of something unfamiliar surged inside Salem, but he was quick to push it down. The emotion felt unpleasant and he rarely entertained those, or leave them to get a hold on him. He pulled his gaze away from Cassie’s retreating form to see Ajax being pulled out of his staring contest with Nero by the insistent waving of a tiny cherry at his feet. The giant turtle rolled his eyes with a huff, but lowered himself to the ground on all fours regardless so that Lenalee could hop up to pop a kiss on his blue cheek after which she pointedly forgot all about the Blastoise and happily hobbled towards the river, Sorano in tow.

Salem loved that little cherry and her endless innocence. The mood in their small band was rarely down, Salem saw to that, but having her around helped. She always gave everyone everything she had and rarely asked for anything more than a smile in return, although she had wanted her own little bowtie ribbon after she’d seen Kaguya receive one some time ago, and Salem had happily obliged her. Lenalee was the only other, aside from Salem himself, who Kaguya allowed near her, and even Achilles would mellow out some around the Cherubi. She may not do any battles, or help out much in any physical manner, but she had a big impact on the group’s psyche, especially in precarious or tense situations. She had also mastered some healing abilities somewhere along the way, before Salem began to take training seriously even. In the months he spend with the Michaels he had learned more about Cherubi and what they were capable off, and had spent some time training with her, although she had taken it all in as one big game.

Ajax set out towards the river at a relaxed pace with Lady making herself comfortable on his large shell. It looked like the feline really had found her spot and Salem supposed he wouldn’t be making any friends if he recalled his giant friend any time soon.

“You two love birds have fun!” he heard Embertail yell suddenly, to which he raised an eyebrow.

‘Ajax and Lady?’ he wondered.

He turned to the eccentric Charmander and following his gaze he realized the Pokémon had been talking about Flare and Nine.

‘Yeah, that makes more sense,’ he thought and nodded to himself. ‘Although love transcends everything as far as I am concerned. Species, genders, cultures, what does it matter as long as you find your safe-haven somewhere with someone.’

He looked from Embertail to Curt and from Curt to Jacob. The serious man seemed to be brooding about something.

‘What a handsome guy.’ Salem admitted to himself with a smile. ‘I hope we’ll get along as easy as the others.’

The man’s hair color intrigued Salem. Back in the Del’Mar Region he was from they had people with black and white hair and every shade of brown in between, but red and orange hair was unheard of. Only Pokémon generally sported those kind of colors, or so he had always believed. That was before he had met the buxom doctor Aidinia Moon and the “adorkable” Gerald Aster, as Cassie sometimes referred to him. Thinking about those people made him wonder again how they were doing now. Aidinia especially lingered a little while longer in his mind until he felt his thoughts slip into unhelpful, albeit pleasant, territory.

He shrugged, smiled, then turned and made his way towards the river as well.

It was only a short walk and when he got there he saw that Ajax had slumped down in the shallow water and, after dropping Aeryn into the river, that she was enjoying herself racing fluidly through the mild current, her head above the water and mewing excitedly for her mother on shore to notice her.

Salem found Cassie kneeling at the river washing her face with Nine seated beside her. As he looked there was some motion between the fox’s luscious tails and a Cinccino appeared from between them. Salem had to do a double take.

‘Did Timo just evolve when I wasn’t looking?’ he wondered.

Upon a closer look and seeing the Chinchilla saunter around waving himself with the soft white furs it became clear that the little rascal was still only a Minccino and had merely draped himself in Nine’s tails, then had the audacity to parade between the Pokémon and his training demanding attention and admiration from them.

‘Well, he had me fooled,’ Salem thought with a smile as he watch his little friend do a pirouette only to get himself completely constricted in the lengthy tails.

The islander went a little ways upstream and knelt at the river as well to taste the water and, finding it sweet enough, have a drink from it before splashing some on his face and over his hair. The temperatures here were hot and comfortably familiar to the man, except he normally did not wear this many clothes. Perhaps he could stow the extra clothing somewhere near the exit so he didn’t have to lug it around. Surely they would leave the way they came in… right?

