Aha, ha… I told myself I'd at least finish up around July with this chapter. Pft, what do you know? It's almost the end of September. I swear, I'm so good at keeping track of time. No guarantees how fast I'll post the next chapter though, college has started and I'm 99% sure I'm gonna be very… distracted…. rip

Eon the Zoroark - 13/10? You're not stretching it aren't you? And already spicy? Ahh, you flatter me too much. I remember writing the prologue in a single day all in a whim, and somehow managed to get through the first chapter in a month. Like I said, I'm just gonna hope I can at least meet your expectations. As for the relationship reminding you of Last of Us? Never played that game before, but I guess I kinda am going for that vibe (I've seen a walkthrough or two though). I was going for a Lee and Clementine kind of relationship at first from the Walking Dead Game for now, but it's going to be a long way until Kaitlyn can meet Warren as an equal. I really can't wait until I give them both the development they both deserve. I'm hoping Kaitlyn doesn't appear too generic at first. She's the sweet, naive-ish girl for now. And I look forward to your OC!

ShadedLyth - Ahh no a sentence is missing? Dang, I read through that chapter so many times and even read it aloud once before posting. How could I have missed it. I actually read through it again, and noticed I made a pretty big spelling error too, and give myself a smack in the forehead. Rookie mistakes rip. I'm glad to see you like the character interactions though! I spent the longest time on the dialogue at the end, since it's not my specialty. I'll have to work on that haha

W. R. Winters - And hi again! Thanks for the encouragement. A part of me is still slightly nervous of not bringing Warren's character to justice, but I'm getting more and more comfortable with him as the writing goes on. He's a tricky one, that guy, but he's great as well. Once again, thanks for the encouragement!

PBComplexion - I just found that error out oh god why are there so many mistakes how did i not notice ahhhhhh But thanks again, Aster was also kind of a challenge to write, but hey, that just makes it all the better right? I remember thinking I overdid the sarcasm, but once I started I couldn't stop. Here's to Aster!

Chapter 3: Petalburg (Part 1)

2149: Present

"Heal Powders… Revival Herbs… Wow, there's even Energy Roots here, who would've thought?" Kaitlyn plucked the said Energy Root by the tree, showing it to Leo who was scavenging the area with her. She placed the herbs in her makeshift basket that was made out of twigs, before wiping off the sweat on her forehead.

"Even Energy Roots? Man, those are hard to find," a voice said behind her. She turned around to see her friend Landon, who was bent down at a nearby bush, digging his way through the dirt. His dirty blonde hair was in a disarray, and he pulled out some more roots. He held up the roots victoriously, a boyish grin on his face. "And what do you know, just found some more!"

He got up and put the Energy Roots in her basket, his Talonflame trailing behind him. Landon eyed the different herbs in her basket and nodded. "Yea, I think this is enough for Jordan. C'mon, we should get back to the group. They've waited long enough."

Kaitlyn got up from her spot and the duo began to make their way back to their base. She was glad to be under Landon's presence. Out of all the people she wanted to be with during such a time, Landon was the person she trusted the most. When the entire world went to hell, before she met the group, one of the first people she had come across was Landon. The boy had been injured with a sprained ankle, with his Talonflame standing guard over him, but somehow Kaitlyn managed to convince the Pokemon she meant no harm and helped bandage him up.

They decided to stay together, simply because it was dangerous to be alone. There was no law anymore. People would pick off lone travelers, leaving them for the dead as they took what they had. There were no cops to stop them.

Despite of that though, Landon was a boy who always seemed to have a wide grin on his face. His never-ending optimism always brightened up the mood, no matter how unrealistic it may have seemed. He always looked out for her, making sure she was well taken care of, before worrying about himself. In turn, she made sure he didn't overwork himself, as he was constantly sparring with his Talonflame when they had some down time.

"Just take a breather would you?" she would always tell him.

"Nah, someone's gotta look after you," he would retort back, making sure to pinch her cheeks before skipping back to his Pokemon. His Talonflame would caw in response, rolling his eyes at his trainer's antics.

She didn't know what she would do without him.

"You really should know how to fight soon," Landon's voice interrupted her thoughts, breaking their companionable silence. It wasn't the first time he had casually mentioned this to her, stating this numerous times.

