Colony Weather Station

~Sometime last night...~

Silent is inside the cabin, checking the sensors in his laptop while also researching on donation systems. He has decided that since Maekrite is going along with the idea of powering up the station, he'll not humiliate him further by going take pictures of him doing so, he just stays there laptoping and drinking some coffee.

Some time before Silent decides to sleep there, he hears the wheel stopping. Curious after a while when Maekrite hasn't come in yet, he goes peek outside to find the wheel alone and no Nidorino around. Silent call him a couple of times, receiving no answer, then goes to sleep.

~Today morning...~

Silent leaves the cabin and takes a look around, not finding any trace of his second Starter. He rubs the back of his head, then goes check the wheel, the tent and some nearby bushes, only finding some traces of poison sweat indicating the Nidorino must have taken that exit. A bit annoyed, he decides to pack his stuff and go see Inka, he picks a small gift box.

Goldenrod City, this morning

~Atop a storage house~

Harriet: <.....Yawn~>

A tired-looking Harriet reluctantly leaves the warmth and safety of the birdhouse to take a look outside. It's not too early in the morning, but it has been a while since Copahue went off to fish to the south. The bird grumbles as she prepares for a hard day of work, it has been a bit difficult to fetch fishes and fruits the last days since more birds are immigrating from the southern forest, after news of disarray among the local Murkrow murders has spread.

Not that Harriet would care too much about them. She had never felt that attached to this place compared to how attached she felt to her new family. While it ashamed her a bit to acknowledge it, she hadn't care much about Luke or Silent the last few days. She felt she was justified to however, in her new role, as with the summer about to hit Shahinne had grown more restless, if that was even possible.

Harriet: <...S-shahinne?>

The bird peeks then steps outside, wondering where her charge has left off to already. She took some quick glances seeing nothing in the horizon but random birds, only then she decided to look down...

Harriet: <...Oh?>

There was an assortment of fresh fishes, three or four, in front of here. At first Harriet wondered where did that come from, the answer made itself obvious when she saw the shadow of a gliding Fearow approaching. She tilted her head as she saw Copahue land some distance from her, holding some grapes on his beak.

Copahue: <....Uh...> -- lets the grapes go -- <T-thought you'd like this...>

The brown bird hopped closer to the 'krow and the two of them shared an embrace. It lasted long enough for both of them to enjoy it before a Starly hastily landed besides them, letting go a small [nut], then hopped to Harriet's chest.

Shahinne: <...Mom! Mom! Mom day!>

Harriet: <..M-mom?> -- blinks, turns to Copahue.

The other bird says nothing, he just covers his family as he is already used to. Shahinne breaks free then goes pick up her [nut], offers it to her adoptive mom.

Shahinne: <For you...>

Harriet's heart pretty much melted at the sight of the little Starly letting a [nut], of all things, go. She sunk in the embrace of her mate and held the [nut] with a talon, while the Starly started trilling happily.

Harriet had to admit she hadn't cared about many things in her life. Even the less, she had not imagined herself as a mother. Even if it wasn't an egg of her own, she knew for Shahinne it made no difference.

She liked the way it felt.

It was not going to be a hard day anymore.

Somewhere in the Colony

~Yesterday~

The Nidorino kept circling on his place for a moment. It had taken him enough to come up with a decision, and now he was short on time to stick with it. He knew what he wanted for his life, no matter it had been painful to achieve.

He shook, berated himself for taking this long, then he raised his head and turned.

…Up to the burrow.

An airfield in Johto

A (not exactly) young trainer is standing on a ladder as a blimp is about to take off from the airfield. He looks around to the south and checks his watch, worried.

Blimp Staffer: "...Doctor?" -- peeks out from the door above -- "Sorry but we need to depart now if we want to reach Unova within daytime."

Silent clenches a fist. "Yes, I understand that. Let's go then."

“I guess he'll do the smart thing and go back to Goldenrod to ask one of the interns to transport him... Maekrite, what's wrong with you?”