For now, Salem just reached for his belt and tapped one of the two Pokéballs there which still had something occupying it. The sphere enlarged and popped open to reveal his strongest Pokémon, although one probably wouldn’t guess it based on her looks.

The Pokémon that appeared before him was a female Mawile of average height, which meant that she stood a little over half a meter tall. Normally the coloring of this species was a soft yellow with black extremities, but this particular little lady had a coat so pale and faded it was practically white. It made her black hands, feet, and hair stand out all the most in contrast and her eyes in particular, which were a deep crimson in color, drew attention. If one looked closely and brushed away some of her fur a multitude of scars would become visible all over her body, but she gave no outward sign that any of those bothered her. At the base of her ponytail she wore a red ribbon tied in a bow which looked cute, but at the same time out of place with the cold demeanor the Pokémon exuded. Around her middle she wore an elegant belt with an intricate pattern design on it and at its center clasp was a shining marble imbedded, a Mawilite crystal. The little deceiver carried herself with an almost noble bearing and looked up at her trainer with half lidded eyes.

“Buenos días, princesa,” Salem greeted her with a smile.

Kaguya studied his face for a moment and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly before she threw herself in his arms.

“We’ve found such a nice cave and stream,” Salem explained as he returned the Pokémon’s hug, “I thought you would like to freshen up a little.”

The Mawile nodded in agreement but remained where she was until Salem finally put her down on the ground. She then turned to the river and took a quick note of the others that were there. Apparently pleased none were close enough to bother her she set to washing herself and drinking some.

Salem watched her for a moment before he too returned his attention to the refreshing stream. Kaguya seemed to be in a good mood today, something which happened more and more sporadic lately. She had been unapproachable when he just met her and it had taken him many weeks before she allowed him anywhere near her. She had been wounded and weak enough at the time that she could only put up a token resistance, but that token resistance was enough that Salem had feared for his life every time he dealt with her. Things had gone better after that and he felt she had opened up to him more, if only him and not the rest of his team, but progress was progress. Recently, when Salem had started getting serious about Pokémon Battles things had regressed again somewhat. On the one hand their bond had grown stronger because it was only until he started delving into the abilities and limits of his companions that he had come to realize how little he actually knew about them. Kaguya especially had blown everyone away with her obscene power, both figuratively and literally, and had demanded a new kind of respect from the team. This seemed to please the little princess, but at the same time she seemed to withdraw more into herself and Salem was unsure what the cause of this was. It just showed that he still had much to learn about his friends and Pokémon in general, but he was confident they would work things out. She clearly still loved him and he loved all of them. They would get through anything eventually.

The gem he had snatched away from the winnings at Jinko Island, along with Aeryn’s egg had turned out to be a Mega Evolution crystal. Something he hadn’t known about until Lady Moreaux eventually discovered he had one and then nearly bitten his head off for not telling her sooner. Salem had almost given the shiny stone away, but she had intervened and scolded him for his ignorance. The stone turned out to be a Mawilite crystal which supposedly allowed a Mawile like Kaguya to evolve temporarily even though her species normally didn’t evolve at all. He wasn’t sure what to think about that, and Kaguya hadn’t seem to know either. What they she did know however, was that she did not fancy the pressure of special training which had followed the discovery, and Salem had surprised everyone by standing up to Lady Moreaux and refusing to continue that particular type of training. It had earned him some points with Kaguya, but equal amounts of scorn from his master. He figured it was worth it, he was studying to better help and understand his Pokémon companions anyway. Kaguya would keep the crystal on her at all times, it looked good on her and made her stand out, while Salem kept his matching Key Stone in the center of his Pokébelt. If anything was supposed to happen it would happen in due time. Nothing good ever came from forcing anything.

Salem looked to the side and then patted the white Mawile on her head affectionately, eliciting a pleasant hum from the Pokémon.

“I am happy to see you are feeling well today,” he told her. “Do you think you can walk with the rest of the group today?”

