The next morning everyone awoke, though none necessarily wanted to get up, feeling much to comfortable in the warm air of the tents and the softness of their sleeping bags. Tom had been awake for half an hour and Layla ten minutes, but still lay silently and comfortably in their grasps. The sleeping bag was snug and warm, a feeling one didn't often feel when on a journey like this, and so were each other. Michael and Melody awake and feeling the pain that had been felt the previous morning, preferred to lay still, safe in the drowsiness despite these feelings that assaulted them. Will and Valerie were shifting in and out of; neither bothering to acknowledge each other in their bedraggled appearance and choosing to slumber on. Even the Pokémon who slept outside took extra time to rest in the strength sapping warmth of the rising sun. All over that tiny island in the middle of a sea separating them from the mainland, not a sound was heard as all creatures unanimously lay silent. It was if the small island had become another world.


A screech from far above roused Michael from his daze, sounding again as he sat up, high up and unintelligible. He shifted his tired bones and unzipped the small tent flap, shivering as the cool air entered the comforting warmth around him, peeking his head out and starring up at the slowly brightening sky. He could make up three shadows against the purple sky of the morning, flying swiftly. Oddly, they seemed to be hovering over the island, circling it cautiously, a head peaking down from one of the silhouetted creature. Soon enough though, they reared up and flew away, on to the horizon and away from Hoenn. Although they were far away, he could tell there were figures seated upon those shadows heading the same way they were. It seemed to him that perhaps other people had decided to flee Hoenn before it could be completely taken from under them.


He lay down back on his sleeping bag but could not fall back into the welcoming haze of sleep, now having little choice but to get up and hold the unpleasant task of waking everyone else. It wasn't easy for everyone to get up, Tom and Layla panicking slightly when Michael had called to them through the red fabric of their tent. They had not told anyone of this arrangement yet, and although it would come out eventually, they would rather keep it private for now. They unzipped their sleeping bag and wiggled free of the small space, stepping out to join the others in pacing away their things. The tents were packed away, sleeping bags folded neatly into their bags, as well as a small meal of nuts and dried berries shared around. It lacked taste but it was at least nutritious, letting them make their way further so they had hopes of eating something proper again. Valerie's hair, usually long and smooth, now was bedraggled and unkempt; something that Will argued didn't matter in this situation. The two of them argued for a short while but eventually Will won over, convincing her to forget about it and tie it up in the end. Despite her complaining she was quite resourceful in finding a stray piece of fabric from the tattered shirt she had worn when she had first met Michael and Melody.


When all was settled, it was time to take off and once again begin the journey, which the three fliers were eager to do. Taking their places, the air swirled and twisted about them as the three Pokémon drew their wings out and launched themselves into the now pale blue sky. With the wind whipping against their faces and the thrill of soaring high above the ocean, save Layla who still preferred solid ground, Valerie actually saw the wisdom in tying her hair back, thinking that maybe Will wasn't too daft in his argument with her which he had won through sheer persistence.


They soared over oceans blue as a gleaming sapphire, taking the idle time during the flight to look down at the shifting mass of water. Oddly, they saw people down there, although scare and widely spaced. Tom was worried that they were stranded, washed away by the tide from the coast or some godforsaken ship, but soon realised that this was not the case. They were floating atop Pokémon, all of different shapes and sizes, surfing on the ocean to wherever they were headed. It still marvelled him to no end how Pokémon were utilized in this world. But looking back at Layla, he was reminded that it seemed a benevolent agreement. Pokémon helped humans, while humans cared and befriended, perhaps even loved, their Pokémon partners.


They again flew for hours to reach the mainland, but thankfully they arrived when the sun was at high noon. The mainland came into sight at first as only a thin black line, growing rough and defined as they approached, mountains visible in the distance while the sea flowed from fjords and river mouths. Over olivine they flew, not bothering to stop in the city that had given them trouble, as if it would just become another obstacle as they did. The sky stretched out above the region of Johto, which looked so very different to them now. They could the entire landmass, every city that stabbed the sky with spires of concrete and steel. They hadn't realised how th region curved, allowing two cities access to the ocean, the second of which was larger and unvisited by them. They flew on, past the rest stop where the kind old woman Bertha had sheltered them, and then past Ecruteak who's repair was easily noticeable. Then, as the sun faded on another day of flying, they again set down. This time was on the path which they had observed leading straight outwards from Ecruteak and on to the vast mountain range ahead. The sun was lowering but not near setting by this time, and everyone thought it was a good time to rest for the days travel, knowing that it would be sun down by the time they were rested and accepting that they would not bother going on in the dark. The three fliers set down in an open area conveniently located off the path and near a small river, allowing everyone to dismount.


The area was a simple clearing in front of the riverside; however it was obvious that it had seen use by travellers before. Rings of stones contained mounds of black ash from previous campfires, and some areas by the riverside lacked grass, flattened and torn by constant pitching of tents and sleeping areas in one spot. That small Buneary which Valerie cared for was out of its poke ball and eagerly inspecting the camp, running around without a care in the world, innocent to the sense of danger the other carried on their shoulders. Tom noticed Layla looking carefully at the river which ran alongside the clearing, water flowing like glass and looking just as cool, watching for something.


"What're you looking at?" he asked cautiously, to which Layla shushed him and continued watching intently as the water babbled through the brook. Tom abandoned pitching the tent for a moment, knowing Layla had sensed or seen something important and followed her gaze. Within a few seconds, the surface of the water broke, rather pitifully, as a small fish flapped over a rock and back into the stream. Layla gave a smile as her eyes lit up slightly, Tom dropping the tense stance he had been standing in, sighing and rolling his eyes in disbelief.


"You were watching for fish?" He said sardonically.


"You should know I can't stand berries when there is more proper food around." Layla said happily. Tom was inclined to agree despite the small scare he had received in thinking they were threatened by something unseen, quickly finishing pitching the small tent of theirs and heading for the river with Layla in tow.


