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Post by Atticus on Mar 20, 2013 15:55:55 GMT -5
Max walked into the forest, swinging his backpack around and unzipping it as he continued to walk. Out he pulled a map of the Region, as well as the map to Johto, as both land masses were connected. The best thing to do was probably go to Saffron City, but if these men were as adamant on catching him as they appeared to be before they... vanished, they might suspecting him there.
He could back-track to Pewter City, but it was as likely that he could see them there as he could in Saffron. A kid like him, maybe they wouldn't suspect him making his way through the Rock Tunnel and Power Plant to get to Lavender Town... From there he could get to Fuschia City and ride a ferry past Cinnibar Island to Pallet Town. He could go north to get to Viridian and get to Johto. These people were persistant thugs, but they wouldn't travel to an entirely different region just to get back a jacket? Traveling to Lavender Town already was more of an effort than he thought worth over a piece of clothing.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Mar 20, 2013 16:06:43 GMT -5
Still smarting but too afraid to leave his sight, she continued to follow him. Once they were out of town, however, she stopped. "Where are you going?" she asked. "Or... we at this point..."
The words made it real to her. She was leaving, going somewhere. She had to. She couldn't be alone, and she certainly could not go home for help. But she couldn't bring whatever malevolent force was upon her home either, even if she wanted to... But what was going to happen now? Could they actually be safe anywhere? She still had no real idea of what was going on.
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Post by Atticus on Mar 20, 2013 16:33:36 GMT -5
"We?" he repeated, walking still and looking at the map with furrowed brows. Charlie's voice hadn't startled him; if he had been in her situation, he probably would have followed him, too. Not like he wanted to come across that way, so in the tensity of their situation, he managed to hold a calm expression.
"I guess," he sighed, putting the map back in his satchel. "I'm going through the Rock Tunnel if you're intent on following me. I hope you have some Pokémon."
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Mar 20, 2013 16:42:58 GMT -5
A wary look came across Charlie's face. She glanced down at the Meowth at her side, who responded with a curious trill. This may be problematic. But she didn't have the heart to tell this kid that.
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Post by Atticus on Mar 20, 2013 17:08:27 GMT -5
Despite his question, Max didn't have too many Pokémon in his roster, either. He had a little Gastly he'd caught in the sole purpose of scaring smaller wild Pokémon away and other teenagers so he could take anything they dropped in their stupor to get away. He was worried his Rattata's size wouldn't really help on the field of battle. He was better company.
Going to the Rock Tunnel wasn't a HUGE risk, as he recalled the tunnel was rather small, but it still unnerved him. He hoped they'd have very few wild Pokémon encounters.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Mar 20, 2013 17:36:18 GMT -5
"I'm Charlie, by the way," the girl muttered, content, for now, to discard the subject that would surely be important to cover later.
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Post by Atticus on Mar 20, 2013 17:38:25 GMT -5
"Max," he replied nonchalantly, turning around and giving one last to the town he'd called home for 16 years now. He frowned, emotion flashing his pale eyes for a heartbeat before he turned around and marched onward, baring a determination to return one day. One day.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Mar 20, 2013 18:14:38 GMT -5
The look that he cast over his shoulder was the opposite of Charlie's sentiment. She had, for years now, been looking for an excuse to leave the town. She was happy to have it behind her. Though she wished she could have visited home, if only for a few minutes, to gather some possessions...
She kept her gaze fixed ahead thoughtfully. She wondered what the future held, if they were going to be on the run, if they were going to be killed... if they would ever know what had gotten them here in the first place. She spared a sideways glance at the jacket. It didn't look that impressive. It was nice, but... why would these men be after it so adamantly? It didn't really make any sense.
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Post by Atticus on Mar 20, 2013 18:18:43 GMT -5
The tan-skinned boy sighed, though tried to make it sound more like he was irritated than he was suddenly stressed out. He couldn't tell just yet if he liked Charlie's companionship or not. The Meowth that followed was bound to be helpful as the duo wandered farther and farther away from Cerulean City and towards the Rock Tunnel. He was pretty anxious, really.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Mar 26, 2013 17:50:07 GMT -5
The sun was far in the west when they reached the intimidating rock tunnel. Charlie was nervous; she had never left the city, and though she had read books and heard stories about tunnels, she knew she wasn't prepared.
The Meowth at her feet let out an inquisitive coo, and her tail swished. As Charlie looked down at the normal-type feline, she wondered if she had ever been out of the city; if she knew places like this, if she had learned how to navigate dark dusky caverns. Or maybe she was just fearless. Charlie envied the little cat: even though she had obviously been through some tough times-- what with her broken leg, she had to have been --she still faced everything fearlessly. If it weren't for her, she probably would have been nabbed by those goons. That wasn't something she was easily forget. She owed a lot to the Meowth, and she had a feeling that their venture through the tunnel would just add to that.
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Post by Atticus on Mar 26, 2013 18:14:28 GMT -5
Max stared into the mouth of the cave, the pads of his fingers brushing over his back-pack straps occasionally. Codie was going to be useless, and he didn't know how well rock and ghost were together. "Well," he said finally, cracking his neck, "Here we go."
Only a few steps into the cave, he noticed the darkness overwhelming his vision. Rock Tunnel wasn't very long, but he was dreading the trek though it already. He looked behind him to check if Charlie was following, though it was a wasted effort. It was already difficult to see behind him. Hopefully the light would begin to illuminate the way to the exit on the other side soon.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Mar 26, 2013 18:20:41 GMT -5
Charlie walked in next to him and experienced the same fumbling blindness. She slowed, wary at her inability to make out anything around her.
An inexplicably loud meow alerted her to Penny's presence deeper in the cave, and she started toward it. "Max?" she called, unsure of whether at the given moment he was in front of or behind her.
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Post by Atticus on Mar 26, 2013 18:24:19 GMT -5
"Hm?" Max responded, making sure to sound like he wasn't at all distressed that he could not see his feet or hands... or anything, for that matter. He stretched out his arm and felt the rocky wall, deciding to follow it and praying his fingers wouldn't run over anything with fur and wings. He wanted to get out of the cave with all ten fingers.
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Post by subtleAssiduities on Mar 26, 2013 18:48:29 GMT -5
As her eyes slowly began adjusting to the light and her surroundings became clearer, Charlie began to calm down a little bit. Penny was never more than a few steps away, and as she could see, so was Max. "Just... checking to make sure you're keeping up," she muttered. "Do you know your way through here?"
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Post by Atticus on Mar 26, 2013 18:53:07 GMT -5
"It should be pretty straightforward," Max said, though he was hoping it more. From what he'd heard, Rock Tunnel was literally just that; one tunnel. There should be a clear exit and an end. A light started to stretch out across the floor a couple of minutes later, but just as he saw it, a shadow quickly knocked him backwards and he stumbled to the floor with a gasp. Above him, a Golbat screeched and flapped its wings, furiously staring down at Max and then Charlie.
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