Ruula Grand Stadium

James finished talking to some of the distressed locals and got some info but not much. He managed to get something out of the clearly thrashed guard. He decided to walk up to this smiling researcher and talk to her.

"Hey there! Name's James. Might I ask what it is you're doing? Is this destruction really so fascinating to bring a smile to your face?"

James thought to himself, "I hope she isn't like Allen... I do not need another power crazed idiot on my back." Shirona calmly and silently stood beside James as he got his thoughts together.

"Oh! Another Trainer about in this weather. How asinine. Well, if you've evolved to be fine without protection, then all the better for you. But enough about that. I am studying this Shadow Crystal. Several of these exist as of the recent environmental changes accompanying the Pokemon that created this whole event, but I've yet to determine their purpose or their source of energy. See, I study alternative methods of power generation, specifically to fund artificial evolutions of humans and Pokemon. I smile because these crystals could be the key I've yet to discover in my experiments! For SCIENCE!"

She thought deeply for a moment.

"Now, I suppose I should give you my name since you shared yours. I am the illustrious and ever-evolving Voltagia Coil, Master Electric-type Trainer, and independent researcher. Oh, and this umbrella. Do not worry about it. It is made of a material resistant to the flashing lights, so I am perfectly safe."

"R-Right.... I don't really know that name, do you Shirona?"

"Voltagia....It is familiar. I believe I read somewhere that she used to be part of a region's Elite Four, though I forget which region. She isn't joking about her being a Master Electric user with that background."

"Alright then. As for the rain, I'm not fine, it stings but it's not much of a bother all things considered. Now, there is a giant castle made of crystal in Castelia. A Diance made it. I came here hoping to get some manner of info, but you say you have none pertinent since you're researching alternative power... Also, couldn't the source be the rain itself? Best guess I got. If you have nothing else, I should head out. I'm sorry for such a brief interaction but I should head back to Castelia."

"You are not fighting it alone!"

"Emiko ran away after the defeat, we saw that. She was the strongest person and she lost. There isn't much hope I got against this Diance either but I'm not going to stand around and let it have its way! I'm heading back there and I'm going to do at least something to it!"

"There really is no changing your mind on this, is there? Fine. But promise me that you won't get yourself killed. You'll pull out if things go south. Promise me that, James!"

"Yeah, alright. I promise I'll run if it gets sour. Let's get going. Asuka, we're going back to Castelia. But don't leave yet, Voltagia, what are your plans from here? Likely researching more, right? Well if things don't go correctly in Castelia, would you mind if we sought you out again to see what you've learned? Your research into the power source could be of help."

Out pops a Staraptor, she seemed to ignore the rain entirely despite it harming her. James got on and helped Shirona up. James waited a few seconds for a response from Voltagia.

Just above the clouds haunting over the Unova Region, two Dragonites flew onward towards the general direction of the Ruulan Grand Stadium. The mission on their minds, they flew straight and true. Even though the view beneath them was shaded by the coverage, they had a keen sense of direction having flown across the planet on several occasions. And they had a general wherewithal on the places below them. For all intents and purposes, they could do this flight blindfolded.

But they were only the drop-off team. Strapped to each Dragonite's back was a large riding saddle intended to carry one or two big Pokemon...or several smaller Pokemon. Indeed, they had chosen the latter and both were carrying around seven or eight Pokemon each. None weighed too much thankfully, since this was a stealth mission and they didn't want to cause a ruckus. In fact, all of them were actually quite lightweight. Including the insightful and casual Chimchar that seemed to be sitting at the front...and leading the pack.

"We're almost there?" Crimson asked, in the middle of a conversation with Unix.

"Yes," the Dragonite replied, "I'll need a moment below the clouds to get my bearing, but we should be there in ten minutes time."

"Sweet. Thanks for your help, by the way."

"Hey...this is our fight too."

With a curt nod, Crimson turned around, clapping his hands to gather the attention of everyone on board, "Alright, folks! Let's go over what's gonna happen when we get there."

The other Pokemon on his ship gathered around as Crimson started explaining, "So we have almost no intel on whether or not humans have taken shelter in the stadium. With that in mind, I'm certain no one's gonna be out and about searching to capture a few random Pokemon in a time like this, but we can never be too careful. Try not to draw attention to yourself. Keep a close watch on what they do. And probably most important, do not fight unless you absolutely have to. We're just trying to get as much information as we can and get out. That good?"