"I guess food is a high priority for you, no toughing it and enduring like a soldier?" He jabbed amusingly.


"You're welcome to give me your share if you would rather endure it..." She replied playfully. Tom rolled his eyes and looked into the river, the water only reaching knee height on him.


"So, how do you think we would catch them? Tom asked. As if to answer Layla waded into the shallow river, her thick fur protecting from the cold like a blanket, fish swimming away from her feet as she moved. Tom looked on oddly as she stood stock still and watched the cool water running between her legs, eyes twitching from one spot to the other as fish resumed swimming around her feet.


"You're going to..." Tom wasn't able to finish as she thrust a paw down into the water with all of her speed, jabbing a single fish as it passed by. The fish became dazed, giving her enough time to grab hold and throw it to the bank, unable to hold the slippery creature for long in her paws. She gave a proud look and waved him into the water.


"That one is mine; catch your own if you want more." She said haughtily with a smug smile. Tom looked into the water, seeing the stream of fish that swam by as Layla kept her legs shock still. He removed his shoes, rolled up his pant legs as best he could and followed her in, the water stinging at first touch but numbing to a cool liquid flow as he tried to imitate Layla.


While the others pitched their own tents and unrolled sleeping bags, Tom and Layla fished for dinner, making sort of a contest out of it. Tom found it much harder, his reactions seeming too slow for the slippery little buggers. Layla did confess to using her aura abilities to sense when a fish was coming and predict its path, which annoyed Tom after they had had a contest out of it, but made him no less determined. The others wandered over and watched, staring oddly and wondering what the two were doing, soon understanding as a fish was jabbed, caught and thrown to the bank where a small group was amassing.


"Wow...how is she so quick?" Valerie asked as she watched Layla stab, grab and repeat on the fish flowing by.


"Lucario's can sense a special energy known as aura...I'm not certain what it is exactly, but it best approximates to what we would call spiritual, or crudely, 'life' energy..." Will explained proudly, having been doing some reading on Pokémon while he was bedridden, and finding it all so fascinating. "Sometimes they can use it to attack or defend themselves." Valerie thought over this for a second


"But...why do they attack with...'life energy'?" Valerie asked. Will smiled as he began to explain it all to her, what he had read and learned while she listened intently. The others ignored Will after he went off into his 'professor' persona, and instead kept watch on Tom and Layla. Melody gave a short laugh when she saw Layla fail to catch a fish and furrow her brows in frustration.


"What do you find funny?" Michael asked, having followed beside her and forced himself to stay close and not become repelled from her again.


"It's easier than they are making it..." She said slyly, approaching the river and leaning over the crystal water slightly, watching the fish flow by. Michael got the idea of what was happening as soon as he saw that familiar blue hum of light around her body, seeing her pluck five fish from the water without the slightest touch and levitating them embarrassedly, seeing how Layla scowled at her showing them both up.


"That is cheating..." she said simply. Tom laughing slightly from behind her.


"And your aura vision isn't?" he chided.


"It's...different..." she protested, forgetting and continuing on with her actions. "But we're still going to catch them the proper way." Tom didn't mind this, the challenge proving a distraction from the journey. Melody silently moved back to Michael after dropping the fish back in the river.


"Decided to let them have their fun?" Michael chuckled as he followed her back to the tents where Will and Valerie now sat, discussing certain Pokémon species and biology's. Melody nodded and looked back on the two in the river, slight envy in her gaze which she hid from Michael by instinct.



The sun had set as the fire was soon started, the mighty Salamence doing the favour of not only lighting the blaze, but cutting a tree down with a sweep of his claws. Despite the time it took to gather the fish over the afternoon, it all seemed to be worth it in the evening as they sat around the hearth enjoying their cooked meal, the work of the day making the meal taste all the better. As the sun set on the horizon and the meal was finished, everyone began talking amongst themselves. Valerie had stolen Melody away to talk to her for a small while, the friendship still being something she wanted to keep hold of, and of which Melody seemed to enjoy. Will tried to engaged in conversation with Michael as he stretched out on the grass, fire warming his feet now freed from tattered shoes.


"So do we have any idea at all of where we are headed?" he asked as if they were simply taking a walk through the park.


"Iron island, it's what Palkia said...we hope." Michael said, eyes fixated on the flames of the fire.


"I meant where are we going overall?" Will said. "We've been travelling for...well, I can't remember now, but what happens when this is all over?"


"...I don't understand." Michael said quietly. It was a simple question, but he simply didn't understand. It had seemed obvious that they would all go back to their own places; try to resume normal lives and such.


"If we do stop all this and fix it somehow, or even if we don't fix it and have to live in the end times, what do we do then?" Will said, keeping his casual tone, unworried it seemed, by the ramifications which he knew more than anyone else there, and perhaps more than anyone else anywhere. Michael thought about it, the flames seeming to dance over his eyes in the dark blue light of the landscape, sparking with every thought.


"Maybe...maybe we'll just all go back to our lives." He said slowly. "And if we can't stop it...then try to live happily for at least a small while."


"Go back to our lives?" Will mused, chuckling amusedly. "After this, I doubt any of us could go back to our lives."


"I'll try...I'll take Melody back home somehow and..." He sighed as he again felt the frayed bond between them acting up as he talked about the future of them both, as if it were protesting the thoughts. "We'll live as if this never happened, even if we do fix it, we'll try and be happy where we were."


"You can try all you want, but so far everyone is far to connected to go back to their lives." Will said. "I came along with you two because I thought we could do something, and I thought I may as well keep trying to give Melody a chance to return here. Tom joined in...I don't know why, but my best guess is that he knew it was safer to travel with more people, and then Layla decided to stay with us after she took a liking to him. Now we have that inquisitive little girl over there tagging along with us all. She probably feels at least a bit responsible for Melody now, after she cared for her while you were gone."


"What would you do?" Michael asked, turning the question on him, but not fazing Will's calm demeanour.