She thought about it for a bit, before slowly shaking her head. "Not now, though maybe later? I've always been more of a medic than a fighter anyways." She gestured at the herbs in her basket. Besides, she thought, she was a horrible fighter. She wouldn't be much use anyways.

"I'm just saying." Landon stretched his arms up into the air, before placing them at the back of his head. "I gave you some of my hunting knives for a reason. You're not too bad at them anyways, no matter what you say. You have potential."

"Yea, potential. Okay, keep telling yourself that," she sarcastically said. "Though I would agree, I do have much potential with these hunting knives. Tell me Landon, how great am I with cutting apples with these?"

He laughed. "Pft, Kaitlyn stop that. Not that voice again, you know I didn't mean it like that."

Her smirk widened. "No seriously tell me Landon. Maybe I should cut some peaches with these while I'm at i-"

"Get down!"

Kaitlyn jolted up from her sleep, feeling a pang of dizziness from her sudden movement while she was at it. She grasped at her head, wincing a bit before sighing loudly. Next to her, Kit was still sound asleep, curled against her. Leo was nowhere to be seen though. She leaned her head against the tree she was sitting against, and started to gently stroke the sleeping Vibrava, gathering her thoughts together. That again? I haven't thought about the old group in a long time…

A rustle of movement to her side shifted her attention, and she noted how Warren was already up and awake. Kicking at the scorched twigs from the fireplace the other night, he greeted her with a blank stare. "Well… you sure woke up rather suddenly. Must've been something."

"Yea, it was," she curtly said. When she didn't hear a response, she knew he wasn't going to pry, which she was thankful for.

It was then Kaitlyn noticed the blanket draped over her lap. She got up from the ground, folding up the blanket. It was surprisingly in rather good shape, the synthetic fibers still put together. It was a little dirty here and there and rather thin, but she didn't really mind. When she was done folding it up, she handed it over to Warren. "Here, did you need this back?"

He eyed it before shaking his head. "You keep it. It's an extra anyways. I've got another one."

She smiled and nodded in reply. With that, she took back the blanket and stuffed it into her backpack. At the sight of Kit asleep next to her backpack, she raised an eyebrow. Kit was somehow still asleep, after all this time. She nudged the Vibrava awake, and the Pokemon gave her a slightly irritated look for her doing so. Kaitlyn simply chuckled, telling him to wake up, as she assumed they would be up and traveling soon.

Warren must've been up for a long time before her, as most of the site was already cleaned up. Supplies were packed and stored away, probably in his own backpack. The only thing that was left was her own stuff, but even then, most of her belongings were already stored away from the day before as well. Vex and Vera at the side were in the middle of a sparring match, and upon closer inspection, she noticed Leo was serving as a referee.

Vex was in the middle of using a series of Shadow Claws against the Braixen, only to have her dance away in every turn. There was a lazy smile in Vera's face, as she twirled her stick and sent a quick Flamethrower his direction. It was an expected move, as Vex sidestepped from the hot flames, before continuing his onslaught of Shadow Claws.

This continued on for a few other moments, and it was obvious that Vera was getting a little bored from the predictable Shadow Claws, until, sprouting from the ground, a blade of grass made her lose her Braixen wasn't expecting the Grass Knot, and ended up tripping ungracefully on her face while she was in the middle of doing a twirl.

Kaitlyn noticed the fire-type pout on the ground as Vex laughed at her face, and noted that Leo was snickering to himself as well. She turned around, shaking her head at the Pokemon's antics, before hearing a screech from Leo. When she glanced back at them, Kaitlyn saw Leo flying away from a weak Will-o-Wisp, and all she had to do was look at a smug Vera to know who did that. Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow at her, and was only met with a shrug, as if it was obvious Leo deserved it.

Meanwhile, Warren was at the side sharpening his machete with a whetstone. "Just let me know when you're ready to head out to Petalburg. It isn't a long journey and we should be able to make it there shortly, but it's best to prepare. We don't know what shape the city is in after all," he called to Kaitlyn. Without another word, he continued to sharpen his machete.

She grabbed her backpack, sat down next to him, and began to sort through her items, making sure everything she needed were in there. As she did so, her thoughts began to drift back to the night before. Petalburg City. Aster made it seem like a dangerous place, when all it really seemed to be a haven of sorts.

There was some shuffling from Warren as he stood up, slinging his backpack around his back and putting away his machete. He beckoned his Pokemon to him, as they bickered with each other, and turned to Kaitlyn. "You ready to head out? I'd rather get there while it's still bright."