Silent climbs the ladder and enters the blimp, with the staffer closing the door behind him. As the airfield staff removes the ladder and the blimp starts taking off, a Masquerain peeks out from a window.

Algira: <...What is taking him so long?>

Sol -walks behind her: <Surely something really, really important came up. Come on, let's explore the airship!> -- breaks off.

Ichtacya -resting under a chair: <So long as that keeps her off from complaining that we aren't there yet...> -- yawns.

The blimp starts heading west, still at a very low altitude. The Espeon and the Masquerain start exploring some of the compartments and looking at the different beams that can be seen from the back of the blimp when, for no particular in-universe reason, Sol decides to look down...

Sol: <...There he is! Algira, look!>

Ichtacya raises an ear and looks back to see Algira flying to a nearby window. When she hears the two mons comment that Maekrite is running behind the blimp and is not going to make it, she quickly scampers off to call for Silent.

The Nidorino meanwhile keeps running behind the blimp, quickly losing terrain; realizing that he breaks of and runs top speed to the closest hill which unfortunately lies a bit off the blimp's path. With some effort he reaches for the top as fast as he can, his heart faltering for an instant when he sees the blimp speeding up and ascending.

It is then when Silent peeks out from a window, Shahinne angrily perched on his head, both seeing his Pokémon below. Ichtacya is also there.

Shahinne: <Recall him recall him!> -- angrily pecks at Silent.

Ichtacya -scratches him, tail wagging: <Quick! We have to do something!>

"Hang on... Maekrite!" -- reaches for his pocket.

Ichtacya: <Quick quick quick! The ground looks farer now!>

Shahinne: <Recall I said!>

Silent reaches for the Moon Ball and aims as good as he can, sends the recall beam. It impacts some good ten meters away from the Nidorino, who looks up and decides to walk forwards to make it easier to aim at him from the blimp.

Silent reaccommodates and fires again, this time the beam missing for a shorter distance. Maekrite keeps following the blimp, but a third and a fourth beam miss now for an even longer distance as the blimp is taking more and more altitude. The Nidorino rushes ahead, looking ashamed and worried noticing that the forest downhill will make aiming for him impossible.

It is then when Sol arrives and observes the scene, hissing at no one in particular. Seeing Shahinne and Ichtacya, she wonders if she can help somehow.

Sol: <...Perhaps I can help you aim?>

"Sol, I'd welcome that a lot..."

The cat Pokémon looks down from the window, trying to measure how fast the airship is moving, then she steps back and focuses on the window for a moment.

Sol: <O'kay, lemme see...>

Ichtacya, seeing the Pokémon think, starts walking in circles; however, seeing as the airship is ascending and nothing happens, she quickly loses her patience.

Ichtacya: <Come on do SOMETHING!> -- barks at Sol.

Sol -hisses, raises a clawed paw at Ichtacya: <SHUT UP! I'm THINKING!!!>

Shahinne -puffs chest, attempting to look Intimidating: <...RECALL HIM!!!>

Sol aims at the window with her jewel and projects some psychic power to cast a Light Screen right outside. However, unlike normal Light Screens, this one is twisted and curved and looks thicker, with an end that looks like a funnel.

Sol: <Try to aim straight at it! I'll take care of the tilt!>

Silent nods at the cat Pokémon and aims the recall beam right at the Light Screen; it bounces inside a couple of times before going right out of the end of the funnel, aimed at the hill behind.

And as Maekrite rushes ahead, he sees the beam miss by just a couple of steps.

"...Ok, let's try again."

Silent sends a beam again, which the Nidorino almost reaches as he speeds up downhill.

Feeling success getting closer, Sol narrows her eyes and tilts the entire Light Screen mechanism just enough for the Trainer to send a better focused beam. Silent aims, the psychic funnel redirects and the beam flies down aimed right at the Nidorino's paw.

...Only to be blocked by the waving branches of a tree now that Maekrite has reached the forest.

Ichtacya -- looks at the Moon Ball: <...Did it work? Do we have him?>

"...No." Silent stares at the Pokéball, sighs.