"I'd probably stay with you, if I've stuck through all of this nonsense then why not..." He said. "Besides, I have no idea where else I would go now." That statement hit Michael with a slight suddenness. He looked up from the fire to see everyone around him in their own worlds, talking or resting, but all were still a part of this small survivalist group. Melody looked so happy when talking to Valerie, as if she were talking with someone she had not seen for a long time, while Valerie was silent but listening, patting the small buneary now asleep in her lap and mewing silently. Tom and Layla were partners by now, and Will simply had nowhere else to go, but such was true for all of them.


Right now Layla was talking to Tom, but as Michael looked over he could see that Tom was no paying attention. His eyes were drawn behind Michael and into the trees. He cut off Layla as he muttered a little louder than he had intended.


"What is that?..." he said. Layla stopped and turned her head, as well as Michael to see find what Tom was talking about. Far off a soft arcane light seemed to flow across the sky, the source obscured by the treetops. Will sat himself up and turned to follow their gazes, eyes narrowing as he saw the glow.


"That...." he said slowly, drawing out the sudden thought and memory from long ago. "That looks like-"Will was cut off by a mechanical roar, the ground shaking slightly beneath them as beams of light shone through the trees beside their camp. The roar was joined by others as the ground continued to tremble slightly as they passed. The three flyers who sat by the edge of the forest raised their heads and growled slightly at the disturbance, but made no move to move and investigate.


Michael stood up along with Tom and Layla, beginning to edge towards the edge of the clearing where the small line of trees separated forest from path. Michael turned to Melody, who now had stopped to listen along with everyone else.


"Wait here..." he said quickly as he followed Tom to the tree line, pressing his back against of the trunks.


Tom and Layla took their own places hiding in the small area of forest and crept closer with Michael to the edge of the pathway. They had seen what was happening before they even poked their heads out from cover. A convoy of trucks, each camouflaged and painted with the same emblem of a shield crossed by two swords bearing Pokeballs on their hilts, lumbered down the path, causing the air to vibrate around them as they roared past.


"That's the military..." Tom whispered as he spied supply trucks, armoured cars and all terrain transports. "Where the fuck were they in Hoenn!". He ducked his head back as one particularly large vehicle lumbered by, carrying an artillery cannon on its flatbed.


"Maybe Hoenn doesn't have one..." Michael said, watching as the trucks continued down the dirt road.


"Every country has some kind of military, even the neutral ones." Tom muttered. "But where are they headed?"


"They're heading towards Kanto..." A voice spoke from behind Michael, turning to find had been Valerie, now standing behind Michael with Melody by her side. Michael sighed and looked at Valerie.


"I told you two to stay back there..." He said frustratedly.


"Melody wanted to see what was happening, we need to know too." Valerie whispered.


"We could have told you what was happening, we didn't want to be seen." Michael whispered back sternly.


"It's too loud, they wouldn't hear us..." Melody said, not needing to quieten her voice, contrasting loudly to everything else that was said.


"That's...never mind..." He said quietly, the trucks which rumbled past suddenly fading out as the last vehicle of the convoy passed.


Tom stepped out abruptly, Layla darting out beside him. Michael moved out onto the road, unprepared for the change of pace, the other two following alongside. Tom stood facing the direction the trucks had travelled and wore a solemn scowl on his face, light from the odd glow framing his features. Michael slowed as he turned to find the source of the brightness, Melody's eyes widening and Valerie gasping aloud. Beyond the mountains ahead where Kanto lay a storm of light was raging in the dark sky. Though far off it became a beacon of power in the night, twisting and churning the clouds around it.


"A portal..." Melody echoed quietly.


"W...where does it go?" Valerie asked quickly, eyes holding fear and mouth agape, having never seen the maelstrom of a portal so large, dwarfing even the flash of the one who she had seen over the temple a few nights ago.


"We have no idea." Will spoke as he approached from behind the group, choosing to sacrifice his place by the fireside and join the others, knowing where the portal lay and remembering how he knew such things. "But there is one like it in our world...and it was not too far from where we began.


"But where is it? It looks like it's going to destroy Kanto!" Valerie panicked, knowing she had family in Kanto, specifically her mother if she had not moved on by now. "Is it?..."


"No, no, it's located over a city, Viridian if my memory serves right." Will said, seeming to be the only one unfazed the appearance but having all the features of a ghost as the pale light glinted over his spectacles and made his hair seem to glow white like wool, a change from the timid man he could be in such situations. "There was a report of it a while ago and...It's probably unlikely but it could be linked to the one in our world."


"...what's going to happen?" Valerie asked quietly, slight whimper in her voice. Will sighed and shook his head.


"If it's big enough, it was keep growing...it could collapse, but that..." His face paled for a moment as a dark look passed over it. "That would do more harm than good right now."


"What can we do about it?" Melody asked with an edge of fear in her voice. Whenever they had gone near one of those things it had never worked out for the best. She had countered Michael after falling through one, and then she had lost him all the same. Even now, despite the broken bond trying to drive her away and draw her into a pit of loneliness and despair, she didn't want to risk that again. But she also feared for Valerie, who had been a lifeline for her when all of it had happened.


"Nothing, if we're lucky." Tom cut in. Will gave him an odd look but was forced to agree.


"Unless that Palkia creature happens to show up again then there is little we can do." He said. He had his own thoughts on Palkia, wondering why if it had closed the portal over the temple, why had it not closed the portal which was obviously more threatening to his own realm. Though in the back of his mind he hoped it would happen, just to see the sheer power of such a creature.


"So we're going to let it keep destroying viridian?" Valerie asked quietly.


"Girl, there isn't anything we can do, there...never has been." Tom sighed. "The best we can do is to keep moving and try to find wherever this 'Palkia' is leading us."


"And why..." Melody added. She and Layla appreciated the legend of Palkia more than anyone else in the group, Pokémon cultures always having revered the power of legendary creatures like Palkia, never able to comprehend why humans would rather study and try to disprove them.


The night wind picked up, brining a chill over them. They silently moved back to the campfire, which now flared and flickered in the wind, soon deciding after the day's events that rest was most satisfying thing for their minds.