Kaguya seemed to consider for a moment, and looked past him at the other people and Pokémon, then back up at her trainer before nodding curtly and seeing him smile in response. She quickly turned back to the river and splashed some more water onto her face.

Salem bend closer to her to whisper conspiratorially,

“Just ignore that really loud Charmander. I don’t want to have to apologize to Sir Curt for you devouring his friend because of things he said.”

Salem waited until she nodded again, more demurely this time, before he stood back up and turned to face the group.

“So, shall we look for something to eat?” he called out and waved his arm in the direction of the jungle on the other side of the river. “There may be some delicious snakes in there!”

 

[Trucro]

“And loosen up, won’t you carrot head? Salem won’t bite. Unless you ask of course.” Upon hearing these words, Jacob chuckled, but only for a second, almost immediately returning to his regularly staunch face. He watched for a second as Cassie headed down to the river with Nine and Flare, before turning back to Salem, who was now talking to one of his pokemon. The entire place was a mess, with a mix of pokemon everywhere; some he knew, some he did not. Nevertheless, Jacob had been called to the river, and he promptly spun around and headed towards the water.


As he did Jacob nodded to Shakespeare from atop his ledge. The Togekiss nodded back, taking off into the air. He flew up, high into the air where he could easily watch over the group. Fortunately, the cavern ceiling was high enough for Shakespeare to comfortably see everyone, and likely everything around the group. Meanwhile, Jacob stumbled to the river with Nero close behind. Cassie appeared to be cleaning off her wound, which made logical sense, but definitely made Jacob want to stay up-river.


He had almost reached the water when Shakespeare returned to him, “koohing” rather loudly. Jacob stopped in his tracks and furrowed his brow. Shakespeare flew in a circle around him before plopping down beside him on the ground. Jacob listened to the pokemon mumble its nonsense for a few seconds before looking over towards the jungle.


“Hey, guys!” Jacob shouted loud enough for the whole group to hear, his eyes still trained on the jungle. “Looks like we might have some company…” He looked over his shoulder at Salem and Curt to make sure they were coming before looking back at the jungle. He leaned his head in, trying to get a better look. As he did, he could see the branches on the outermost bushes rustling.


His mind raced as he thought about what else was with them in the cave. He secretly hoped it was members of Team Rocket; with the whole group there, he felt confident that any Rocket members would be out of their league. But then again, it could be some hostile pokemon that had taken up residence in the cave after Team Rocket left. In any case, he could feel Nero drawing closer, stopping at his side, prepared for whatever came next.

 

[Curtkid]

They had to admit, considering how their usual adventures panned out, and especially considering how this one started, so far this little trip of theirs had been...pretty nice. Aside from the Lugia trying to kill them, it hadn't been that bad of an experience, they hadn't come nearly as close to freezing to death as they thought they would, and the underground Cavern was completely free of dangerous creatures so far, heck it was actually kind of beautiful! The vibrant trees, the lush, green bushes, the odd but endearing yellow and black thing sticking out from one of the bushes!....Wait, what?

"What the, what is...?", Curt began, pointing at the appendage protruding from the bush, but it disappeared in such a haste that everyone else didn't even get a chance to see it!

"Hmmmm? What is what bro?", Embertail asked Curt, his curiosity peaked by the trainer suddenly setting of his sentence.

"E-Embertail, you mentioned seeing an...limb like protrusion from the bushes before, that was yellow and black, right? If so, I think I just saw your friend....", Curt said flatly. Embertail, however, just grew a huge smile as he turned his attestation on the bush Curt was focusing on.

"HE BUDDY, IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT INTRODUCING YOURSELF TO US, THEN NOW'S A GREAT TIME, DON'T BE SHY!!!", Embertail cried to the bushes, who gave no response but the faintest rustle, a though a creature was hiding in their cover, "still a little shy, huh? O.K, TAKE YOU'RE TIME, INTRODUCE YOURSELF WHEN YOUR READY BUDDY!"

