Fandom Pokemon Roleplay

[GamerKitty205]

The various Team Plasma bases scattered around the region were not what one would call cozy. After all, who has room for comfort and luxury in the pursuit of a goal like freedom? Liberty? Or perhaps bare walls and cold chairs were just cheaper, easier to maintain. Even their fabled king’s castle was not the kindest, long empty halls that echoed every sound and seemed lonely even when filled with people.

Regardless of the reason, the atmosphere did not help the daunting task of accepting a mission from one of the seven sages any easier. Not for an admin, and certainly not for a trainer new to the team. Zinzolin sat across from the two young men, inspecting each of them thoroughly with cold eyes.

The sage cleared his throat. “As you know, it will soon be time for our young king to ascend the throne and enact ‘his’ vision of the world. However, there are still things to be prepared.”

He pulled out a file, placing it on the table and sliding it towards Jericho. “It will be your job to follow up on several possible locations of the legendary dragons. However, as this must be done with the utmost secrecy you will not be leading a group of grunts.”

“Instead you have been assigned a partner, Mr. Sinclair.” He motioned to Atlas who jerkily nodded at the mention. “He may be new, but shows aptitude at diplomacy and deception. I’m sure he will be a help with some of your... peculiarities.”

He fixed them with a sharp look. “I trust the two of you understand the gravity of this mission. And I wish you luck.”

( hermialuvs )

 

[hermialuvs]

Jericho took the file as soon as it was given to him, looking it over as the sage spoke. Although he remained rigid in his stance, internally Jericho's gut was heavy with the anticipation of locating the legendary dragons. Epic tales that he had grown up with echoed around in his skull, before being pummeled down by the memory of harsher, colder nights.

Still, it wouldn't do him any good to linger on old, unpleasant memories. "Rest assured that the mission will be treated with the utmost importance, and will be completed swiftly," Jericho said with a nod, keeping the file below his arm. That was all he needed to say, and he certainly was not going to voice his own displeasure at being assigned a partner, even if he understood the reason. If nothing else, Jericho certainly hoped that Sinclair was going to be more competent than some of the other grunts that Jericho had to supervise.

He turned his head toward Atlas, motioning with an expectant tilt of his head for Atlas to follow him out to begin their mission. "You, Sinclair," Jericho said in a low voice to him, his head faced forward. "I understand that you must be skilled...after all, not everyone gets assigned to such an important mission not long after they join." Jericho didn't look back at Atlas, keeping his eyes straight ahead of him, though questions did roll around in his head.

It's not as if he made it a habit of questioning the intentions or orders of his superiors...not aloud, anyway. He was not and wouldn't be convinced of his partner's abilities until he got to see them in action for himself. And Jericho had to wonder about Atlas, or what 'peculiarities' of his the sage had been talking about, while he already made plans on how to travel the distance to each location, and where he wanted to visit first.

(Now's not the time to act like an insecure, petulant child, Jericho reminded himself roughly. So long as Atlas could indeed cover his weaknesses, then it was useless to get offended so easily.)

"But before we make our first trip to Icirrus...tell me, why you joined this cause, and if you truly, strongly believe in it." This time, Jericho did turn his eyes over to Atlas, sharp dark lavender eyes looking over his new partner. Many grunts truly believed in the cause of liberating Pokemon from their trainers, among other reasons, though there were a small chunk that lacked the backbone to stick to the cause once it got too hard. Jericho wanted to at least hear it from Atlas first, as if he was trying to extract some sort of promise from him.

 

[GamerKitty205]

Atlas could hardly believe what he was hearing! Or well, that was untrue. He had felt the gentle thrum in the back of his head of something spectacular, the light heady feeling of good fortune. Still, being assigned a mission to locate the legendary dragons? Such an opportunity would allow him to gain a lot of information on plans most run of the mill grunts weren't privy to. The only question was if he would be able to relay that information. It was much easier to slip away when he was one grunt in a crowd as opposed to the partner of an admin known for being serious and uptight.