Several of the faces nodded. Crimson continued, "Alright. So I think some of us should head into the stadium...local faces, preferably. Any of you all from these parts?"

No hands raised immediately, but a Galvantula raised one of it's eight legs to grab his attention.

"I'm not from the Unova Region, but I know many of my kind is," she offered helpfully.

"Nice," Crimson gave her a thumbs up, "Anyone else?"

"I think Soldova in the other group is from here, but not this part of the region," a Salandit chimed in.

"That'll work then," Crimson gave off a warm aura, "You two can head in there."

"Starting our descent!" Unix called from beneath them, "Hang on!"

"Thanks for the heads up!" Crimson said as he turned back to the group, his stomach lurching at the drop in altitude, "So it'll be you two then heading that up and any others that have a good chance of blending in. I'll let you two pick, since you both know the region way better than I do. You'll be asking the locals inside. Try conversing with a few caught Pokemon. Maybe some of them actually fought her. Who knows? It's worth a shot."

He began to notice a purple drizzle falling around them as he continued, "As for everyone else, we'll be heading around the surrounding area. Try to look for wild Pokemon to talk to. Get a bead on the locals. See if anyone knows anything about the fight. Catch a name drop, a hint on the power she's packing...the usual. Anything you all can think of that might be useful, ask it. I trust that-"

Crimson stopped as he noticed all of his teammates wincing in pain at the same time. The Chimchar stared, confused.

"What's wrong?" he asked, "What's happening?"

"We don't know," the Salandit answered, shaking her head, "Everything is just...hurting..."

"Can't you feel it?" a Lopunny asked, trying to cover her own face with her ears.

"No, I..." Crimson glanced around, staring at the shade of clouds, "I don't feel anything..."

Instinctively, he reached out to touch the clouds swirling around them, trying to feel the same sensation that everyone else was feeling. But all he felt was the wind against his face that blew stronger and stronger the closer they dived to the surface. There was no pain. Whatever they were suffering from, Crimson wasn't a part of it.

But why? he thought, staring down at his body, Is it my unique abilities? My type-shifting?

No, that didn't make sense. Every type he shifted to, he adopted the same traits, both type strengths and type vulnerabilities. Right now, he was still a Fire-Type, so he should be feeling everything everyone else was feeling if that was the case.

My human side?

Perhaps. He didn't know if the humans reacted to the atmosphere the same way the Pokemon did. It was the theory that resonated prominently in his mind, but there was still another theory waiting to be thought out.

My...special...ability...?

Equally as possible. Of all the things, it was the most powerful tool he had...and the one he knew the least about. After all, he'd only ever achieved it twice, despite constant meditating and exercises trying to unlock it as of late. Maybe there was something there that was waiting to be uncovered.

But those were just theories and as each one popped into his head, he decided to shove it aside and think about it later. They had finally descended below the clouds and could see the purple hued greenery below. Not too far in the distance stood the massiveness of the Ruulan Grand Stadium, it's shadow contrasting the dark clouds around it.

There was the destination.

But another thought loomed in his head as he turned around to see the Pokemon on board with this mission. They weren't immune to this, he knew. And he wasn't sure how much they would be hurt by this while they were down there. For all he knew, it could kill them. And that was easily the last thing he wanted.

But you made a promise to yourself...

That was the opposing side, the one telling him to push through and take them along. If they all went, they would clear the area quick and be back into the skies before an hour even passed. They would grow and learn how this reacted to them and would gain even more intel this way. They would learn to solve the problem themselves. That was what he wanted most.

"Oh, so the situation has to be dire enough for you to step in and lend your hand?" Gova's words echoed in his head, haunting him.

He sighed as he clenched his fist. He hated doing this. It went against everything he was set out to do as of recently. But so was risking the lives of several Pokemon for the sake of it.

"Where do we want to land?" Unix asked him, cutting into his head. Her own voice was strained, having to muscle through the strange purple rain as well as carry a decent load on her back.

"When I jump, you fly above the clouds," Crimson told her as he started undoing his harness that kept him inside.

"What?!" Unix asked incredulously. "What are you doing?"