Embertail friendly demeanor didn't coax the creature out of hiding, which was a shame, Embertail had a habit of quickly befriending people, human, Pokmeon, or otherwise, so it was a bit of a surprise to see nothing reveal itself to them. In the end, everyone lost their focus on this even and went about thier business, good thing too. As Salem did end up bring up an encroaching issue that would demand their attention rather soon.

“So, shall we look for something to eat?” he called out and waved his arm in the direction of the jungle on the other side of the river. “There may be some delicious snakes in there!”

Lockjaws eyes immediately grew wide at the word "snakes" and sprang out of the water not even a second later, he may not be as jump as he was as a Totodile, but he never hesitated to err on the side of caution. Curt almost let out a laugh (infact, Embertail let out an audible chuckle) seeing the Lockjaw hastily run out of the water, splashing water all over him.

"Don't worry Lockjaw, I'm pretty sure you're the most dangerous thing in that stream, besides, I got a few antidotes on hand just incase a snake does bi-wait, Salem, did you just say something about eating snakes?", Curt said, arcing an eye brow in surprise. Curt had to admit, on the list of possible food options, that idea never passed his mind. The idea of eating something so long, wiggly, scaly, and venomous just did not sound appetizing in Curts mind. Then again, he did hear that apparently such creatures were considered delicacies in more desert like area's, Spain was one if Curt remembered right. When it came down to it, Curt liked to hold the mentality of trying just about anything once, so if Salem did prepare some snakes, an didn't keel over when eating it, the Curt supposed he owed it a try.

"Well, I guess I'll give it a try, it'll be...an experience to tell my friends about to say the least, I mean, who knows, I may even like it", Curt pipped out, trying to remain open to the idea.

"Hehe, yeah, it will make one heck of a story! But, uh, if it's O.K, can we go look for some berries or something too?", Embertail chimed in, "I mean, I hate to be that guy, but I'm kinda, you know..."

"Oh yeah, right, you're a vegetarian, alright then, let's see if we can't find some fruits or veggies, probably a good idea just incase the snake thing doesn't pan out (which it probably won't)", Curt responded to his friend as he sprang to his feet and looked to the rest of his team, "anyone else want to come with?" Jasper nodded at her trainers words, as a ground-types, a stream didn't exactly offer her a massive amount to do and the idea of exploring this mysterious cave sounded great. Lockjaw also decided to come with them, being sort of turned off from the stream at the mention of snakes. Barry just grunted and collapsed on the river side, no way they were going to move him unless money, women, alcohol, or a bar fight was involved.

"(Actually, Salem has got me curious about how one exactly "catches" a snake for dinner and I'm curious to see how it's done)", Flare responded before walking over to Salem to see the islander work his magic.

"Alright, you guy's have fun then! Curt, Jasper, Lockjaw, let's go!", Embertail exclaimed as they headed out into the woods.

"Oh, and don't worry, we won't go too far, besides, Jasper's a great tracker, she'll be able to lead us ba-!", Curt cried out to the rest of the group before a loud rustle caught thier attention.

“Hey, guys!” Jacob shouted, catching their attention, “Looks like we might have some company…”

"Aww, great, don't suppose it's put buddy, eh Embertail?, Curt asked his fire-tailed brother.

"Uh, as much as I'd like it to be, his, or her's, rustles don't sound, quiet as...hostile...", Embertail said, the optimism in his voice fading just a little at the sight of the moving branches.

"Crud, everyone, group up and get ready for battle, but don't attack until we know for certain what's coming is hostile!", Curt explained as his teammates (again, minus Barry), grouped up around him. Whatever was coming, if it meant them harm, then it was better they face it as a team then spread out. If it was just your a-typical Rocket grunts then fine, Curt was sure between all of them, they would demolish any number of them, but if it was something on a similar level as the Lugia....Curt really hoped it was something like Rocket Grunts....

 

[PentheWonderful]

One last splash, and Cassandra let out a soft sigh.