But that was a problem for future Atlas (and he knew that for a fact.) Right now his focus was the mission, and of course, bonding with his newly assigned partner. About a second too early Atlas was up out of his seat, following behind Jericho with light bouncy steps. Atlas smiled at the man's words, as cold and questioning as they were. "I will admit, it seems like an odd twist of fate to me as well. I knew I was a bit above my peers, but I never expected this." He said, his voice light and airy. Not that being better than the rest of the newbie grunts was difficult. Their skill level tended to range from just average to absolutely abysmal. It was a wonder they got anything done with some of the people they employed. Then again, there was power in numbers and that was not a thing Plasma lacked.

Atlas chuckled ever so slightly as Jericho's question, smile not falling or faltering at the obvious interrogation. "It's simple! We humans have used—abused pokemon for much too long! To deny such creatures their freedom, their agency is a tragedy. A crime even." Atlas hated how easily the words rolled off of his tongue. Even if that was Team Plasma's true goal, he couldn't get behind it. He shouldn't. To think that simply removing humans and leaving pokemon to the wilds was a solution was to be more naive than even him. And that was a feat in itself. "I could not simply stand by while brave souls such as yourself are trying to change things for the better."

Atlas let the words linger in the air for a moment affixing Jericho with a look, blue eyes glittering with curiosity. He tilted his head to the side, as if trying to peer into the admin rather than just looking at him. "And what about you? What is the reason for your employment at this fine organization?" Atlas asked. "And in such a prestigious position! Many would balk at the weight on your shoulders. Though I suppose it makes sense." His voice dropped into something cooler, more intentional. "An imposing man for an imposing role." Atlas punctuated the sentence with a laugh, quickly sliding back into a lighter air. He wondered how much of that cold, threatening attitude was real. He wondered if he would be able to uncover it over the course of this mission— it was well known Jericho had a bit of a temper, but was that all there was? Atlas hoped it was not the case, the next few weeks were going to be painful if his partner was going to remain as frosty as mount coronet the whole time.

 

[hermialuvs]

Ah, of course, Jericho had expected the question to be turned around on him next. It was only natural, after all, and Jericho knew his answer all too well, regret and resolve hardened against and around one another, as he thought about two small children alone in the world with no one but each other, and then one child with no one at all. But the full truth was something that Jericho didn't intend to share. "I do believe that pokemon abused by their trainers should and must be liberated from them. But more generally, some people just need to be put in their place," he said. "People who abuse their power over anyone should be separated from any connection to that power they have."

It wasn't the whole truth, but it was a part of it. Jericho didn't believe in the full separation of people and pokemon, nor did he think that it was a goal that was going to be easily reached, with how ingrained it was into their society, no matter how much they challenged it. Some people were too attached to their pokemon, some grunts in the organization included. Not to mention that in order for them to fulfill Team Plasma's goal of liberating all pokemon, they may have to indulge of some of the very actions that they preach so much against.

Perhaps some people were kind to their pokemon, all the smaller, insignificant citizens of the world. But many had the power, the position to change the world (at least, in the eyes of his child self) and also had powerful pokemon to back them up as well, to quell any challenges.

And Jericho just wanted to hurt them, really. If cutting ties between pokemon and humans made it easier to do so, then so be it.

"That's all you need to know." Jericho let out a low breath then, and he mentally mapped the distance between here and Icirrus. "Now, to Icirrus City. We could fly there, or get through Route 7 there. Flying would get us there faster, but perhaps if we take a more thorough look around nearby areas, we could potentially discover more." The locations noted were only possible, but not exact, and Jericho figured that it wouldn't exactly help if they developed tunnel vision on one exact area instead of considering what was nearby as well.