"Take everyone and head back to the guild," he continued, ignoring her question, "I'll catch up with Tag in Castelia."

Now the others in the back turned with confused and bewildered looks.

"What, are you doing this by yourself?!" a Croagunk looked shocked.

"No way! We came all this way!" a Flaffy protested.

"We can take this!" a Pikipek chirped bravely, "This pain isn't that bad!"

"I can't risk it," Crimson told all of them, "I'm the only one who doesn't seem to be hurt by this. I'll have the best chance out here. This isn't my first adventure after all."

"Do you want me to at least land?" Unix suggested.

"Nah. The moment I leave, you beeline up until you see the sky. Get them out of here."

"So you're gonna free fall?" the Galvantula mustered through her own pain, "Or can you actually fly?"

"Nope. Can't fly. But I've got this."

Crimson gave her a passing wink before letting go of the harness and diving off the back of Unix. The Pokemon riding with him gasped as he started falling, seemingly without fear or panic.

"Be careful!" Unix called out before she shot upwards, trying to break the cloud's surface. The other Dragonite followed suit.

And now it was Crimson, falling through the air towards the forest below. He started angling his trajectory so that he would land closer to the stadium. But as the fall continued and the ground came closer and closer, he started to wonder exactly how he was going to land softly...and also started to have flashbacks on the last time he was falling from such a height. But he wasn't resolute to having Tag, Pert, Meryl, and Sarik saving him with a leaf trampoline this time.

But he did have more in his arsenal.

With quick thinking, he reached into the depths of his mind and searched for the calm, pulsating form of energy resting back there...the one that seemed to meld his mind and enhance his brain power. As if by second nature, the energy propelled forward and began to encompass his body. To a bystander, it would look like the Chimchar was being enveloped in a white light...almost as if he was evolving.

But when the moment passed and the white light dissipated, a Monferno Crimson wasn't. Instead, his body was a light shade of lavender with a pure white belly. The iconic flaming tail was now gone and the purple, focused gaze of the Psychic powered Chimchar was all that remained of Crimson as he continued to free fall.

The ground was approaching much faster now and he knew immediately what had to be done. Concentrating hard, he let loose his telekinetic ability and used it upon himself. The feeling of downward force subsided rather quickly as his own mental energy took over and he began to alter his course and slow his speed. Within a few moments, he was hovering between the treetops and preparing himself to land on the ground below.

When Crimson's feet touched the soil, he immediately took to morphing back into his standard Chimchar-like self again. Hopefully, no one was around to witness the odd transformation, he thought as he scanned the area. Anyone over at the Grand Stadium wouldn't have made out the form of a Chimchar landing, but they might've noticed a twinkle in the corner of their eye as the type shift occurred.

And there would be no local interaction either. Crimson was actually surprised to see that nothing else was even in the vicinity of where he was. No birds chirping...no locals scuttling about. The entire forest seemed to be empty and devoid of life...apart from the trees rustling in the wind. He remembered what had happened when they were within the effects of the storm and knew that this had to be the same force at work.

But on the bright side, Crimson thought as he started jogging through the jungle, It would narrow his search field.

As far as he was from the Grand Stadium, it only took a ten minute trek through the woods to reach the stadium entrance. He wasn't inhibited by the bulkiness of his Power Bat this time (though he was far more comfortable in this situation with it) and as a result, he covered ground surprisingly quickly. Along the way, he continued to search for any sign of life that could approach him, but it was as uninhabited as the place he landed. He also kept his eyes peeled for any overhang or cave system he could explore where he suspected Pokemon would be hiding out. Still, nothing popped out to him. He was alone for now.

When he was at the treeline surrounding the huge stadium walls, he started walking around it, searching for anything that could be deemed as interesting. He figured he would have to avoid the humans, as Chimchars he knew weren't exactly native to this region. But on the other hand, he was weighing the possibility of going in and talking to a few of the human-bonded Pokemon. Chances were, the humans would assume he was owned by a trainer from..wherever his kind came from in Ruula. He kept out of sight of the humans for the most part, ducking and weaving around trees and generally scoping out the place. The only life he spotted were two trainers, one on the back of a Staraptor and joined by a Gardevoir and the other carrying an umbrella above her head with a big, unsettling grin on her face. Not the folk he wanted to get involved with...for obvious reasons.