Keeping her hands pressed lightly against her face, she sorted through the myriad of thought rushing right at her. The downside of recovering from a mental breakdown was that you’re never quite the same. You don’t handle things the same way you used to, nor can you bare the same things you’ve born before. And now, Cassandra found that she could no longer entertain nor manage the insane amount of thought the way she used to. At least not all at once, the way she used to like doing whenever she was still. Entertaining and shifting through a hundred thoughts at once, jumping here and there, ever flighty, ever so easily bored. But she couldn’t handle that now. Not when the voices haunt her, a second opinion of doubt that destroys the joy in thought jumping.

And that was the reason why she drowns it all with the music her therapist recommended her.

It was a good kind of escapism, apparently.

Cassie felt her temple throb lightly from the exertion she caused upon herself, and slowly, she pulled her hands down her face until she could see again, and her eyes drifted down to the map of scars dancing across her skin, creating craters and bumps, sinewy veins that lacing around her fingers and across her palm. She sighed again.

Until she remembered the colorful, woven ribbon tied to her left wrist.

Teal and white, hues of sea green and blues, and the surge of black, running through its design. Without really thinking, her right hand ran a finger across the fabric, rubbing it gently between her index finger and thumb.

She closed her eyes.

Salem had given her that ribbon, the original black ribbon, back on their time in Jinko. It had brought her great comfort then, and it persisted to do so even now. The ribbon was a rite of passage into adulthood where he came from. But at the same time, it was also an object used to show one’s commitment to another, romantically, perhaps even sexually, and she remembered it also functioned as wedding rings of sort; to tie someone together, bond them, in matrimony. You can only give ribbons, she had discovered, not take them, and once they’re given, they belong to the one given forever. In a way, the ribbon symbolized giving one’s self over to another. It meant she had a part of him with her, and the thought of always having him by her side was a great and pleasant one. It kept her strong, enabled her to keep on battling through her trials and kept her monsters at bay.

But the ribbon was slightly worn out now, ragged by weather and time, granted she wore it whenever she could. And yet those little flaws, the dulled colors and worn fabric only made the ribbon more dear to her. Cassie smiled discreetly at it, before her attention was beckoned by an excited mewling from the river, where she found Aeryn gliding through the water with ease, her little head poking out of the water’s surface as her large, round eyes glittered excitedly. The trainer couldn’t help but giggle softly at the sight.

“My, my, mon cher, you’re becoming quite a proficient swimmer aren’t you?” Cassie cooed in adoration towards the precious baby. Even Nine couldn’t help the slight wag of his tails at the sight of the Dratini, inadvertently flinging Timo out of them that way. “You’ll be beating daddy in races in no time.”

Tenderly, Cassie dipped her hand in the water to beckon the baby towards her, which the little dragon obliged to for a few moments, before sharply turning away and swimming back to the center of the river again just inches from her palm, cooing playfully.

Cassie laughed softly at this, and even Nine seemed to chuckle beside her. Lady didn’t seem to have a care in the world as she lay on Ajax, making him her own pool floatie of sorts, and Peridot was simply too focused on her psychic exercise to even really look up.

“So, shall we look for something to eat?” Salem called out from slightly further upstream as he waved towards the jungle, and almost automatically Cassie was smiling softly at the sight of him. She simply could not help it, nor did she even realize it. “There may be some delicious snakes in there!”

And almost immediately, Lockjaw, who she hadn’t noticed had slipped in the river, bolted out of the water, giving Curt a good splash in the process.

"Don't worry Lockjaw, I'm pretty sure you're the most dangerous thing in that stream, besides, I got a few antidotes on hand just in case a snake does bi-wait, Salem, did you just say something about eating snakes?" He rambled shortly afterwards, speaking as he processed information the way he usually did, until he came to the realization of what Salem had actually suggested.

Cassie never really understood men and their seemingly ravenous appetites. They just had a full course lunch on the freighter taking them to Korska earlier that day and now they were thinking about eating again? Granted as an individual, Cassie did not really have the best appetite among women either. Even less so after her capture with Team Rocket, and everything that came after. She just has a small stomach, she supposed. It doesn’t take a lot to fill it and it stays full for longer.