 

[GamerKitty205]

Atlas sighed, shaking his head. Not even a crumb of information. Just a very basic lie. A fairly principled one, but no less untrue. Atlas wished his ‘hunches’ were more detailed, that he would be able to pry our more details by sheer force of will. Perhaps the lie was to cover up some more sinister? A drive fueled by greed and lust for power? Or perhaps it hid something softer. He would just have to find out.

Atlas grimaced at the mention of route seven. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to check. But do you intend to go through twist mountain afterwards?”

If he was being honest, there was no reason not to check out the mountain. If their job was to search Icirrus, then the labyrinthine tunnels were an excellent place to start. After all, the mountain was so big— there had to be something down there. If not a legendary pokemon, then something else noteworthy. Still, the narrow passages, the stale air and the lack of light... It wasn't something he found pleasant.

“If so, I certain hope you’ve visited it before. I’m not fond of the idea of—” Atlas stopped as the sound of falling rocks filled his mind. Trembling walls, darkness, and breathes full of dust and dirt filled his mind. He blinked, and cleared his throat before continuing on. Can’t seem weak after all. “Getting lost. It’s very easy to get lost there. That is why they named it Twist Mountain.”

 

[hermialuvs]

"I've hardly been there myself, though it may be worth a look," Jericho said. Although he had personally never had to learn all the twists and turns of Twist Mountain, if there was any reason to go there, then Jericho figured that it was worth the extra effort, even if it's just for the valuable ore. "Once we come up with a solid plan to not get lost." Of course, that was a risk in many places without the use of long-trekked trails...and if they wanted to find the legendary dragons, Jericho had a good guess that they couldn't just rely on those and would have to risk taking the unknown path.

With that, Jericho figured that it was best not to waste any more time, and they discuss more on the way there. So he already begun to step away from the base, ready to go through whatever Route 7 had to throw at him...and his partner too, of course. "We could perhaps scout out the initial area first, and supply ourselves with escape ropes, repels, and other proper gear as needed...and of course, if you already have some information about the mountain, then any knowledge would be welcome. And hopefully, even if we don't find a legendary dragon there, we could find something else valuable to make it worth our time."

Of course, nothing could quite match the importance of locating the legendary dragons, but in the case that they really find nothing there, Jericho didn't want their time to be a complete waste. And that went to any other location that they would have to visit and search, which Jericho put more thought into as he continued on his way to join the main path of Route 7. "If we do find something there, then that might put me in a good-enough mood to let you choose which location to head next." It wasn't entirely a serious offer, but Jericho figured that if they found something truly worth their time, then it'd only be fair to let Atlas have some influence in deciding their next destination.

He had also heard of the sorts of pokemon that made their homes around Twist Mountain, which Jericho had to mentally prepare himself for. "So long as we can also avoid hostile contact with its various poke-dwellers. Which should mostly be Woobats, ground and rock types, ice types—" (Jericho spoke the word with some noticeable, but passive distaste in his voice, which he noticed and decided to halt his sentence quickly before any more of that could spill over the following words) "—among others."

He tilted his head slightly upward as he tried to keep in mind how much time they had for the beginning of their investigation. He also knew that Route 7 could have some very harsh storms with no apparent warning, which Jericho wanted to avoid as well. And in that case, along with them just not needing to waste any time, Jericho didn't want to stay in the general route any longer than what was necessary.

 

[GamerKitty205]

Atlas wracked his brain for any tidbits of information that could be helpful as he and Jericho left the base. He remembered some tips people had mentioned for navigating, but all anecdotal, and filled with superstition. After all, the advice to “startle a woobat and see where it flies” as a tip to get out was complete nonsense. They were cave dwellers, why would they have an inclination towards the outside?

Then suddenly, Atlas' eyes lit up. "I do recall some odd tales," He told Jericho. "Many have warned not to stay in the deepest ice cave for long— Supposedly people have seen hulking giants within it." Claims of a cave that could not be verified, odd sounds and voices, and shadows that didn't match the description of any in the area. It was spooky... Just. "Although, they could easily be the ravings of madmen. Or those who's sanity slipped lost in the dark."