They awoke the next morning and quickly made to start ahead, the glimpse of the portal which raged on the horizon becoming a sudden reminder of what they were against. The equipment was packed away and the Pokémon took off, meeting the glow on the horizon dead on as it threw light over the still darkened forest, being easily mistakable for a second sun. By the time the sun had arisen and the land was shrouded in misty morning light they had left the forest behind them, moving on to a rocky landmass, barren and dry. Paths were carved into the valleys below them, surrounded on all sides by high cliff wall, growing steeper the further they became to the incoming mountain range. The mounts ahead of them loomed ominously, serving to remind them of how small they were and how low they really flew as the peaks towered above them, capped in snow that shone as the sun bore down on it. Melody and Michael marvelled as they flew through the ranges, closed in on all sides by the stone giants, able to see the towering tips above as well as the lowly land beneath. A small gust of wind hit them from the side, Valerie having nudged the Skarmory to the right, inching closer to them to yell over the roaring of the wind to the two of them.


"That's mount silver!" She yelled excitedly, pointing to a mountain ahead which dwarfed the others around it, darker than the rest of the range with a large flat cloud hovering over it's peak. She quickly pointed ahead of it, slightly off to the side. "And that's the Indigo Plateau!".


"What's the Indigo Plateau?" Melody asked, straining her eyes to see the small speck of a building far ahead of them, just visible through the rocky land.


"It's the Kanto and Johto Pokémon Championship!" She called. "Only the best trainers ever make it to there, it's where the Region champion is!"


"Why is it hidden here?" Melody asked, unsure of why a champion who was so powerful would hide in a barren and impassable land instead of making their selves known.


"You can only get to it by going through Victory road." Valerie said. She saw the confusion still on Melody's face and continued to explain. "It's a tunnel to the plateau, there's lots of really powerful Pokémon and trainers in it, so it's a test."


"What about mount silver?" Melody asked, enjoying seeing for miles and spotting all the new landmarks.


"It's a place where only champions can go to train." She said, looking over the mountain, seeing the winding path which lead far up the rocky ground. "if you meet anyone there then they've been a champion once, so everyone tried to catch them when they go there."


By now they were exiting the mountain range, the towers of rock and snow parting to make way for a grand view, although marred by the great portal which raged even closer now. They could not see much further beyond it, light blocking their view of the landmass of Kanto. They flew ever closer to the portal, the Pokémon growing restless as they sensed the danger of the unknown disturbance. Tom called out to everyone, telling them that they would have to turn around and travel north, remembering the monk's directions that were promised to lead them to Sinnoh, where Iron Island was located and where this whole mess could soon end. A sharp bang caught him off guard as a sudden shockwave ran through the air beside only a short distance away from him, followed by a cloud of noxious black smoke.


"What was that?" Will yelled, crying out as more loud bangs and bursts of smoke erupted around him, the Skarmory he and Valerie were riding on roaring and veering backwards, trying to escape the smoke.


Layla gripped the Tom's back even tighter, crying out as the cacophony of sound rang around her, Tom now struggling to control the mighty blue dragon as he veered backwards and looked down upon the ground, scanning the land quickly and tryi9ng to find the source of the attack. His eyes widened as the saw an entire range of mobile cannons planted along the edge of the mountains, firing away.


"There! We have to land or we'll be killed!" He called out, pointing down to the cannons which thundered far beneath them. "Try to land behind them! They can't-". He was cut off as he heard a high pitched scream cry loud, followed by Michael's. He turned to see Melody hanging off the side of the tree like dragon, supported only by Michaels hand, who leaned dangerous close to falling himself. A large cloud of smoke lay only metres away from him and the Pokémon he flew on now thrashed and dove about.


"Dammit!" Michael screamed, the constant movement of the Pokémon beneath him threatening to tear away his grip.


"Don't let go!" Melody screamed, closing her eyes tightly, terrified to even look at how high they were. Valerie grabbed hold of the Skarmoy's neck and pulled towards the two, forcing the Pokémon to veer sideways and forget the barrage around it. She looked at Michael with a determined look that told him she would never let him live if he let go of Melody, reaching her hand out to Melody and calling out over the howling din.


"Grab my hand!" She called desperately, leaning over even further to trying to grip Melody, who reached out, cracking an eye open slightly only to find where her hand was. Melody grabbed her hand quickly but the sudden weight, despite how light melody was, pulled Valerie down. She would have fallen if Will had not reacted and grabbed her sides, holding on tightly as Melody hung between the two, a thousand feet over the ground. Tom soared past the two, calling out as he descended.


"Get down! Get her back onto that thing and land!" He yelled, pressing his body close into the Salmence's as it began to dive, wings folding back and letting gravity pull it down at tremendous speeds.


Michael pulled hard along with Valerie, soon lifting Melody to a point where Michael could reach out and grasp her with both hands, lifting her in front of him and sliding backwards to allow room. He leaned forward, gripping her waist and pushing her close to the neck of the Tropius.


"Hold on..." he said, close enough to melody's ears that he didn't need to yell, as the Tropius seemed to suddenly stop in midflight, wings pausing and rearing backwards. For a moment, there was no force to pull them down, feeling as if they could float away on the breeze if they let go. But that changed when the Tropius roared and threw its neck down, angling its body and beginning as steep dive. The wind roared past their ears, ripping at Michael's clothes and hair as the pressure of such a fast fall grow on them. Behind them Will and Valerie had done the same and were know plummeting to earth with them. The guns that had been firing on them made no attempt to follow them as they dived down, despite the fact that they were diving right into the path of the weapons, aiming for the pathway slightly behind the cannons.


The Pokémon dived so fast for so long that it seemed as if they might crash, but they were smarter and stronger than that. With only a few hundred metres left, they pulled out their wings and reared backwards, the force of gravity leaving the riders and threatening to pull them back into the sky. The landing was softer than expected, with the fliers gently settling on the ground, still spooked after being fired upon. The ground was dry along with the air, dust flying up around them as they landed. Tom slung his leg over and slid off the Salamence, looking above them to a small cliff only a few metres high where the cannons were clearly visible.