She nodded and signaled to Leo and Kit. "Yea, I'm ready."

They set off in a brisk pace. It was obvious Warren wanted to get there as soon as possible, and she struggled a little to catch up. After a while he seemed to notice her plight, hearing her soft pants, and slowed down a little, much to her relief. Silence settled between them once more, and Kaitlyn noted it was a rather companionable silence.

She could only hope that Warren and the rest of the Pokemon thought the same. Hopefully, things would be looking up from here.

A giant wooden wall was what Warren first noticed was different from the surrounding trees around them. He could hear a small gasp from Kaitlyn behind him and heard her mutter to herself about how grand the wall was. Her Pokemon seemed to be in a similar state, as they fell quiet, taking in the sight. Warren silently shook his head. If she thought this was grand, she'd be in total awe over other cities, especially that one city that was literally made out of trees.

His silence had concerned Kaitlyn though, as she asked him, "So… what now?"

He didn't answer her, as his gaze trailed across the top of the wooden wall, looking for the main entrance. She seemed to get a hint as she shuffled her way closer to him, keeping her steps quiet.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Vex stiffen up, and by following the Pokemon's stare to see two guard towers, and in between them, a giant gate. In the guard towers were two men, armed with weapons, each sporting a cautious stance, gruff expressions on their faces. Warren signaled the Zoroak to settle down, and the Pokemon slackened, as he slowly approached the them.

"What's your business here," one of the men asked, raising an eyebrow at the two adolescents. "You don't look like you have much."

"We do have supplies, but we're just lacking a few key items," Warren replied, not wanting to show too much weakness. He didn't want to be reminded of his previous, stupid stunt with those berries. The guard didn't reply to his statement so he continued on, "We heard from a passerby that there was a civilization here, and wanted to see if we could get any help. We're low on food, and a few other supplies here and there, but we won't be asking for much. We'll pass on by without any trouble, you have my word."

There was a pregnant pause, and Warren noticed that Kaitlyn seemed to be holding her breath. It wasn't until the second guard turned around to give someone the cue to open the gates that she let go of her breath. The first guard gave them a curt smile and a nod. "We'll take your word for it. I'll have someone to escort the both of you to the mayor to have things settled. Just return your Pokemon in your Pokeballs first and have them stay in their Pokeballs at all time. Cautionary manners. Only long-term residents who've been here for at least a few weeks may release their Pokemon."

Warren dug through his backpack and found the said Pokeballs. Both Vex and Vera looked rather indignant to return in the cramped spaces, but did so without complaining much. Kaitlyn did the same, not before giving both her Pokemon brief hugs. Once they were done, the two walked through the gates as they opened up for them.

At first look of the city, Warren himself was a bit taken aback from it. The civilization actually looked… normalized. It was as if nothing had happened to the world, and everything was back at its previous state. There were people outside walking about. Some children played with the smaller Pokemon. He saw a couple walk into the Pokemart, sharing a pleasant conversation together. A man was even fishing by a nearby pond, lounging on his chair with a Corsola.

It had been a while since he'd seen such a sight. It was refreshing.

There was an abrupt cough by his side, and he turned to see a girl with dark unruly blonde hair, with her hands on her hips. A Mothim was settled right on top of her head, making her shoulder length hair seem even messier. The girl sent both Warren and Kaitlyn a bright smile. Warren winced. This girl was glowing too brightly for his tastes, maybe even a bit smug.

"Hi, I'm Chase! I was just passing by when I was sent here by Thomas. Say, you two just come by?"

Before either of them could answer, she swiftly interrupted them, not even pausing to take a breath. "Pft, what am I talking about, of course you two just came by. Telling by your dirty appearances that is…" her voice trailed off, indicating a tint of disdain. Warren noticed Kaitlyn awkwardly check herself, examining the state of her dirty hair, before moving onto her rumpled clothes. He inwardly sighed to himself. When that girl stopped worrying over the simplest things, he'd never know.

Chase gasped, "Oh dear, sorry that must've been rude of me. I tend to think before I speak." The girl's Mothim trilled beside her.

Kaitlyn finally spoke up, still as awkward as she was before. "Um, it's fine."

Chase smiled. "Glad it's water under the bridge. You never introduced yourselves by the way."