He was too far away to hear the conversation, so he moved on, continuing his survey of the area and waiting for them to go away so he could find a way inside undetected. At the same time, he finally started to take notice of the large, black crystals that hung in the air, varying in size, but each carrying it's own dark aura. What were they? Amplifiers? Conjurers? Or just after effects of the storm? he continued to think of possible rationales as to why these crystals would exist. He decided that it might be worth studying later, but first he wanted to talk to as many domesticated Pokemon as he could and see what they knew.

Shirona noticed the Chimchar and, with a tap, told the Staraptor to move a little to be under some shade, away from the rain. James thought nothing of it.

Shirona reached out to the Chimchar telepathically,"Hello there. It's a bit difficult to get by me without me noticing you. Especially not with the power shift I felt before your presence showed up. Even if that wasn't as a result of you, you still caught my eye so to speak. Might I ask why you're wandering about? Are you lost? If you require help, I may be of assistance."

Oblivious to the Chimchar, Voltagia responded to James. "Sure, sure! I'll offer whatever assistance you need if that case comes true. Have a safe trip now."

The scientist then moved on to the next crystal, further away from the stadium, and Crimson, leaving his path a bit more clear than before.

Crimson felt the telepathic voice enter his head. It was not the first time he had spoken to anyone through mind and so he took it in stride. He knew someone was reaching out to talk to him, but he didn't know who. His first inclination went to the Gardevoir he spotted standing by the human earlier, but he knew what they said about assuming...

Crimson closed his eyes and focused, letting his own words echo in his head, knowing the channel was still open and she was still listening, "Not lost. Just trying to get some information on what happened here. Do you happen to know anything about the Diancie that fought here? Or anything about the scientist with her Miss...whoever you are?"

The words weren't laced with confusion or puzzlement, but with calm accuracy and a sense of practice...as if he had been telekinetically called out to many times before. His words weren't filled with fear either, but again with a calm tone and a focused mind. This Pokemon, despite appearances, had much more experience than any Chimchar she would've come across before.

As they spoke through mind link, he kept walking, examining the area further. He did notice the umbrella-carrying lady was proceeding onward to the next area, studying one of the crystals. I'll have to watch out for her if I want to go examining those crystals... he thought mentally.

"Alright, Voltagia. I'll be sure to call on you later if the need arises! Thanks for the help."

"James, can we wait for a bit? There is something I should do."

Sensing that the Chimchar was wary of humans, Shirona saw it best to go and find him on her own as a Pokemon rather than with James at her side. James agreed to waiting and helped Shirona off the Staraptor and put Asuka back in her pokeball. James then found a wall to stay by that kept him out of the rain as Shirona walked towards the crowd, in the Chimchar's direction.

Shirona once more spoke in Crimson's mind, "My name is Shirona. I'm the light blue Gardevoir you saw before. I would like to mention that we are here to find out more about this Diance issue. I noticed that you were wary of humans, which is why I separated myself from my-"

That is where Shirona stuttered a bit. She was fine with calling James her brother as they grew up together as a family and not a Pokemon and trainer. Her main issue was saying it to another person or Pokemon. She was afraid of backlash. Oh, who cares. Just say it. Even if he doesn't like it. It's been long enough, I must get over this irrational fear.

"My brother," she continued inside the head of Crimson, "You would be safe around him if you wish to travel with a human to reduce being seen as a lost Pokemon. If that does not suit you, you're free to converse with me and I can relay what it is we know about her from speaking with those who witnessed the fight. I'd rather not transfer images and memories to your mind, so verbal speech would be preferred. Your choice though."

Shirona was easy to see in the thinning crowd, being the colour she is.

Crimson listened and glanced towards the direction of the Gardevoir he had spotted earlier. Sure enough, she was walking over in his general direction by herself, aiming to try and make him feel more comfortable. He respected the kind gesture and came out from behind the trees, staying in the treeline so that he wouldn't be highly noticeable to anyone but the Gardevoir. While waiting for her approach, and continuing to listen, he began to glance her over.