"AA guns...why would they need those?" He said, the others dismounted around him. Layla sighed heavily in relief as she stepped onto solid ground Valerie immediately ran to Melody before Michael could even dismount, grabbing her tightly and hugging her.


"I thought you were going to fall!" She said quietly. "I was scared..."


"I'm okay..." Melody said soothingly, although still shaken from the brush with death. "You and Michael both helped me." She turned as Michael dismounted, walking up to her and putting his hands on her shoulders, sighing in relief.


"Sorry..." he mumbled, not knowing exactly why he was apologising but somehow feeling responsible. For Melody it was more of a reassurance. She felt her spirits lift a little in knowing that he still wanted to be with her even, keeping his promise despite the instincts not to.


"Don't be." She said, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead, blushing more than she felt she should have. He smiled a bit, shaking his head slightly in embarrassment. The sound of crunching rocks came to their ears, quickly grower louder and closer, drawing their heads up to see a small transport vehicle round the corner of the rocky slope and wave them down.


"That's the military..." Tom said as he spotted the insignia on the side of the truck, the same insignia that they had seen on the ones on route to Kanto the previous night. The transport slowed as it approached, a three soldiers dressed in heavyset vests and combat clothes exiting from the back, holding high powered rifles in slings around their shoulders. Behind them trailed two Pokémon, the first being a fox like creature with cream coloured fur that shimmered in the sunlight, nine curled tails sprouting from its back, and the second a strange green creature that resembled a praying mantis with claws like scythes and a tough bug like skin. Both were wearing armour as well, seemingly custom tailored to their body types, allowing easy movement as the two followed behind the soldiers. Tom kept himself ready, although he did not know what use it would be, despite the soldiers having shown no aggression so far.


"Are you trainers?" one of them called out, soon coming to a stop in front of the group, a middle aged man with wide eyes and a sharp nose, jaw set heavily. He kept his hands away from his rifle to show he was not threatening.


"Travellers, just trying to make our way to the Sinnoh region." Tom said, watching the three carefully.


"Well you can't go any further than this I'm afraid, Viridian and a 2 kilometre radius around it is restricted." He said. "Why are you heading to Sinnoh?"


"We're all heading for our families." Michael spoke up. "Valerie and her grandfather are going back home and...I'm entering my Gardevoir in some beauty contests." Will scoffed when he heard the lie about him being Valerie's grandfather, Valerie looking at Will with an odd stare, trying to imagine the same. Michael hoped it would hold up, he didn't know of any contests in Sinnoh.


"Ah, another one..." The solider said, rolling his eyes. "Since Hoenn was overrun everyone's been flocking to Sinnoh for the contests...they've been told to cancel them with everything that's happened, but they won't."


"Why weren't you in Hoenn?" Tom asked slowly. "We were...In Hoenn before the ferry was shut off. They've taken over half the sodding region, why aren't you stopping them? And why did you try to shoot unidentified civilian targets down?" he growled the last part, remembering how close they were to being killed by a shot. The soldier sighed and gave him a hard stare.


"We weren't fast enough to mobilize and they're too fortified by now, Hoenn doesn't have a military force because they're too small. The region was shut off to try and stop the aqua and Magma organizations to stop spreading easily. We don't know where they acquired their high powered weaponry and we are refusing to strike at the region via air to prevent civilian causalities. It's out of our hands and what is going to be done is still being decided on." He listed off. "Those are all the questions people always ask, and those shots are to deter people from straying into the area, all aimed to miss their targets. They're a recent addition to the line."


"Why would anyone want to go there? Why the extreme measures?" Michael asked, looking above them to the small cliff where the AA guns sat, silent and idle now


"A few people got through last night." The soldier said, remembering the sudden assault on their lines from above. "A group of people flew past the border of the area, we sent some men away on fliers to warn them but they responded violently. Two of the three men were killed along with their fliers, we know take extra measures to prevent intrusion."


"That guy was huge, built like a mountain, looked like a dark skinned monster to me. Had a big scar across his chest too, like he'd wrestled some wild animal..." The second soldier spoke up, shaking his head in disbelief as he recounted the leader of the group who had killed his two comrades. "God, he fired that rifle with one hand, one hand!"


"Hayden, quit your theatrics, we're on duty..." The first soldier snapped, silencing the other. He turned his head back to the others and motioned to the second soldier. "He was the surviving flier."


"...is there anyone left in Viridian?" Will asked as he looked down the hillside to where the city lay in the distance.


"We don't know, we stopped sending rescue teams in after some of them didn't come back." He said. "We're just guarding the border so no one else is killed in there."


"Well, are you monitoring that portal?" Will said exasperatedly. "What if it flares up or collapses? You're going to have far greater trouble than people going into that city if you aren't!" The solider raised an eyebrow as he looked at Will, speaking slowly.


"We have a small group of people trying to monitor it...but they don't have much of an idea why it's happening." He said, eyeing Will slightly.


"Well...have they even thought of what a portal that size can do?" Will said, throwing up his hands."You're all sitting on a powder keg waiting to go up, here."


"Sir, do you have any knowledge of these matters?" The soldier asked, wondering how Will seemed to know far more about the potential of these disturbances than any of them.


"I'm a quantum theorist." Will said matter-of-factly. "and if you really want to know what this thing is then tell me where these other researchers are!". Michael watched oddly, wondering why they did not simply leave and continue their way to Sinnoh as planned. He simply wanted to get to Sinnoh and find out what was going on, before their time, and his time with Melody, however long that was now, ran out.


The soldier looked at the others, who shrugged in return, before unclipped a small radio from his belt and speaking into it quickly. The other two soldier looked at each other quizzically, wondering what was going on, ending their thoughts with a shrug. The first solider nodded and spoke a confirmation into his radio before turning back to them.