Once again, Warren inwardly sighed to himself. You never gave us the chance to even do so. Kaitlyn didn't seem to catch on, as she simply replied, "I'm Kaitlyn. And he's Warren."

Chase nodded. "And? Continue on."

"What's there to continue on?"

"Your Pokemon silly. What Pokemon do you have?"

Kaitlyn seemed to be in a bit loss of words with how blunt Chase was. Warren decided to take over for her, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. He didn't want to give any sign of weakness to the girl. She seemed like she was the type of person who knew more than what she brought on. "Kaitlyn has a Petilli and a Vibrava. I've got a Zoroark and a Braixen."

"Hm, a Vibrava is native in Hoenn, but the rest of those Pokemon are pretty rare. Then again, Pokemon locations have been kinda screwed up lately. I mean, mine aren't native too." There was a soft glint in the girl's eye, before it flashed away. It was as if she was storing the information into her brain about their Pokemon. He didn't know why she felt the need to, it wasn't like he was planning on staying long. However, he was still wary.

Chase continued to babble until they reached the mayor's building. "Come on! Sorry, I keep distracting you two. I'm supposed to be taking you to the mayor's house." They followed suit as she led them to the front door, listening to her ramble for a bit. "Did you know this used to be a Pokemon gym. I mean, I know gyms are relevant anymore, and there isn't a use for them as of now, but it's still a fun fact." He noticed the longing tone in her voice before she shook off whatever it was that she was feeling.

"Anyways here you go. Just talk to the mayor, he's a friendly guy, just uh… don't overindulge yourselves okay?" the girl's naturally cheerful voice quieted down. The sudden shift of atmosphere sent a frown on Warren's face, and he raised an eyebrow at her. The girl's warning seemed eerily similar to that of Aster's from the previous night, at least tone wise.

Kaitlyn obviously sensed the change too, as she softly asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Just keep your guard up." Chase sent a tense look at the door behind her before continuing on. " Look, I know this here all seems pleasant and familiar, but at the same time, I've never seen anything like this place before. I came here with a group of friends a while ago, and we thought we were finally able to take a break, but we thought wrong. I'm not one to usually warn people ahead of time, but I'm letting you know now. Many people that come here? They don't stay long for a reason."

Warren raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you still here?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm only here to finish something off. After that I'm off."

Without another word, Chase turned away down the road and proceeded to walk off. Kaitlyn called after her, "Wait, can't you just tell us whatever's happening around here?"

Her previous crossed gaze morphed back into her facade from earlier, and she flashed the brunette another bright smile. "Now where's the fun in that?" With a flounce in her step, the blonde was skipping off, her Mothim flying behind her.

Warren sighed. He absolutely despised vague people like Chase.

Only a single knock was needed before a lighthearted voice sounded from the other side. "Oh, come in, come in!"

Warren cautiously opened the door, trying hard not to let it creak out of courtesy, and was greeted by a slightly obese man with a gentle expression on his face. There were some wrinkles at the side of his eyes, as he grinned at the two from his seat. He set down his book onto the stool next to him, waving the duo over, as they were still standing under the doorway. "What are you two doing just standing there? Welcome, take a seat." He gestured at the two loveseats in front of him.

Kaitlyn walked past Warren and settled herself down in one of them. Warren followed suit before the man began to speak again. "I'm William, the mayor of this city. Please, how can I help you?"

"We were told to speak to you?" Warren started. "We're missing a few supplies, but we're mostly missing food. We were told to come by around here for extra kits. We'll make it quick and be out of your hair soon."

William shook his head, giving out a hearty laugh. "Why leave so soon? At least take the chance to stay for a bit. Anyone is welcome in our lovely city."

From what Aster said that night, it didn't sound like such a lovely city. For all he knew, this city could be a trap. "We just don't want to overstay our welcome. Besides, we'd like to get moving as soon as possible," Warren replied, not at all fazed by the man's joyous actions.

"I'm afraid whether you'd like it or not you're going to have to stay at least a night. We do have a medic who will be more than happy to give you some kits, but I'm afraid our next shipment of food won't come until tomorrow. I'm afraid we're running a bit low, but it'll be here by tomorrow," was Warren's answer.

Warren shared a look with Kaitlyn, silently asking her if it was a good idea to stay a night. He remembered Aster warning them about something occurring when the sun went down. Looking back at the mayor, he questioned, "Where will we stay then? We're not going to be sleeping outside are we?"