Elegant and mysterious, Shirona fit the bill for the majority of Gardevoirs. She appeared to hover in the air, standing at approximately four times the size of Crimson. The shiny nature of her being made her green hair, arms, and underside of her gown a light blue and her eyes and fin-like horns protruding from both sides of her body were orange instead of red. Perplexing to see from someone like Crimson's perspective where he hadn't really seen a Shiny Gardevoir before. But he knew Shinies existed and he was easily able to cast such distractions aside.

"Whatever's best for you," Crimson offered in his head, a warm smile on his face, "If you'd prefer to tell me rather than show me, then that works."

He didn't seem to mind the off beat of the stuttered comment, nor the words that were spoke afterward. Humans and Pokemon could grow up to be like family. That much he could respect and even admire. In fact, it was probably the most preferred method, given that no one probably wanted to be with a mean or distant trainer. It told him that she and her trainer had one of the strongest bonds, like the few trainers he had met in the past. Or at least one in particular...

"So watcha got?" he asked out loud when she was standing close to him.

"Well what we have surmised is her power. I am sure you have heard of a young lady named Emiko. She was the champion of the Unova region and was challenging Iris, the Grand Champion to a battle. This Diance had wiped her team effortlessly and teleported her away. There was a fight in the area before the arena as well, where the gym leaders tried to quell the Diance before it reached Emiko but they sadly failed and were even instructed to leave on request of Emiko. The guard offered us no further knowledge. What we witnessed was in Castelia, we saw Diance and Emiko on their own with a... a corpse nearby. It was obvious that the Diance had murdered her trainer and took control of the situation. She seems to have erected a castle of crystal with her power and even a beam of light into the sky. Her power is easily measurable, and I don't like how high it is. My- My brother keeps insisting on fighting it now but it isn't the smartest idea. If Emiko couldn't defeat it, and her being one of the strongest trainers alive...This is not a foe to be fought alone. We were about to fly to Castelia once more. This rain makes things difficult and somewhat painful to walk in but the pain isn't too bad to prevent travel. I have noticed though, you seem unaffected by it... Why would that be?"

She thought for a moment before realizing something else of importance, "You do not mind I call James my brother rather than a trainer? I've received disgust before from saying such things."

His ears flickered when he heard that name. Indeed, Touko was someone he knew very well, having helped him out on a couple of occasions. However, he did know that she was there and that she had been easily defeated by the Diancie. Still, he nodded in understanding, not wanting to interrupt or be rude.

The telling of the Gym Leaders fighting the Diancie before Touko did was news to him. He only know as much as Team Cassanova had reported on, which was them arriving as the Diancie was wiping her team. The thought lingered in the back of his mind as she went on.

But the next bit of news that hit him was the most shocking bit of news he had received...the queen had killed the scientist. He made a "Huh..." in awe as he processed that nugget of info. At least the good news was that the scientist wouldn't be a problem in the future. This was all Melaine's doing. But he knew that figuring out who that trainer was and what experiments he ran on the Diancie would be much harder than before. He would have to find out who spoke with him when he was alive and he guessed that that list of people wasn't very long.

The infrastructure of Castelia post Shadow Sky was also stuff he didn't know, but he knew Tag was checking things out over there. He would've relayed that information to Crimson when they reconvened. Still, good info to have in the present, he decided.

The Chimchar had to dismiss the notion that Melaine's power was measurable at this stage. The only comparison that could be made from his perspective was that she had easily wiped the same trainer he had beaten. She was powerful, but she had no defined limit. With that in mind, he did agree with the notion that her trainer wouldn't be able to fight the queen in her current state. At the moment, he was doubting his own capability in doing the same. She just had too many advantages right now.

His thoughts were cut into by the first question Shirona asked and he shrugged honestly, "Believe me. I wish I knew." His gaze shot up to the sky, examining it as if he was searching for the answer to her question. But he wouldn't find anything there, and so he looked back to Shirona with that warm smile on his face as she asked the second question.

"Why would I mind? I think it's sweet. It sounds to me like you both are a perfect match for each other," he said genuinely, "Those that hate the idea of humans and Pokemon bonding have either had a bad experience with it or have been raised to believe otherwise. But their opinions don't matter. If you're happy, that's all that matters. And I hope you two go far in the world."

But his thoughts whipped back around to the matter at hand and the new information he had to digest, "So...you said that there were other trainers that fought this Diancie before Touko did. Did you happen to get their names? Or anything that could tell me where they lived?"