"My commanding officer has agreed to let you see our research team, he also hopes that you have relevant information and are not wasting time."He said, motioning to the truck which idled behind them. "Get on board, we'll take you to the base." Tom shot Will a slightly withering look, wishing, like Michael had, to simply get on with the journey. Will briskly made his way to follow the soldier, Tom reluctantly following with Layla behind him, Michael, Melody and Valerie all bewildered as to where they would be going exactly. Michael turned to the three Pokémon which had flown there here dedicatedly, happy to have had them along for this leg of the journey.


"Thank you...for taking us here." He said awkwardly, not used to thanking equally intelligent creatures that could not talk back to him. Melody couldn't help but give a small laugh at his social ineptitude and spoke up, being more experienced in the matter, choosing to speak in her natural tongue to give a more personal feeling to the thanks. The three Pokémon bowed their heads and responded in kind. The large Tropius bent its neck down and looked at Michael through green dragon like eyes. Michael tentatively reached out a hand and put it over the leafy green scales on the creatures head.


"Thank you." He said quickly, the creature then moving its head back up and unfurling its wings. Valerie seemed more comfortable around the Skarmory, happily starching the soft flesh behind its head where the metallic scales did not reach, saying a small goodbye, doing the same for the Salamence.


With that, the three Pokémon turned and flexed their wings a few times, strong leg muscles tensing back before launching them forward into the sky with a gust with wind. They didn't look back as they climbed higher into the sky until they were nothing but a small black figure against the sun. Michael, Melody and Valerie then followed the other to the truck idling a short while away. The soldier looked over them all as they entered the back of the truck, stopping Tom and Michael before they entered, glancing over Melody and Layla.


"It'd be easier on space and logistics if they were to be in their pokeballs." He said. The two Pokémon who had travelled with the soldiers still remained outside a pokeball, but it seemed that with the armour, and perhaps their duty, they were allowed to remain that way.


"They don't have pokeballs." Tom said, drawing an odd look from the solider.


"They're wild?" He asked. Wild Pokémon were known to sometimes travel with trainers, but it was often temporary, until the Pokémon decided to leave or to join the trainer.


"They're ours but...we lost their pokeballs a while ago." Michael said quickly.


"How did that happen? It's hard to lose something that important." He said, eying Michael slightly.


"They dropped when you starting firing on us..." Michael said, trying to imitate venom in his voice. The soldier shook his head before motioning them in.


"Afraid we can't give you new one's but in that case they'll have to stay outside for a while." He said, the truck starting to life again and jerking into gear.


"I think both of them like it better that way..." Michael sighed, the truck kicking up dust as it started off, rattling along the hard ground and starting down the mountain to the forests edge. Will was fidgeting the entire ride, face hard and staring straight ahead into, unfortunately, a very uncomfortable solider, turning thoughts over in his mind. He knew Palkia had acted before, he also knew that this portal was far larger than the one it had closed and had even been open for far longer, which surely only gave it time to grow or to collapse in a great cataclysm. He didn't understand why that legendary creature which seemed as if it could be the salvation of the world had not even been near it, nor why such a powerful being had been, by the sound of it, frightened off soon after it took action. He was told that it had been struggling like it was in pain, but from what? Was it weakened? Did it detect another, larger portal? Couldn't it fix this in a flash if it were a master of space, the power to perhaps exist in multiple places at once? Will turned the questions over and over in his mind, finding few answers, insignificant in their own right and raising even more questions he could not fathom.



The truck slowed slightly after entering the forest that seemed to cover these regions, homes for Pokémon, a balance between man and beast. The stopped for only a few seconds before continuing on, past a small checkpoint, chain link gates guarded by two soldiers and topped with barbed wire, stretching out into the forest for god knows how long. It was only a few minutes before they entered a small encampment, blocked by another checkpoint, where the truck shuddered to a halt. Everyone was quickly shuffled out of the truck and lead through the small encampment to a small white tent, entrance marked with a large S. Although they only got the chance to quickly look through the grounds it was obvious these men were organized well, with various soldiers checking weapons, maintaining vehicles or performing small menial jobs. Only a few were at rest. Pokémon were in no short supply either, most seemingly partnered with soldiers and acting as pairs or even trios as they carried out various tasks. Will had to resist the urge to laugh when he observed a squat, monkey like creature handing tools along with one soldier who was servicing the underside of a car. Portable shacks and housing was set up around the area, all arranged in a large circle, serving as barracks, armouries, medical stations and storage rooms. The soldier stopped them before they entered the tent, motioning to the others behind Will as he spoke.


"Right now we can't allow you inside." He said. "Only this man is permitted to see our information right now, you'll have to remain outside until then."


"How long are we going to be here?" Tom asked, not very eager to spend the night in a camp of soldiers who might be more trouble than they were worth.


"If this man can help us significantly then he may have to stay here for a while, however you are all welcome to leave if it comes to that." He said, motioning towards one of the small portable cabins. "That's the rec area; you can take a rest in there until we're done. If this turns out to take longer then I'll arrange for a few cots to be put in there for you all."


"Don't worry if this takes too long." Will said, turning to the others with a sly grin. "Surely that beauty contest in Sinnoh can wait if this is so important." Tom rolled his eyes and glanced at Michael. The man had lied a little too well, and now Will seemed to be taking advantage of this chance to satisfy his scientific urges. Will chuckled and entered the small tent, the others being left to their own devices. Each made their way to the recreation room which they had been directed to, unsure of how long this would take, and this slightly detour would do any harm in the long run. Layla grabbed Tom's hand for a moment, stopping him and motioning towards to the centre of the camp, a large open area holding nothing but a slightly deflated soccer ball.


"It's been a while since we've sparred, hasn't it?" She said, indirectly asking her question. Tom laughed slightly and motioned for the others to go on, knowing they would know what would be happening soon enough. They both made their way to the bare dirt patch in the middle of the encampment, Layla deciding not to bother letting go of Tom's hand as they walked there.