However, the Kalosean simply decided to stay out of the discussion while Nine seemed keenly intrigued. ‘Catching snakes, are we? I have never hunted for snakes before, it sounds rather exciting.’ He murmured with another wag of his tails. ‘Meals always taste better when you hunt them yourself. The flavor and satisfaction tastes a lot sweeter.’

“Hey, guys!” Jacob suddenly exclaimed, and it was enough to turn Cassie and her team’s attentions back to him. He seemed incredibly fixated on the jungle across the river.

Until she saw it.

Branches shook and leaves quivered, creating a distinct rustling noise that all trainers would recognize. It was the sound of something approaching, something big and foreign, and simply from the cadence of the rustle, Cassie knew it wasn’t human. It couldn’t be.

And then the rustling stopped, and Cassie felt her muscles tense as she rose to her feet, Nine mirroring her movements beside her, the fur along his spine standing on end. Peridot had her ruby eyes trained firmly on the spot where the rustling had been, and even Lady had lifted her head up to see what was going on.

“Looks like we might have some company…”

In a blink of an eye, it all happened.

The underbrush and trees seemed to explode as a blur of red and blue leaped from the behind them, landing outside the tree line with a magnificent impact that caused the very water in the river itself to jump and splash over. Tall and large and immensely intimidating, the creature planted the singular claw on the tip of its thin arms into the ground with a surprisingly impressive impact that cracked the dirt, and it unleashed an earsplitting roar that shook the cave, seized your heart, and made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

There it stood, rising back on its hind legs as it displayed its rows of large, sharp teeth, glowering fiercely at the trainers and Pokemon alike, a Garchomp.

A Garchomp with a belt tied around his waist, a Garchompite as its centerpiece.

And Cassie knew who it was. She wasn’t afraid. From the moment the pseudo legendary made its entrance, she knew who it was, she taught him that entrance. And Nine seemed just as stunned, his eyes wide and his ears fully alert. Even Peridot seemed to gasp softly in realization of who stood before her.

Step by step, Cassie stepped into the shallow river, wading her way over without a hesitation as the Garchomp’s gaze fell on her, and Nine, and his fearsome display wavered. Instead, he blinked his eyes and bobbed his head up and down, evidently sniffing the young lady as she came closer. He bent his knees and leaned down and forward, just as Cassie stepped out of the river.

The Garchomp growled, and then chortled once, before making a strange whimper sound, which was returned by Cassie throwing her arms around his thick, scaly neck.

“Fang…”

In response, the dragon leaned back and fell against the grass with his trainer on top of him, his massive tail sweeping joyously across the ground as he let out several more chortles, thin arms latched around her lithe body. And for a moment Cassie wondered if this was real. She could feel him, touch him; his scales against her hand and what a familiar feeling that was. She knew it was real, it had to be.

Nine jumped up in excitement, paced around the riverside before running, and then back, picking up speed and momentum to clear the river in a single leap in order to join the huddle, nudging and licking the ground dragon. Peridot simply teleported herself across, and squealed childishly in excitement beside the Fang’s head.

Lady simply snorted, and laid her head back down on Ajax’s shell.

“I- I can’t believe it’s really you…” Cassie murmured softly, pushing herself up on Fang’s wide torso, and found her vision was being obscured by tears. But they were the good kind. “It’s really you…”

 

[Curtkid]

Off all the things Curt and his team DIDN'T expect to run into on their little arctic expedition, the first on that list was a Dragon-Ground type like Garchomp. O.K, technically Lugia took the top spot on that list, but throwing that thing in the running just wasn't fair, still, seeing such a legendary and powerful Pokemon approach from the bushes caught them by great surprise. At first, Curt almost went into a panic, no matter how well they outnumbered it, a Garchomp still had enough power to rival some mythical Pokemon, just one could tear apart an entire city with ease! Even as skilled as they were, they wouldn't bring a Pokemon like that down without suffering some real damages, probably more damage then a few potions and bandages could fix. However, this blur of panic only lasted for but a moment until Curt took notice of the belt around the Garchomps waist, which held a very familiar stone, a stone that Curt, Embertail, Lockjaw, and Flare had a very personal encounter with. By the time he was putting two and two together, Cassie was already approaching the massive beast of a Pokemon, his name barely a whisper on her breathe, before embracing her long lost friend in a tear filled hug.