Atlas nodded at the mention of supplies. Yes, yes. It would do them no good to go in unprepared. He began a mental list of things to pick up. Potions, revives and some berries of course— it wouldn't do them any good for all of their pokemon to faint in the middle of the wild. Oh, and of course supplies for them! They would want to travel light of course... Atlas was so caught up in organizing things in his head that he almost didn't hear Jericho's next comment. "Oh! That sounds lovely," Atlas said. "But it's a bit early to consider all that. Don't count your torchics till they hatch."

Admittedly there were only a few places on their list he thought were especially promising. It was just that one of them was... Atlas shivered at the thought. It was a little close to home. Figuratively and literally. "There is also a fairly prolific gurdurr population in the mountain," Atlas added before turning his attention to his partner's distaste for the cold type. "Is your team not good against ice types?" He doubted it, he had known a few type specialist and most of them didn't have the same level of annoyance or dislike for types they were weak against. A few even welcomed the challenge of fighting a disadvantage. "If so, I can relate. Pashmina does pretty well against them, but the rest? They must tread carefully in such encounters."

 

[hermialuvs]

Jericho had to remind himself not to be so obvious about his distaste for ice types. "My team should be...fine. The only ones who should worry are Mercury and Primrose." Especially Mercury. Not that Jericho had any lack of faith in his Salamence, being his oldest and strongest partner, though Jericho still knew Mercury's own weaknesses. Even if he had all the faith in the world for his partner, it would be foolish to send him out instead of his other pokemon who could handle ice types more reliably.

"In any case, they should still be strong enough to make it through, especially if we've stocked up properly beforehand." There were only a few pokemon that Jericho had heard of that dwelled in the mountain that he thought was worthy any significant concern. Though, 'hulking giants' in its deepest ice cave? If those claims were true, then Jericho had to keep that in mind. Not that he was in any sort of hurry to make it to any place that was cold, with snow and ice all around. Brought back too many bad memories of cold streets in the middle of the night for him.

"And right now, we should also worry about the possibility of a sudden storm," Jericho added. Another thing that he absolutely did not want to get caught up in, but then again, who did, really? "I heard that the route is prone to getting hit with strong storms, with little apparent warning beforehand." He raised his hand, his fingers curling slightly over his nose as he tilted his chin downward a bit in thought. "Some people say that it's the work of a truly powerful pokemon. But whether or not it's the one we're looking for..."

A powerful pokemon was still a powerful pokemon, of course. But those types were rare, and Jericho knew that they had to prepare for the ones they were actually assigned to locate first. Jericho had trailed off of his sentence, losing himself a bit in thought as he tilted his chin up again to test the sky. It looked clear enough, and Jericho couldn't find any telltale signs of an oncoming storm, but he figured that may still change quite quickly. But still, it didn't seem like a big worry right now.

"That reminds me, speaking of 'powerful' pokemon." Jericho turned his eyes to look back at Atlas again. "What pokemon do you have on hand right now, exactly?" It might help to be able to further gauge what sorts of pokemon they need to prepare for as well, and whether or not they could cover each other's weaknesses.

 

[GamerKitty205]

“My team consists of Crescendo, my Altaria. Silvestris my Whimsicott and Pashmina my Cinccino,” Atlas told him. “Funny how we both have dragon flying types. Funny and unfortunate.” He cursed internally, he could play that off couldn’t he? Say he heard it somewhere? Grunts do love to gossip. It would be much easier than going down that rabbit hole. “They don’t seem very intimidating, but I assure you they are very strong!” Atlas said, trying to quickly move on from his little slip up. “You’d be surprised at how versatile Pashmina is!”

“Strong storms? Then we definitely need raincoats and umbrellas,” Atlas mused, more to himself than anything. “Though, I do not know if I will be able to locate ones that can withstand a tempest...” Atlas trailed off, eyes darting towards the sky. Nothing. Nothing yet at least, and he hoped that if nothing else he’d get warned about that. If there was one things his little talent tended to pick up on was danger... He just wondered if it would warn him in time.