"Any excuse to try and give me a beating when we're finally not fighting anything." Tom chuckled as they walked.


"Maybe you'll get lucky and hit me this time." Layla chided, Tom taking it as a challenge as they let go of each other's hands and put a few paces between them.


"Or you'll get lucky and come out with only bruises..." Tom said, taunting her as they took stances, Layla giving a playful growl that was supposed to seem threatening.. By now some of the soldiers had turned their heads, seeing the newcomers in obvious close combat positions, wondering, and in a way hoping, about what would come in next. They were not disappointed.





Michael, melody and Valerie all took a place in the small portable room, equipped for easy travel but containing enough comforting amenities to make sure duty was never too stressful for the men and women in the camp. A large flat screen television was bolted to one wall, connected to the satellite on top of the cabin and also to a video game system which Michael could swear he had seen before, unsure if the Nintendo Company somehow had originated here as well. Small kitchen in one corner with microwave and fridge, card table with various poker hands already splayed out in the other, and three large couches, worn and bolted to the floor, sat in the centre of the room facing the television. Valerie sat down on one of the couches with a sigh and allowed the small buneary out of its pokeball, which showed the same mirth in inspecting it's surrounded as whenever else she had summoned it, chattering and running back to Valerie as she opened a small bag of Pokémon feed.


"Have you named him yet?" Michael asked, watching the rabbit Pokémon eat it's food without complaint from Valerie's hand. She paused for a moment, thinking it over. She hadn't named him, and it seemed that half of other trainers never named their Pokémon, so it had not often occur to her as to what to call him.


"No...I've never thought of it much." She said, patting the Pokémon's fluffed ears gently. "He's not even mine...I wonder if his trainer misses him."


"With the way Hoenn is, I'm sure he would be happy that his friend is safe." Melody said, catching fleeting glances at her childhood as she watched the young creature.


"Or he might not be around for him anymore..." Michael said without thinking. Melody glared at him when he said it, something which unnerved him as he had never seen aggression from her before, the sharpness in her eyes almost cutting. "I....that slipped out..."


"I'm sure he isn't-" Melody started, Valerie cutting her off gently.


"No...Michael might be right." She sighed, taking out another small handful of food for the buneary. "If his trainer is...gone, then it's up to me to care for him." Melody gave a slow nod, but still didn't like the pessimistic idea. Michael looked around, eager to change the subject since his accidental outburst. He smelt it before he saw it, his dishevelled clothes and hair, body smelling heavily of sweat. He only now noticed how uncomfortable it felt to sit in those unwashed clothes.


"I'm going to find a shower..." He said, doubting that it would be a hot one if he did. Valerie stood along with Melody, both of them also liking the idea of finally washing the dirt and grime away from their bodies.


"Great, I need one as well." Valerie laughed, her hair shining with grime, knotted in many places down the back. Washing didn't exactly have a high priority on the list when you were travelling so desperately.


"Yes, it's...uncomfortable to be this dirty." Melody agreed, her hair also now showing signs of mistreatment, the ends of her dress greyed with dirt from the ground and her pale white skin showing small spots of dirt. Michael sighed and let them follow him, out the door and through the yard to an area marked as the showers and restrooms. They didn't have to worry about the soldiers who occupied the camp, nearly all of them now watching and cheering on the fight between Tom and Layla, both of who had started using slightly more complex and crowd pleasing maneuvers in their spar as they were cheered on.


The three of them made their way into their own separate areas, male and female. For a moment Michael caught himself wondering what it would be like to shower with Melody, shaking his head, knowing that was getting too far ahead of himself. Perhaps if they still were bonded it would not seem so difficult, each knowing each other's intentions and feelings, it would not be awkward to them to do so. The water was at the very best lukewarm, but occasionally would run cold, eliciting a sudden gasp or eep from Valerie or Melody, something he couldn't help up laugh at. At least until it happened to him, upon which the other two had their laughs. It was not a long shower, the water alternating between cold and lukewarm not being too pleasant an experience, forcing the three out after only five minutes. It helped to be clean again though, their clothes having been given a quick rinse as well, wringed out and put on again slightly damp, but much better than before. Michael waited for the other two at the entrance of the showers, not having to wait long before Melody and Valerie exited, both seeming happy to be clean again.


His eye caught them white linen, now greyed with wear and slightly frayed, wrapped around Melody's shoulder. He hadn't even noticed to again until now, and neither had Melody, in fact he hardly remembered giving her the painkillers which she had been taking every morning, it had become routine. He tapped her shoulder slightly, lightly enough to not cause pain in case it was still tender, making her turn her head to see what he was getting at.


"That might be ready to come off..." he said, Melody looking down to the bandage. She still felt the pressure it put on the wound, but now it hardly pained her at all. Sometimes it would ache dully or rub the wrong way against the gauze but it felt almost healed. The bandages were lucky to not have fallen off with the state they were now in. "Does it still hurt?"


"Not much...it used to burn when I moved, like my skin was on fire..." She said, lightly rubbing the bandage as they made their way back to the cabin. Tom and Layla had stopped fighting but now it seemed as if the soldiers wanted in on the matches too, one of them trying, and failing as Tom had the first time, to predict the deft Lucario's movements. Tom watched the young plucky lad be easily thrown to the ground, who had not had time to analyse and know Layla's distinctive fighting pattern. It reminded him of his former days, and a scowl passed over his face, which he would rather not remember. The three made their way past, not exactly interested in the gladiatorial entertainment, climbing the stairs and re-entering the cabin.


Melody sat on one of the couches, again rubbing the fabric of her bandage. Michael could see even without the bond that she was hesitating to remove it for some reason. She fiddled with the small pin which held it in place, never undoing it and seemingly trying to forget it. Michael sat down next to her and reached out for the bandage, putting his hands on the pin but asking permission before he removed it.


"Do you want it to come off?" he asked. She struggled to answer, but he was unsure of why. Valerie watched from the other side of the couch, still concerned about that wound which had hopefully now healed.