"Which of the gym leaders were here? The guard only told us that Elesa was here but wasn't present to see the others. I did hear something about Clay showing up though. One of the miners seemed troubled by the fact he would leave Driftveil. Elesa is the Electric leader here in Nimbasa and Clay is the ground type one in Driftveil just to the west of here."

It was then that James had jogged over, worried about Shirona.

"Hey, everything ok, Sis? Oh, a Chimchar. Is he lost?"

"No. He's here doing what we are, finding out about this enemy. It seems he wishes to aide in the battle in some way shape or form."

"Ah, well any help is welcome. My name is James. Rather bold for you to come here by yourself despite this rain"

"Actually, it doesn't affect him. Which is odd considering he is a Pokemon."

"But what if he isn't?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. But I know humans aren't hurt by it nearly as much as Pokemon, so perhaps he's a human. There have been cases of that happening. Remember Bill? We found him prancing about as a Ponyta a while back."

"I'm unsure if he learns from his mistakes with that machine...But still that wouldn't explain anything. You still get hurt from the rain, James."

"Point. Anyway, sorry for just jumping in, I was worried about you since you were taking so long."

"Well thank you for the concern. Now, back to our previous topic. While those are the only two gym leaders we found that came here, despite there being a consensus of others showing up, there is one in almost every city. In Castelia, where the castle is, is Burgh with...eugh... Bug types. We didn't see him on the scene so he may have left before it started. If you need the locations of the others, I am sorry to say I do not remember all of them. Is there anything else you need to know, little one?"

James stood in silent thought, "A Pokemon all on his own...But he has some knowledge of the goings on despite being from Sinnoh...Hmm. I mean a solo Pokemon isn't surprising to see, but this one has something special about him, especially if Shirona needed to leave to see him. Well I know of some Pokemon that work in teams like the gang that tried to run a berry business in Veilstone... He certainly isn't a gang member... Maybe from one of those rescue teams I used to see every now and then going to Wayward Cave back home but even then news wouldn't travel THAT fast. Ugh what is he?"

"Hey. What are you? You part of something larger? There is no way that a Pokemon from my home region, Sinnoh, knows about this only a few hours after it happened. You're obviously in some bracket of intelligence."

"You can't just go and ask that out of the blue!"

"I can, and I did. He doesn't have to answer, but an answer would be nice all the same."

Crimson nodded in understanding. Perfect...he was thinking. Another lead. We can probably talk to this Elesa chick and get some more info.

He visibly froze as he noticed the trainer jogging over, concern wrought across his face. His mind began racing, weighing all the pros and cons of his actions going forward. It wasn't like he didn't trust the kid or anything, but he was still reserved when having to speak to humans. He always had been. Radegast had been the only exception.

But Shirona explained the situation and he loosened himself with a smooth exhale. There would still be many questions going forward, but he knew that James wasn't going to be someone out to capture him or something. Not like it would work anyway. But he remembered what Shirona had said and what she thought about him and knew that he was in good company, at least.

Right off the bat, he could piece together that James was a perceptive one. Always trying to grasp onto the little divets of information that stood out to him and turn them into well thought out theories. While his notion that Crimson was a human was by all accounts correct, it was still misplaced given the parameters. But before he could poke the holes in his theory, Shirona did it for him and saved him from taking the defensive. He responded in stride by not saying anything and letting them do all the talking.

After a moment, Shirona moved on and relayed a bit more information...some general knowledge on how the Gym Leaders were set up. So every major city had a strong trainer they can turn to...he thought. That makes things much easier.

He did a sort of smooth snort as Shirona referred to him as "little one". He didn't find the term offensive by any means, but rather found humor in the facade his stature brought. He may have conquered many a bad guy and fought some of the toughest opponents, but it was a necessary reminder that he was a Chimchar at the end of the day and looked the part.

How old am I? he actually had to count in his head, Fourteen? Fifteen?

But he spoke again to Shirona, "That's perfect, actually. I think Elesa might be the next lead after I'm done checking this place out-"

His words were cut off by James's as Shirona's trainer made one of his observations...another fairly accurate one, apart from the assumption that he was from Sinnoh. But he couldn't possibly have known that. Crimson's grin turned up again, this time amused, as he gazed towards the shiny Gardevoir.