A shake of a head. "Sleeping outside? Preposterous! We have our many rooms in our motel for you to stay in. Surely I hope you would find some comfort in it. It's certainly better than sleeping outside." The man seemingly shuddered at the thought.

"Really? There's no catch?" Kaitlyn's hopeful question echoed in the room. Warren himself was still suspicious though. There was something about this man's demeanor that didn't suit him well that was a bit similar to Chase's. He seemed like a man who could easily set up a fake facade.

"Of course not dear. Just settle yourselves into a motel room, and get some medical supplies from our city medic." The man settled back down and got himself comfortable in his seat. He picked up and opened his book again, starting to skim through the pages.

Kaitlyn smiled. "Oh, thanks. We really appr-"

She was cut off. "Now off you both go, I've got a very interesting story in the works here." And with that, they were shooed outside the house before the doors were slammed shut.

It took Warren a while to process what just happened, especially with how rushed William was. Kaitlyn seemed to be in the same state of confusion, as he saw her blink slowly to herself. With that, she gestured toward Warren, eyes settling onto the Pokemart at the edge of the city. "Do you want to head over to the medic right away? Or just find a room to stay in as of now?"

The option to stay over in the town didn't seem like the best idea to Warren, especially with the two warnings he had heard so far. However, there was also the motel room they could've stayed in for the night. Staying put inside the motel room while locking the door could be a good idea. He was well aware that they could be risking it by staying, but they only had just gotten in the city. Not many people might've noticed their presence at all, so he and Kaitlyn could just lay low.

He nodded at the brunette. "Let's go to the motel first. We can check out the Pokemart afterwards."

Upon arrival, the motel seemed safe enough. A closed off area with locked doors for each room, Kaitlyn managed to check in easily as Warren scouted the area ahead. He noted the walls seemed to be rather thick, and there weren't that many people around the area, indicating that there weren't many residents. His only issue was that each room had at least a window, but he decided to think much of it. When Kaitlyn arrived with the keys, he tested the lock. Sturdy enough. They could just put whatever available furniture in there

"You think it's a good idea to stay?" Kaitlyn asked as they moved in the backpacks inside their room.

"No, not really," he replied. She frowned a little as he kept talking. "But it seems at least somewhat safe here. We can just stay the night and leave as soon as possible tomorrow morning. If anything, we can just stay up in shifts like we usually do, just to be on the safe side."

Despite her hesitance, he could tell she trusted his judgment as she complied easily, letting him grab the keys that were on the counter where she had put them. With that said and done, they headed over to the Pokemart.

When they entered the Pokemart, the medic seemed friendly enough, just like most of the residents mingling around in the city. Kaitlyn had tried to negotiate with her in return for the aid kits, but the medic simply shook her head, telling the girl to consider the kits as a present. Despite of that though, something didn't settle well within Warren. Even though generally it was the residents' demeanors that bothered him, it was the medic's innocent-like Pokemon's behavior that caused him to stiffen.

An Oddish and a Linoone. The Oddish seemed to be impatient while the Linoone was trying to pacify it. For what reason? Warren didn't know, but the Oddish's erratic behavior was suspicious.

When can we start? It's been forever since I've eaten an actual meal. Can time just go by already, I'm starving!

Patience young one. Just wait until the sun sets. You can wait a few more hours.

Somehow, staying in the city seemed less like a good idea.

Kaitlyn Brooks - Leo (Petilli) and Kit (Vibrava) - SnapshotSilica

Warren Monger - Vex (Zoroark) and Vera (Braixen) - W. R. Winters

Aster Drake - Celestine (Gardevoir) and (?) - PBComplexion

Chase McCloud - (?) and Mothim (Mothim) - ShadedLyht

A boring chapter with a lot of setup I know, but ok look, on the bright side, this didn't take a year for me to write. I honestly was leaving this in the backburner until I randomly, one day, wasn't feeling too well and I noticed my google doc of a half done chapter 3. And I thought to myself, eh, why not, might as well do something about this anyways.

This chapter was gonna be a lot longer to be honest (as it's shorter than usual), but I ended up splitting my chapter plan in half And after a few days later, I find myself finishing up the chapter. Who'd have thought huh. I'm not 100% satisfied with this chapter in general, but the next one is going to be an exciting one, I can guarantee it!

Once again, thank you all for reading :)