"Yes...it's alright." She finally said, letting Michael pop the pin out of the fabric, placing it on the table in front of the couch. He unfurled the linen, careful not to tug too tightly as it unravelled, soon falling away on its own. Some of the lower layers were stained red with blood, sometimes to the point of remaining partially damp with the sickly fluid, injuries from when the wound was new. Finally he removed the last of the cloth which covered her shoulder. Two pads were pressed against the wound, packed with gauze. They fell away when Michael tugged at them, Melody slightly whining at what she saw. The dress which covered part of her shoulder had not repaired itself, the hole in the natural garment remaining, frayed like fabric but unquestionably part of her body. Below that the white skin of her shoulder bore an unsightly scar, a raised and discoloured bump of flesh, small lines of scar tissue stretching out from it like a spider's web, crawling over her shoulder. She pulled away the shoulder of the dress, too shocked to noticed the rising heat on Michael's face as she did so, seeing the scar left from the bullet she had taken.


"That looks....horrible..." She whimpered, running a finger over the raised skin, still slightly tender.


"Your dress covers it." Valerie said, eyeing the torn hole in the garment. "Maybe you can patch the hole up, no one will notice it then."


"It's only a small scar." Michael said. "It'll fade, it shouldn't be a worry."


"Stop talking like it's your own body..." Melody hissed quietly, hurt evident in her voice. "I don't like it..."


"Melody, it won't make you less...attractive" he said gently, choosing the word with care. "It's only one small thing, but you're still..."


"It's not okay!" She yelled, telepathic voice almost screeching, drilling into Michael's head. "I don't like it! They...they're horrible!" She said, raising herself from the couch, small tears clinging to the sides of her eyes.


"What's wrong with it?" Michael asked, trying to be gentle in the matter. It wasn't like Melody to become angered about such a thing; it wasn't like her to become angry at all, he knew that much already, even when he had become angry she had remained calm.


"I-It reminds me...I don't like it!" She screamed, Valerie moving behind her and gently gripping her shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. She seemed to lose the anger she held when Valerie did this, instead turning and crumpling into Valerie's grip like she was crying into her mother's arms again. Michael was left looking lost. He wanted to help her, he wanted to hold her and say it was all going to be okay like Valerie had done, but now that frayed bond had chosen to grip his chest, repelling him as he listened to the anger and the pain in her cries.


"Melody...shhh, Melody..." Valerie whispered, as if Melody was like a young child who had come crying to her big sister for comfort.


Michael turned and left wordlessly, feeling it would be better, probably for the both of them, to be away from each other right now. It seemed that any comfort he would try to give right now would be thrown back at him, but he knew he could not blame her for it, even though he didn't understand why she felt as she did about the scar on her shoulder. He made his way out into the yard, Tom and Layla now nowhere in sight, the crowd having dispersed back to their stations and having resumed their small duties around the area. The disconnected feeling of the camp now made him feel even worse about it all. He made a few laps around the area, just trying to walk off the feelings for a small while, before turning and making his way out into the small forested area which surrounded the camp right before the chain link fences that separated it from the rest of the forest.


He sat down against the trunk of a tree, thick and gnarled, which stood only a short distance away from the edges of the cabins around the camp. He ran his hand through his still damp hair, breathing deeply as he hung his head, trying to find calm before he had to face the journey again. He still had idea true idea of how long Will would hold them up here, he didn't even know why he had done so. He had seen the hard look on Will's face while riding to the camp, calculating and perhaps confused about something. He suspected there might be something else to this visit, but had no idea what to truly suspect about the eccentric man.


A sound caught his ear, a small gasp which he heard easily through the silence of the forest, coming from a short distance away. He turned, trying to find the disturbance, but saw nothing, until he heard it again, this time a soft sigh. He saw a small blur from behind a tree only a few metres away, whipping outwards again and hitting the ground, furred and blue. He pulled himself up, making his way over, the sound of his footsteps going unnoticed as he heard a small moan, almost sounding like a soft growl. He perked a brow and made his way around the tree, staying a few feet away.


Layla was sitting on Tom's lap, back to his chest with his hands on her shoulders and midsection, making gentle motions and rolling over the soft fur. She slowly squirmed in Tom's grip, letting out small gasps and moans, feeling the muscles under his grip relax as if melting away. She had kissed him before, leaning her head back as she lay in his massaging grip and giving a tired but loving kiss, her body still feeling hot from the workout earlier. She would have done it again if through the haze of feelings going through her body she had not heard the shuffling of feet, followed by the call of Michael's voice.


"Hey, finished your duelling today?" he asked casually, Layla's eyes snapping back open from their half lidded state and feeling herself tense almost painfully as she sat up straight. Tom moved his hands back to her shoulders, trying to sound casual as he responded, clearing his throat slightly.


"Yes, we're done for today..." he said, continuing to rub one of Layla's shoulders. "Her shoulder cramped so I'm trying to relax it..."


"Is she okay now?" Michael asked, swearing he saw a blush under Layla's fur, noticing how she panted and breathed heavily, perhaps from the earlier spar.


"Well...her anatomy is different...but she's okay now." Tom said, trying to satisfy Michael's curiosity so he could leave them to their own devices again, having rather enjoyed seeing Layla, a proud and strong fighter, melting into his arms with only a few precise touches over her body.


Unfortunately this was the moment Will spotted them, having emerged from the tent to find them and made his way around the area, know walking to them from in-between the cabins. He eyed Tom and Layla with a small curious eye, chuckling inwardly and adding to his suspicion of the two. He hid this and spoke.


"I've got something to show you all." He said slyly. "We've discovered something unusual about that portal, you really need to come and see it." He didn't give them a chance to ask questions and instead quickly skipped away, not elaborating further. Michael watched him walk away as Tom sighed, Layla whining annoyedly as she shifted off of his lap and stood on two slightly shaky feet. The three of them followed, having not much choice in the matter if they wished to leave as soon as possible. But the look on Will's face did nothing to assure them of that.