"He's pretty sharp," he said to her, clearly impressed, "I actually run a guild that spans most of Ruula. We are just as determined to stop this tyrant as you both probably are. We're trying our best to keep the wildings as safe as possible until we do so, but at the same time, we need to know what we're up against. Do you both happen to know what moves she used? What power she carries? Anything of the sort that might help us figure out a strategy?"

"My guess is that we're going to be dealing with some shadow Pokemon again. Shirona noted the appearance of some on the way here. And as for her moves, considering she was made from experiments, she could have any move. And thanks for the compliment. I have to be to have the rep I do across regions."

"There is also that sword she carries. She could have quite a few moves attached to it. And has nothing holding her back from using it lethally either."

"Typical no remorse and no morals villain super enemy. It's like straight out of a fictitious game or book..."

"A guild you say? Are there any more like you stationed here? Also, I doubt the leaders went back to their gyms to wait for challengers... A tactical retreat should have been issued in which case they would fall back to the furthest point from Castelia."

"The Pokemon League. That's the absolute farthest area in the region. Though I doubt they would run like that...If they had the guts to jump in here, they won't run with their tails squeezed between their thighs."

"That's what I was thinking as well. Knowing Clay, he might be cocky enough to stay put, but I don't think the others share that er...quality."

"Well Chimmy, if you need our help, we'd be glad to give it to you. Be it an escort or even assistance with keeping wildings safe. You have my word as a champion."

"Ex-Champion"

"Well I didn't take the title so I guess I can't even say that much. Well nevermind that, you still have my word that Shirona, Asuka, and everybody else will help you, including me."

Crimson nodded as he replied to Shirona, "Of course. I think we're on almost every bit of land in Ruula. Most of them are, like I said, making sure the wildings will be safe until all this blows over. The few that are not are either in Castelia City scouting things out or in Nimbasa City searching for one of our lost teams."

His thoughts immediately went to Tag and Radegast in Castelia and Team Volt in Nimbasa. Unlike his crew, they likely didn't have anyone who was immune to the drastic weather effects around them and would be toughing it out. He hoped for their safety that they had enough supplies and strategies to tough out this weather. At least he knew now that while it wasn't ideal, Pokemon could more than survive out here, at least for a little bit. This meant he could've kept the others here to help him search, but he wanted to make sure.

Crimson nodded in acceptance and issued James a thumbs up before relaying the message to Shirona, "Well I thank you both for your help. I figure we're going to need as many people banding together as we can muster. If we get the numbers advantage, we can conquer most of the threats. We're just going to need some elite fighters to try and take on the queen when it comes time to do so."

"But that's not today. From what I can tell, it's not destroying the plant life around us...at least, not quickly enough to be a short-term threat. So we have some time. I'll keep your observations in mind. If you come up with anything else or discover something new, head outside and see if you can find a Pelipper. Show them this."

At this mention, he reached into his knapsack positioned on his right hip and tossed a badge to Shirona. The symbol was white with a red dot in the middle and wings protruding from either side. It appeared to be a badge.

"Tell them what you know and have them send it to me. My name is Crimson. As for right now, I think we should try to keep as many creatures that live on this planet as safe as possible. I think the best way to do that is to warn the other Regions of the incoming threat if they don't know already and tell them to stock up and hunker down. Hopefully it doesn't last that long, but just in case, they have to be prepared for it."

Crimson's eyes lit up in epiphany as he spoke again, "Oh! One more thing, before I forget! Did either of you happen to catch the name of Melaine's trainer?"

The badge stopped in front of Shirona and drifted to James who took it and stashed it away in his bag.

"Thank you, Crimson. We will certainly do that. And sadly we didn't catch any names."

"For future reference, I'd be wary of sending people to Snowpoint City in Sinnoh. Last month I was there with Mom and we heard some stuff about a Pokemon run gang. Means nothing to us, but it might be dangerous for your guild members. Anyway, if you'd like, we can escort you to the Nimbasa gym to see if Elesa stayed behind or not. I don't think it would be smart traveling alone out here. There is no doubt that there are some people who side with this Melanie and they likely won't take kindly to us trying to stop her."

"I'll keep that in mind," Crimson nodded in understanding, "But if it's anything like the ones in Nimbasa, we can quell that pretty quick."