As the two of them approached Route 7, Atlas grimaced. Large grassy fields with little in terms of elevation. On top of that, the fastest ways to navigate it were thin wooden walkways. Being stuck out here during a windstorm or—arceus forbid—a thunderstorm was asking for trouble. Not to mention the fact there was little cover between the beginning of the route and the mountain. A house or two—which was somewhat of a toss up—and Celestial tower. And while Atlas had no problem with ghosts and ghouls of all stripes, it just didn't seem like a good place to weather the storm.

He turned to look at Jericho. “I know we shouldn’t dally here, but perhaps we can do some icebreakers?” He suggested the idea knowing full well, the man would probably refuse. Still, it didn’t hurt to ask. “Two truths and a falsehood, what type would I be, those sorts of things!”

 

[hermialuvs]

Well, it sounded fairly solid. Jericho could make use of that team, and he knew that Primrose in particular would love to make some new friends. His Leafeon was the gentlest and most socially competent of his team...and also arguably more socially competent than Jericho himself, something that had been pointed out to him a few times before in the past. So, at least two members on both their teams needed to watch out for ice types, but Jericho knew that his Excadrill and Volcarona should be able to cover it.

And when Atlas made his suggestion, Jericho's brows furrowed a bit. Not because he was entirely against the idea (so long as they didn't waste any time doing so), but rather because he was a bit wary of some sorts of questions may be asked, and also because of how he might end up answering them. But still, perhaps it would be practical to also get to know his partner. They were assigned as a pair for a reason, and right now it wouldn't benefit Jericho to push him away much.

So, with some trepidation in his voice, Jericho said, "Fine, then. I'll ask first." And with that, Jericho tried to think of anything that he could ask as he trudged onto Route 7, being aware of his surroundings as well, noticing a few Zangoose chasing each other around the grass nearby, but otherwise seemed not to pay the duo much mind. A few cries of other nearby pokemon could also be heard, but none that alerted Jericho to a need to run or battle...yet.

"Two truths and a lie about me: I've never broken a bone, I wanted to be a contest star as a child, and I was home-schooled." Of course, he didn't intend to immediately delve right into the more personal things, and he guessed that Atlas knew that as well. Still, many things in Jericho's life was personal to him, especially the earlier parts of it...but he could still play it off. Make sure that he didn't go too deep into it, and he can speak half-truths and omit some information. He figured that it would be fine.

 

[GamerKitty205]

Atlas’ eyes lit up when Jericho accepted, and he seemed to smile even wider when he heard the facts. “You wanted to be a coordinator? That’s adorable!” Atlas cheered. “Did you ever practice routines as a kid?” He laughed, thinking of the stoic man as a little kid mesmerized by showy battles and routines on a screen. It was only after the outburst that Atlas realized he hadn’t actually guessed which one was a lie. He cleared his throat. “The first one is untrue, correct? I imagine you must’ve broken a bone at least once.” Atlas certainly had... though, he would fully admit that his childhood wasn’t as safe as some.

Atlas looked out at the tall grass, startling slightly at... what seemed to be nothing. A second later a tranquil popped out of the grass, flying over their heads. Atlas let out a sigh of relief. Nothing threatening, just a bit of a shock. His eyes drifted towards the sky, still clear like before. Yes... nothing threatening.

“As for mine... hmm. I have a younger sister, Pashmina was my first pokemon and....” Atlas hummed, placing a hand on his chin as he thought. What to say, what to say. Oh, heck he’d go for something crazy. “I have almost gotten kidnapped.” Those facts were always fun in this kind of game—either it’s too obvious and people are surprised or it’s too insane and people are even more surprised when it’s true.