"W-woah, is that...is that Fang?", Embertail muttered out, his face mirroring his trainers in a mix of joy and shock. It was a rhetorical question of course, if it was wild it wouldn't be hugging the German girl with tears in its eyes. Nine had already sprinted over to the massive sand-dragon, almost a quickly as his trainer, with Peridot following shortly after. It was a touching scene, to see trainer and Pokemon, once torn apart by the travesties of fate, reunited in a joyous reunion. It made Curt reflect on the bond that he shared with his Pokemon, and them with him, and how they had come to consider each other family over their years living together and all the trials they had over come. Lockjaw, who was initially frightened by the dragons sudden appearance, now had a warm smile on his face, Jasper was trying to stay calm, a small smile oh her face and trying to keep it cool. Flare was also stunned by Fangs sudden appearance, and had a few questions, but seemed to abandoned them for the time being in favor of getting lost in the tender moment.

"R-rhena berreena bedrenns ldassdbeerna der lenh?", Barry slurred out, the drama of the moment completely lost on him, clearly he was still rather drunk off his arse.

"Uh, Barry, first of it's pronounced "Sharpedo", not "Speed-o", and that's not a mutant Sharpedo with leg's, it's a Garchomp...can kinda see how you mad the mix-up though", Embertail replied to Barry, though it was questionable if the Bidoof processed the words at all. Still, his confusion wasn't unfounded, may people believed that Garchomp and Sharpedo shared a VERY distant relative millions of years ago, though the sizable power difference between the two Pokemon lead to questioning of that theory. Still, some thought that the earth-bound branch of the Pokemon managed to uncover and tap into an ancient power of a Pokemon simply known as "The Keeper of Order", with the precious very few Gabite that manage to evolve into Garchomp being able to tap into that massive well of power. The idea of some Pokemon Scientists being so quickly to believe in statistical findings and evident as well as ancient myths at the same time both impressed and amused Curt.

"Uh, Rrharow, cherattha, grenesha, rharwans", Lockjaw said, a look of confusion and mild concern on his face.

"No, no, I hear you Lockjaw, it does seem to come out just a bit out of left field that Fang would just...be here, I mean, he was captured by Team Rocket along with the rest of Cassie's team, you'd think a Garchomp would sell for a extremely high price...", Curt murmered, thinking to himself.

"(Hmmm, perhaps, but then again, consider where we are and what Fang is, keeping a Garchomp subdued would cost a fortune alone, but here in the artic he's surrounded by Ice and cold, something a Pokemon like him is extremely unfond of, plus, in this area he's free to roam around in a pleasant environment, so he would have very little motivation to leave, at least, not until the warmer seasons come around. If you ask me, I think Team Rocket dropped him hear until they found a buyer for him, which would take a while, there aren't very many people who have enough money to afford a Garchomp"), Flare explained, and Curt and even Lockjaw had to admit, her explanation made a good deal amount of sense. Unfortunately, that also meant that Team Rocket could stop by at any minute to try and pick Fang up, and they would come in force if they were going to try and transport a Garchomp. Now, the chances they would come by today would be extremely slim, but knowing their luck....

"H-Hey wait a minute...if Fang's here then....", Embertail murmered, before perking up and running up to the reuniting Pokemon and trainer, "Fang, if you're here, then is the rest of Cassie's team also here? Can you lead us to them!?"

 

[Nygenn]

Kaguya stepping protectively in front of Salem, her arms wide and her chin up in the direction of the rustling on the opposite side of the stream, was the only warning Salem had before the Garchomp burst forth. It landed heavily on the other shore, cocked back its head and roared menacingly at the gathered group. It was a blood chilling roar which reverberated off the cavern walls and even caused violent ripples on the water surface.