Ichtacya -growls at Sol: <See? Why did you take so long?>

Sol: <I'm not a machine!> -- hisses.

The two Pokémon start growling and hissing at each other, when suddenly Shahinne descends from Silent's head and makes her position on the subject very clearly known by repeatedly pecking Ichtacya.

Shahinne: <Mean dog, distracted Sol!> -- pecks pecks pecks pecks pecks pecks -- <She was trying to help!> -- pecks pecks pecks pecks pecks pecks pecks.

Ichtacya: <Ouch ouch ouch!> -- runs away, with Shahinne following angrily.

Silent turns around and tries to calm down Ichtacya and Shahinne, but he grows exasperated and walks away, kicking a random chair in the process. Sol watches the scene slightly surprised.

Suddenly a shriek is heard coming from outside the airship, calling Shahinne's attention; she stops depleting Ichtacya's HP (and leaving her entire body bruised from SE attacks) and goes right out to the window, where she and Silent see a certain large Staraptor flying aside the airship, a very annoyed Nidorino hanging from his talons.

Shahinne: <...Dad! Dad recalls!> -- trills proudly.

Roc waves his crest as a hi to Shahinne and then looks at the Nidorino below.

Roc: <Feeling comfortable there?>

Maekrite -flails a bit: <...Do you have to use your friggin' talons? Could have let me ride...>

Roc -narrows his eyes and looks down: <Hey, I'm making you a favor because Shahinne would be pretty displeased otherwise.> -- speeds up ahead -- <And since you already had a good enough night, might I suggest you don't push your luck with me...>

The Staraptor lets go off enough lift that the Nidorino is surprised and looks down at the far, very far ground. This has the expected effect of instantly shutting down Maekrite's complains and flailing.

Roc: <...And you can thank me later.>

Roc flies the Nidorino some distance by the airship until they stabilize so that the two can be recalled safely, and with this the group heads (finally!) to Unova.

Entralink

Silent and the others look at the structure, which has materialized because there's simply not stopping Ichtacya or Algira from wanting to go where they want to go. Sol complains, between hisses, that this is how all horror fantasy stories with sad endings begin.

"So, to reach the others all we have to do is wish really hard, right?"

Algira: <Oh yes, that was the information that [Cobalt] was so nice to give me...> -- goes flutter around without worrying about much.

Silent's Pokémon sans Algira gather around a otherwise non-notable spot and start trying to focuse on the PMD-verse. Roc sits besides Shahinne, preening her and covering her. Sol and Maekrite sit by Silent's side, and Algira keeps fluttering around, though Maekrite has been kind enough to leave a small spot for her.

Shahinne: <...Vacations!> -- focuses.

Sol -sits: <I guess it would be interesting to see that world...> -- focuses.

"Back during the Gold Conference Tagg told us how the trip went. Even for him it was a concise tale and there's so much left unexplored, though..." -- focuses.

Maekrite: <While I'd rather we don't go away, I'm itching for some adventure...> -- focuses.

During a couple of minutes the group focuses, which Shahinne learns from Roc, the bird making sure he does not give his chick a bad example, and even Ichtacya resists the urge to pin the annoying Masquerain to the ground to calm her down; however, nothing happens, even after Sol tries using her jewel to enhance the group's focus...

Sol: <Looks like we need MORE FOCUSING!!!!> -- makes jewel glow.

Silent crosses his arms.

"Somehow this isn't working."

Ichtacya -points at Algira: <...Hey, do you want to see Helios or not?>

Algira: <...What kind of question is that?> -- buzzes annoyed, flashes intimidating patterns at Ichtacya.

Sol: <...Well we're obviously missing something.>

Maekrite: <Don't look at me, I'm well focused. I'm so sure Silent's going to be a kit again when we go there!>

Roc, Sol and Ichtacya give the Nidorino a blank stare. Silent would do but he settles by just swiftly kicking the Nidorino's side.

Maekrite: <...What?> -- ears flatten.