 

[hermialuvs]

"You would be right. And I am fairly grateful that I haven't broken a bone in several years, truly an accomplishment." It was a bit embarrassing, thinking about his past as an aspiring coordinator. All those days and nights, hours of his life poured into a dream that would never come to pass for him...but it was just embarrassing, Jericho told himself. No use crying over it now, especially when it was his turn to answer for Atlas then.

"And I'm going to guess the more mundane option, and guess that you don't have a younger sister." Jericho was just about prepared to hear that he was wrong, but the idea that Atlas had almost gotten kidnapped before did pique his curiosity. And maybe he'd find some common ground with him, over having a younger sister, if that was a truth.

(I promise I'll see you again, Luna.)

He also couldn't quite stop himself from making one more remark. "You do seem like the kind of person who'd almost get kidnapped anyway." Jericho's attempt at a 'lighter' tone came out a bit rough, and only sounded marginally less serious than he usually tried to be. It only occurred to him immediately afterward that perhaps that was a bit of an insensitive thing to say if it was true, but then again, Atlas was the one who put it up as an option for a game. Maybe it wasn't that serious?

Overhead, the skies seemed clear as ever...but did Jericho imagine it growing a bit dark for a moment there? Did he imagine the winds beginning to pick up and howl around them a bit louder?

 

[GamerKitty205]

Atlas couldn't help but laugh at that. "I suppose I am! Or was—I haven't had any close calls in quite a while!" Atlas admitted. Younger him was very eager to help and not very cautious. It was a mix that attracted all sorts of crooks, and got him into so much trouble. It was almost funny nowadays but at the time... "But my humble apologies—I do in fact have a younger sister, albeit one who most assume is the eldest. She's only a handful of years younger than I am."

Atlas wondered where Ophelia was now. She had set off on the classic kind of adventure he had never wanted to and while she always came back to visit it had been a while. Not radio silence— never radio silence, but he hadn’t seen his sister in person for a very long time. That was the downside of fieldwork, always out and about. They knew that all too well.

“Anyway, what should we do next? Types? I would probably be a normal fairy type and you... definitely give me...” Atlas trailed off, looking up at the still clear sky. Or not clear—the slightest hint of clouds was gathering, but nothing that would be concerning. Or at least it wouldn’t if it wasn’t paired with fathom booms sounding in Atlas’ ears. Atlas turned too look at Jericho, his worried eyes not matching his cheerful tone. “Let’s pick up the pace a bit.” He looked out into the distance... they were the tallest things in the field and both too far away to run back to town and not close enough to get to celestial tower. “Just to be safe!”

 

[hermialuvs]

Well, at least there was indeed something that Jericho could relate to his partner with, though it did sound like the age gaps between both pairs were pretty different. Jericho was a little over a decade older than Luna was, and it came with heavier guilt regarding the fact that he hadn't seen her in years. Maybe Luna had already assumed that he died, and he wondered if she still thought about him even when she should be on her own adventure now.

...But at the very least, there's no way for anyone to really believe that Luna was older than him. That was something, right? It did make Jericho a bit more curious about Atlas' own sister, though he wasn't quite sure how to begin approaching that.

Regardless, the topic had moved now. First to the silly 'what type would I be' question, and then...the winds that had just picked up. "You certainly don't have to tell me twice," he grumbled, walking a bit faster now. Hopefully they should be able to reach some shelter close by, in the case that a storm happened soon. But with the louder winds and somewhat darker skies, Jericho now couldn't quite keep his eyes off of the sky...but it didn't seem as if they needed to worry quite yet.

If it weren't for the fact that the winds don't seem to be settling quite yet. They could probably finish their game later, when they were sure they didn't have anything to immediately worry about. "Do you think we'd at least be able to make it to Celestial Tower before a storm happens?" he asked. If they couldn't, though, then perhaps their next best option was through the hospitality of the few residents of the route, and if that wasn't an option either, after that would be running into some of the thicker gatherings of trees...which wasn't exactly ideal either. "Or do you have any other ideas?"