But there stood the offer to travel with them to Nimbasa City. He truthfully didn't like roping people into his business and as a result, he tried to keep humans as far away from his doings as he could. But this wasn't just his problem. This would take the help of as many creatures as possible if the world was at stake. He wasn't worried about traveling alone as he could cover distance and was more than capable of defending himself. But he was traveling down to Castelia City to meet Tag anyway and Nimbasa City would be on the way. Besides, he didn't know of any immediate solution to talk to Elesa and if she was indeed at the gym, he could get the answer he sought for quite easily.

The benefits outweighed the detriments in this case.

"Alright," he agreed, "But just until we get to Nimbasa City and talk to Elesa. I don't want you all to be in this weather too long."

As if on cue, the purple rain started falling around them once again. Crimson held out his hand once more to feel it, testing out the theory again. Maybe he just missed the drops the first time, he thought. But once again, he didn't feel any pain from the flashing lights hitting his fur. He knew it would be affecting Shirona and James though and his concerns immediately went to them.

"Well, if we're gonna go, let's go then," the Chimchar suggested. "We don't want to stay here any longer than we have to."

While the rain came down, it did bother Gardevoir but James took off his jacket and threw it on her head, which helped her some. James stood there in a white super short sleeve shirt and did what most men do when they are in pain, hide it.

"W-Wha? James! What about--"

"I can tough it out, it's not all that bad anyway. We've dealt with sandstorms and tornadoes and even blizzards, remember? This is nothing. Anyway, Shirona, could you translate what he just said? You kind of missed it when the rain started."

The Gardevoir sighed before translating, "He agreed to it but only until we get there. He wants to split from there due to the rain and not wanting us to get hurt"

"Huh... Well a little rain never killed anybody except drunks lying with their mouths open. Shirona has her own pokeball as well if things go sour. I'll go with you as long as you want but if that's the cut-off, fine. Let's head out. The park is to the East right?"

"Yes. Where the Ferris Wheel is."

"Gotcha. No point in bringing Asuka out for the short trip...I wonder... Vasuman! Come out."

Without touching anything, an Infernape springs out of a pokeball on James' belt and stands next to him. At first it looked like James' idea was working but Vasuman soon winced in pain. James took out a standard pokeball and returned Infernape to it before putting it away.

"No, I thought it was maybe your species that was immune... You got some special quality, Crimson. Anyway, up you go!" With that, James gently grabbed Crimson and put him up on his shoulder, "Let's go at my pace. Shirona, you can keep up, right?"

"Yes, I can." came the reply. She had already put on James' jacket and made use of the hoodie usually tucked on the inside.

"Then let's book it!" shouts James as he bolts towards the amusement park to the East, holding onto Crimson so he doesn't fall off. Shirona followed, gliding over the ground and staying beside James with ease.

"Wait, you don't-"

He didn't get a chance to finish before being hoisted up onto his shoulder. His instincts immediately went to recognizing that his posterior was a lit fuse and he could do something about that. But for once, he fought the urge to morph into another type. Not now...he told himself.

He did position himself to where he was standing on his shoulder rather than sitting. He didn't want to burn James's shoulder as they went along. But it seemed that the trainer had been expecting him to stand and made the necessary adjustments to accommodate. His mind postulated on the methods this one used and how very appropriate he was being in holding him as he ran. But he knew that answer as his gaze went down to one of the PokeBalls on his belt...the one he knew the Infernape was stored in.

This wasn't his first time with a Chimchar.

"Y'know I can keep up, right?" he said with a smirk towards the Gardevoir.

"He says he can keep up."

"Hahaha, well I figured a Chimchar could keep a brisk pace like this, I guess I should step it up!"

As he said this, James shifted his posture slightly and began to rapidly pick up the pace. He was used to running long distances quickly. It was how he escaped from the pack of Mightyenas he pissed off back in the Hoenn region for trespassing into their territory. And with all his walking and running all over the various regions, it was no exaggeration to say this kid was fit. James was easily running at 25 miles an hour currently, naturally though he wouldn't be able to keep this pace for very long, nobody can. The park came into view rather quickly and soon they approached the gate. This is where James would slow down to a brisk jog before stopping at the gate itself.