Algira: <Well we need to WISH it! Like, really hard! And I so much want to be with Helios, so it's not my fault.>

Sol tilts her head at Algira's words and releases the focus of her jewel.

Sol: <...Hang on hang on, what exactly are you wishing for, guys?>

Ichtacya: <...Adventure!> -- barks happily.

Algira: <...Helios~ Oh and many Wurmples to nom.>

Shahinne: <Vacations!>

The members of the group start looking at each other for a moment, mixtures of ashamed, surprised or just hesitant sensations. This of of curse prompts Sol to blush (she wanted Suspense) and facepaw.

Sol: <...I think we need to focus on the same thing, peoplemons. You too, Shahinne...>

Shahinne: <...Oh right!> -- puffs chest, refocuses.

Just an instant later, a portal appears out of nowhere in front of the group.

Maekrite -blinks: <...Whoa! It's one of those walk-thru things!>

Ichtacya: <We did it! Yay!> -- yips -- <So, what are we waiting for?>

The group moves ahead, Roc close to Shahinne and Maekrite talking to Silent about portals. They move closer and closer to the spacetimeverse opening, until they finally cross...

Everyone: <.....Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh~!>

Silent: "...Damn it why can't we travel normalyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy~"

Suddenly the group gets separated, with Sol and Ichtacya losing track of the others. Silent's mind is invaded with a very weird sensation that everything is about to change...

(After this)

One of the scientists sees "the Ampharos" interested in the diagrams. He amusedly sits on a chair besides the Pokémon and produces some of them to showcase them, spreading them across the table. There's constellation charts and transit maps, but the one document with the PEFE signature and a lot of what appears to be gibberish text ends up somewhere near the right side of the table.

(:4)

Azalea Observatory

The scientists hands over the sheet of random data to Woolly. It might just look like someone did a lousy termcap capture on a cmatrix terminal ( no... I absolutely did not do that... ¬¬ ) but an experienced Pokémon with big dreams might just notice something...

(After this post)

The scientist took a look at the telescope. It was retractable and of a very fine brand. It was also well taken care of according to a first, cursory examination. Perhaps this Ampharos had a Trainer who was looking for her? Has this Trainer a certain appreciation for the night and the stars or...?

Scientist: "...You seem to care a lot for this... perhaps...?"

He turns and points Woolly towards the other side of the building, then the older scientist is almost finished arranging the telescope.

Scientist: "...Perhaps you would want to watch the sky with us tonight? If we are lucky perhaps we can find something beautiful and interesting."

With that the scientist goes leave the door open for Woolly to go sit with them.

Meanwhile, outside...

<~ping~~~~~~~~~>

After a good couple of minutes, the Zubat that emited that call to the sky returns to his resting place above the door.

Raidare: <...Still nothing, brother?>

Sonare: <Nope... do you wonder sometimes if the sky is not actually empty?>

Raidare -gives a sort-of shrug: <...Who knows. Perhaps when we evolve we'll see something interesting.>

Sonare: <...But I don't want to evolve.>

The two Pokémon stay together for a while. After some minutes, Raidare goes fly up to the sky...

<~ping~~~~~~~~~>

...And some minutes later he returns, not having gotten a response.

Jeff's Mom opens the door and finds a man.

Juanito the Wildcard PEFE Operator: "Ma'am? My name is Juanito, work for PEFE..." -- shows his ID card. -- "I'm here to... talk to you about your son, Jeff?"

(After this post)

Juanito, feeling a bit uncomfortable, produces a pamphlet and hands it over to Ms. Jeff's Mom.

Juanito: "Ma'am, we at PEFE endorse kidnapping deep and peaceful conversation between parents and children. Clear communication makes happy families that can raise happy Pokémon. Now..." -- gives also his card -- "we'll try to get in touch with you when we get a report from the group, if that's what you want?"

Somewhere in PEFE HQ

(Most likely somewhere near where Unite is for plot reasons :3)

~blip~

Out of nowhere a Gabite appears, holding a [shard] in her hand.

Gabite: <...U-uh? Where am I?> -- looks around -- <What is all this stuff? o_o>