 

[GamerKitty205]

Atlas worried his lip. The nearby houses were probably the best option—if they were let in. If nothing else the wooden cabins were built by someone who actually appreciated windowpanes and doors, unlike the stone arches the tower consisted off. There was just... something worrying about the idea. Not just because of the idea that they wouldn’t be let inside, leaving them at the mercy of the storm in the middle of the field.

No, most of the nearby homes Atlas could glimpse were in various states of weather. Some of them seemed much older, while some could not have been built longer than a decade ago. A strong windstorm or unlucky lightning strike had definitely taken down many of the buildings once in this route. The tower on the other hand? That thing had been standing for generations—He doubted they would be the ones to finally see it fall.

Still... that had a risk of failing on them. They just weren’t fast enough to avoid a sudden storm—a sudden storm Atlas knew was only a minute or two away. Both of them had flying pokemon, but with the risk of strong winds and lightning it was inadvisable to attempt flying there... unless.

“What is your opinion on high altitude flight?” Atlas chirped. They were too far to have a straight shot towards twist mountain, but the very top of Celestial tower was above the cloudline. It would be a tough couple of minutes for them (humans were not meant to go that high), but it would mean they would be able to get to shelter in time to wait out the storm. “Because there is a much quicker way to get to the tower than running.”

 

[hermialuvs]

Jericho blinked a bit at the suggestion, though not really out of incredulity. It was a solid idea, and Jericho trusted that they could fly over there without severe trouble, if they were sensible about it. "It sounds like a good idea," he admitted with a nod. "Wouldn't be my first time flying that high either." And when the storm came, Jericho counted on it being harsh enough so that they wouldn't draw too much attention to themselves, if they had to.

So, Jericho pulled out Mercury's pokeball, circling a thumb over it. He trusted Mercury to be able to get him there, and he certainly could carry more than one passenger if he must. Even if the idea did cause some feeling of disgruntlement to Jericho, as he rarely liked sharing the space on his dragon's back with someone else, even if he had to. He hoped that Atlas' Altaria could bring him there anyway, if it was large and strong enough.

"It's not here yet, but...we might as well set off now." Especially since the winds only seem to get gradually stronger with each passing moment. And now Jericho can feel the touch of raindrops on his head. He wasn't willing to wait around and see just how strong the storm would start out before they could get to shelter. And, perhaps if they could still see below, they might be able to see something of note overhead, even if Jericho somewhat doubted it. "Are you ready?"

 

[GamerKitty205]

Atlas pulled out a pokeball, carefully pressing the button. In a swirl of light an Altaria appeared, immediately leaning over to nuzzle Atlas. Even though they really should be hurrying, he pulled the pokemon into a hug. “Don’t tell Pashmina about this, okay?” Atlas whispered to his pokemon. The normal type would be absolutely livid about... okay, about most of the situation, but the extra high flying risk probably wouldn’t help.

He turned back to Jericho with a nodded. “As ready as I could possibly be!” He climbed onto Crescendo’s back and looked up at the quickly darkening sky. Those clouds had been white a second ago, hadn’t they? But now drops were falling faster and soaking into the ground as the wind began to howl. Seems like they had made a decision just in time.

Atlas checked to make sure Jericho was getting ready to set off before grabbing onto his pokemon. “Let’s go Crescendo!” Atlas said as the dragon type let out a musical cry and launched into the sky. The ascent made him feel sick to his stomach, the rush of air making him feel lightheaded. Ugh, maybe he should’ve factored his own dislike of high altitudes into this, but it was much to late to change his mind.

Finally leveling out above the clouds, Atlas peered down trying to make out what direction they actually needed to go. Even above the clouds things were still dark, gloomy and the buddles of dark fluff rolling in certainly didn’t make it easier to see. And then there was the fact that Atlas swear he spotted a figure up amongst the clouds—two in fact. Ones that looked like no pokemon he had ever seen.

