It's been three hours since the group left Cherrygrove, and yet all they could think about was the people they left behind. Chris and Max hadn't talked since they left, sad about leaving their Friend John behind.

-"We need to find shelter soon, dad", Chris said as he saw the sun setting. "It's going to get Dark soon"

-"You 're right, but we can't risk staying out in the woods. Not while we don't know what's out here at night".

-"Then what do we do?", Chris asked

-"We will make a stop at New Bark. Hopefully we 'll be there by midnight", Roger answered.

-"They need our help too", Chris understood.

-"Exactly", Roger agreed.

Chris, Rooger and Floyd were at the back of the caravan, while Donald and Cynthia guarded the front. It was Roger's idea to travel like this, since it would be safer for the people in the middle.

As they were travelling, Chris turned his head quickly.

"What is it son?", Roger asked, seeing as his son tried too notice something.

"There's something in the woods", Chris said. "Or at least I thin...", his voice was interrupted by a flamethrower.

"Get down", Roger instructed. "Cynthia, we are under attack", he shouted at the front. That moment, a flock of Murkrows came out of the woods and stormed the group.

"Take cover", Cynthia yelled from the front, as Roger was holding Chris down and Floyd took out his pokemon.

Samurott and Milotic popped out of their pokeballs, as Cynthia released her own too.

"Attack", Roger commaned, and the two pokemon immediatelly let out water beams.

"Piplup", we must help too", Chris said.

"Pipl", the pokemon replied.

"Ok attack with water gun", Chris commanded but was interrupted by a flamethrower. Moments later, a Houndour came out of the bushes and landed in front of the two.

"You have a type advantage Piplup, you can do it", Chris said confidently.

"Here goes my first battle", he thought anxiously.

Houndour attacked again with flamethrower.

"Evade it piplup", Chris said. Piplup jumped and the flames passed below him.

"Now attack with Water gun", Chris commanded once again.

A beam of water came from Piplup's mouth and hit houdour with pressure, hitting it against the trunk of a tree.

"Chris", Roger shouted when he noticed Chris was in danger. Chris' father had moved a little further to fight the Murkrows better.

"I 'm ok dad. Focus on the Murkrows"
"Uh, ok son", Roger reluctantly agreed. He acknowledged the circumstances were dire, but he still didn't want his son to fight crsed pokemon.

Houndour stood up once more, now angrier than before. He let out a horrible growl, as if he was ready to die, and charged again. Piplup try to focus on what he does. Don't attack yet. Piplup steadied himself and watched carefully. When Houndour came very close, it attacked with shadow claw. Piplup managed to evade it the last moment, and houndour hit the ground. Fragments of stone hit piplup, who let out a moan of pain. Despite that, he was able to regain focus, and mid-air he attacked again with water gun. Houndour moaned in pain as he was pushed back.

"Finish it with Whirlpool", Chris shouted in excitement. Piplup let out a growl and a whirlpool appeared before it. Then with a stirke of its beak, it tossed it towards Houndour. The pokemon was trapped in it and was once more thrown back. Houndour landed inside the leaves of the tree.

"Chris watch out", Roger said. Chris looked up and saw a Murkrow attack. Thankfully, Milotic attacked with Dragonbreath, bringing the pokemon down and saving Chris.

A few minutes later the area was clear of cursed pokemon. Roger, Cynthia, Floyd and Donald returned their pokemon in their pokeballs.

"Waht you did there was imressive son",Roger said, "but you got too excited and drew attention to yourself".

"Yeah, didn't realise it until it was too late", Chris apologised. "Is the houndour I battled..?"

"Dead?", Roger completed.

"Yeah..", Chris said ashamed.

"It hasn't attacked yet, so probably yeah", Roger answered sympathetically as he moved closer. When he went under the tree, he saw the disgusting view. A branch had pierced houndour's neck, and it's body was hanging from it.