Salem would have taken a step back from the intimidating entrance of the ground dragon if not for the brave little Mawhile standing protectively before him. If she was afraid she did not show it, but then she never showed fear, merely annoyance. Whether or not Kaguya actually felt the emotion at all Salem was not sure, he had never seen her afraid and having gained a better understanding of her strength in recent months he supposed that should not be so surprising. The cute, little Pokémon looked deceptively frail and harmless, but nothing could be further from the truth. Even facing down this menacing Garchomp, Kaguya gave no sign of worry though granted there was a stream and some distance between them still. There were others much closer to the sudden threat.

Salem could see that Ajax had turned around to train his cannons on the new arrival and he knew his big blue friend was awaiting for the order to fire. On his back Lady still lay, which was probably why the turtle had remained on all fours, and behind one of his legs Salem could see a frightened little Dratini shaking in the water, taking shelter.

Before Salem could call out however, Cassie stepped into the stream and into his line of sight. She was making her way towards the dragon seemingly entranced by it.

“Cassie!” he called out to get her attention.

‘What is she doing!?’ he thought in a panic. ‘She is going to get hurt!’

“Cassie what are you doing? Be care…”

The rest of his shout trailed off when the small woman dove into the dragon and, against all expectations, tackled it to the ground where a wrestling match ensued.

A sharp sting on his arm caused Salem to flinch and become aware of his more immediate surroundings again. Kaguya’s giant jaw was loosely locked around his arm and holding him back. His feet felt wet and he realized he had been halfway through the water ready to throw himself into the fight, except there was no fight he came to realize. He could hear Cassie’s musical laughter now and looking more closely the dragon seemed to have lost all of its menacing composure. Nine and Peridot arrived and seemed to be sharing in the joy, if their wild jumps and cheerful yips were any indication.

Salem was confused. Sure, he himself has often thrown himself onto large and wild Pokémon in his youth and quickly bonded with them that way, but he was sure that wasn’t common practice, and a gentle Tropius or Mantine was not quite the same as a vicious land shark. He had always known Cassie was pretty hardcore, but she had surprised him just now, scared him even. Looking at her now though, so happy and free, he was filled with a sense of relief and found himself smiling soon enough. The joy before him was infectious.

“You may let go now,” he said softly to Kaguya as he turned back to her.

She didn’t, but the pressure of her hold lessened and her stern expression softened into an apologetic frown. Salem chuckled and stepped closer to pick her up.

“Thank you for stopping me,” he told her and playfully tapped her nose. “I would have made a fool of myself, or otherwise gotten myself killed if that dragon meant harm.”

‘I would have gotten myself killed,’ he repeated to himself mentally. ‘For Cassie, again.’

Though rather than upsetting, Salem found that the realization made him happy.

‘For her,’ he thought fondly and smiled.

Just then Sorano came trotting up carrying Lenalee. He was holding the tiny cherry in his mouth by her stem and she was crying. It was surprisingly quiet, but large tears were nevertheless spilling freely from squinted eyes and rolling down her red cheeks. She did not appear to be in pain, so Salem figured that this was probably just a reaction to the scare of the dragon’s sudden appearance. He took her from the Absol and hugged her against his chest as one would a baby.

“There, there pequeño, it’s alright now,” he shushed her, looking over his shoulder at Cassie and her Pokémon to make sure he wasn’t lying.

“It was just Cassie’s big friend, saying hello… rather loudly. Look, everything is alright and everyone is happy.”

Salem pointed towards the other shore, but the tiny cherry in his arms apparently wasn’t ready to look or listen just yet, so instead he just sat down and continued to comfort the upset little Pokémon while tried to make sense of what had just happened.

It looked like the others knew the Garchomp that had just appeared. From his side of the stream he could see everyone had relaxed and he heard Embertail confirm his suspicions. Not only that, apparently there would possibly be more such encounters soon.

‘Is that why they are here Korska?’ Salem wondered. ‘Looking for lost friends?’

“Sir Curt!” he called to the blond man standing nearby, “Are you all here looking for lost Pokémon?”