 

[hermialuvs]

With that confirmation, Jericho sent out his Salamence. Mercury already seemed prepared for whatever task Jericho was about to give him. Exchanging slow, subtle nods to the other, Mercury lowered itself a bit so that Jericho could climb onto his back, before Mercury straightened himself once again and stretched his wings out. His eyes squinting through the beginning storm, Jericho soon commanded Mercury to lift into the sky.

And the Salamence didn't hesitate. Aside from a few odd feelings that churned Jericho's stomach within the first few seconds, he quickly adjusted. It wasn't his first time doing something like this, after all. Flying on Mercury's back felt natural, as if this space was made just for him and the skies reserved themselves just for the both of them. Though, of course, Jericho wished that they would be flying under better weather conditions. Not that he can have everything, mind you.

Still, with the storm ongoing, it was becoming increasingly difficult to make out what was ahead of him. But up ahead, Jericho thought he could see an unfamiliar shape. Curiosity and caution waged its battle within him, and Mercury seemed to try to steer clear of it. The storm only seemed to grow stronger then, to the point where Mercury seemed to have some difficulty in flying, but not overly so--Mercury still seemed capable of pushing back against the winds. Jericho could also hear thunder clapping in a way that seemed both distant and near at the same time. And through the storm, he tried to catch a glimpse of Atlas, trying to make sure that they didn't lose each other so soon.

"Are you stable?" Jericho called out.

 

[GamerKitty205]

Was the correct answer to that question no? Perhaps, Crescendo was not the most steady flier on a windy day let alone in the middle of a storm. Still, Atlas was absolutely fine. He nudged Crescendo towards the distant shapes of Jericho and Mercury, trying to lessen the distance between them. This whole plan would be useless if they had to spend forever trying to find each other again.

“I’m doing just wond—” A strong gust of wind rocked the altaria and Atlas’ words were cut off by a shriek of surprise. He dug his hands further into the altaria’s feathers before finishing his sentence. “Fine. I’m doing fine.” He really needed to get better at lying one day.

Atlas looked around trying to orient himself. They had been heading in the direction of Celestial tower, but with all the mist and wind it was hard to tell if they were still heading in that direction. On top of that, the storm was strengthening— If it got much worse or they encountered whatever was hiding within the storm they would be in trouble.

Which was concerning because the fuzzy shapes definitely seemed to be getting closer. At the same time the wind whipped up and thunder boomed around them. Lightning sliced through the sky, illuminating everything for a second. Atlas’ got a good glimpse of the mysterious shape and his heart fell. That was not a pokemon— not a normal one— that was a myth and they would need a whole lot of luck to get out of this alright.

 

[hermialuvs]

This was not a promising situation. Jericho hadn't had to deal with flying in a storm this harsh before, and he had a feeling that they couldn't just reason with the cause of it. It would be incredibly risky at the very least. He could try to attack them, but that was also risky and could potentially just make the storm worse than it already was. So, Jericho had to think fast. Tightening his grip around Mercury, Jericho ordered, "Slow down."

And Mercury obeyed, though he seemed hesitant to do so at first. Slowing down seemed like the most reasonable thing to do at the moment, so that they could better stabilize and maneuver themselves in the storm. Mercury would be less likely to sustain damage to himself at this speed, and the last thing Jericho needed was for his Pokemon to be shot out of the sky by sudden thunder. He wasn't sure whether or not they were specific targets more than they had just been caught at a bad time, but right now the focus just had to be on maintaining control enough until they could find a fast exit or the storm itself passed. It seemed too late to turn back now.

"Sinclair!" Jericho called out for his partner again. It's been quite a while since he's had to raise his voice this much. He squinted through the strong winds, wondering where they were now. Perhaps their original intention of making it to the tower may have to be abandoned if they were no longer near it. It seemed as if Atlas also had a better view of what the shape was. But at this point, Jericho had his own suspicions that he hoped weren't true. "Do you see it? What is that thing?"