"Trust me. You don't want to see it", he told Chris but it was too late. Chris turned his head the other way in disgust.
"I 'm sorry", he said.
"I know you are son, but you didn't have any choice. You will learn to live with it. Let's go"

"Roger", Cynthia was heard from far.

"Honey", Roger yelled back as he saw Cynthia far away. Within moments, clouds covered them and thunders formed in the sky.

"Leave Cynthia to me, you get the caravan moving", Roger instructed Floyd as he passed in front of him. "Take care of my son", he added.

Understood", Floyd replied. "hey, son stay here", Floyd told Chris when he saw him running after Roger. "Your father said you should stay here, both your parents can take care of themselves"

Chris complied, despite he didn't want to. He knew he would only be a weakness to his parents, were he close.

"What's happening?", Donald asked panting as he approached.

"Something is there", Floyd replied. Donald ran towards them, and so did Chris.

"Come on Piplup", he said and Piplup hopped on his shoulder.

"Hey", Floyd shouted, but to no avail.

"Let's go, roger said we should go hide a while further", Floyd instructed the rest of the group. He didn't notice Max was running behind his father as well. The group agreed and started walking along.

Meanwhile, a few hundred meters away, Roger, Cynthia, Donald, Chris, Max and their pokemon heard and evil laughter and tried to determine where it was coming from.

"Hahahahahahahaha", the laughter continued.

"Who is this? Show yourself", Roger shouted. The laughter stopped almost instantly, but the man didn't seem to be anxious to face three of the strongest trainers in Cherrygrove.

"You woldn't like to see who this is", the man said after he stopped laughing. His voice was deep, and in a way, evil.

"We don't want to fight you", Donald said. The voice laughed again.

"Of course you don't, if you fight me you will die", the voice replied.

"Enough joking around, show yourself now, or we will find you", Roger threatened.

"Dad I 'm scared", Max said to Donald.

"Don't be son. Our pokemon can take anything, let alone one idiot", Donald replied.

"Oh no", Chris said that moment. Everyone looked at him, and he pointed to where he was looking. They barely managed to notice two red eyes, when the thunder hit. The eyes were long and made an edge on the lower side. When the thunder hit, the silouette of the man was shown. To everyone's surprise, it wasn't a man, nor walked on two legs. It was a pokemon. A talking pokemon.

"Raikou", Roger mumbled.

It was Raikou, the lion pokemon of thunder.

"Now you are afraid. Good", the pokemon said.

"What happened to you?", Roger asked.

"I had an epiphany", Raikou answered. The Dark God revealed himself when the lightning struck me. It was unlike anything have ever seen before.

"You were cursed?", Cynthia asked lowly, unable to believe the legendary pokemon was cursed.

"How narrow-minded of you to call us cursed? Because we try to kill you? Have you ever considered that we want to kill you because we are superior to you? Well, no I am not cursed. I am blessed", Raikou concluded.

Roger turned to Cynthia and Donald. "Take the children and go", he whispered. "Don't look back. I will come find you when I 'm done with him"

"Roger, no", Cynthia protested as a tear ran down her chick. "I won't leave.."
"Don't make it harder, Cynthia", Roger said in a rough voice. He tried to look strong in front of his wife, but she understood he was scared.

Cynthia wept a tear ready to drop from Roger's eye and kissed him on the lips. "We 'll take the children to the caravan", she said. "And then I am coming back for you", she added.

Roger tried to speak, maybe try to convince her not to do that, but Cynthia interrupted him before he managed to make a sound. "Don't you dare tell me not to", she said angrily.

Roger kissed her for a second. "Go, Every secong counts", he said. Cynthia, Donald, Chris and max started running towards the caravan, far away from where Roger and Raikou were.

"Go son. I love you", Roger shouted as Cynthia pulled him away and started running.

"What about Dad?", Chris asked as his mother grabbed him from the shoulder and told him to run.

"He 'll be fine, I 'll come back for him", Cynthia replied, careful not to show her worrying or her tears to her teenage son.