[IC] As Gods Sleep Chapter 1: The Dust Settles. . .

[Chevaleresse]

The sun rises over the desolate landscape. Reborn hadn't been a particularly fertile and lively region when time and space were stable; now, it was almost lifeless. The light cast illumination into the emaciated husks of the buildings that had made up the once massive city. Due to its proximity to Azurine Lake (which had regained the startling hue it had been named for), the remains of the Peridot Ward held the city's small population. The specter of the past still haunts those who gaze across the gate as they wake up, preparing for the day, as the lake abruptly ends as the land suddenly turns into a mountain range as if cut by a razor.

Farmers grumble as they contact their Pokemon handlers; large, heavy farm equipment being hard to come by, they were forced into using the unreliable creatures to provide enough food for the city to eat. The handlers, in turn, complain about the early start farming requires, and collect their Pokeballs, being very careful not to release their dangerous charges by accident. When they arrive at their destination after picking their way through rubble, they very quickly release the Pokemon into their cages, where they are fitted with harnesses and various other devices to prevent one from getting loose and slaughtering the farmer and his family. Some of the handlers, perhaps, have a passing thought that this might be the wrong way to go about things. Then they laugh it off, or simply shake their heads, remembering why the world was like this.

You wake up, in your home. What do you see as you look around? As you look down at your own body?

[Arkhi]

So much for a home, Gale thought. He walked on the ceiling of an overturned Poke Mart, so it was technically the floor. He had to pull himself up to even reach the door to leave that morning. If it was even morning. The day of The Cataclysm, he was on his way to catch his first Pokemon. Never before had Gale owned one, because his cocky attitude led to a bet that ended in his cousin getting the last Poke Ball in stock. The next restock of Poke balls would come the day the world turned round. About a week had passed since the event, assuming time still worked out. Now, he lived in this sorry excuse of a shop. Rested and ready from running away hours before, he climbed out from the door, hit the rubble-strewn ground, and weighed his choices.

To his right, a large forest stood, though many trees were overturned, and fissures and cracks lined the path leading into it. To his left, the city laid in destruction. Most buildings were wrecked, but some had a slice through the whole thing, as if a giant had taken a knife to it and removed the sliced half. In the shelter he used to live in, an analyst said that this event was caused by a legendary Pokemon, able to control even space, and the town's elder said that it was also caused by another that could control time. This was obviously a lie: that could not cause such a huge apartment to warp into what it now is.

At any rate, Gale needed to move. He had enough food to last about a week, but needed to either get more or find protection. However, if he could not defend himself, then it would matter not how much wealth he had in food. On him, he carried three poke balls, one great ball, plenty of berries (mostly oran), and a small, glossy stone he found along the way to the mart.
He turned towards the forest, jogging.

[Chevaleresse]

Amarantha woke up blearily in her "home" near the Peridot Ward. It was a small nest in the hollow of a tree that had been knocked over by some powerful force some years back. Sunlight streamed through the hole from which she had entered, falling onto her face. She squinted, and blinked a few times, looking up at the sky to ascertain the time. Then, she let her small, stubby head slump backward. Sometimes, she wondered what the point of this was. It was a constant struggle to obtain enough food to survive in an environment like this, and her body was frustratingly weak. After laying about for a few minutes, she sighed, let out a quiet cry, and went about the process of rolling to her feet. She clambered out of the hollow, brushing past some minor things she had brought back to her dwelling. Most of them were useless; a bit of red string here, a Pidgeot's fallen feather there. One or two were actual, useful items, like the Potion tucked back in a shadowed nook.

As she rose out of the hole, she looked about cautiously. Humans usually didn't come around here, but even this cataclysm couldn't erase the natural predator-prey relationships that existed, and Amarantha knew all too well what a tempting target she was. After reassuring herself that a Skarmory wasn't about to swoop down and turn her into an omelette, she started waddling her way to her planned destination, skirting around the edge of the nearby city. She remembered seeing a PokeMart at one point, and she planned on searching it for any supplies it might still contain.

[Arkhi]

In the forest, the trees seemed to give off a sort of vibe. He had managed to kick and crawl his way through the forest, and made it into what seemed like the heart of the place. Pokemon in the wild were a very uncommon sight now. Either that, or they had managed to adapt to the humans who attacked them. Gale would not allow himself to be a hypocrite: he had killed two Tauros before and sold a Skiddo to get money. They had a reason to fear humans, but now the guilt had shown.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a slight movement. He turned and saw a tree that clearly did not belong there. It had a strange antennae on its head, three shrubs on either arm for hands, yellow scruff markings, and legs. Most trees don't, so this had to be a Pokemon.
"Hey. Tree-mon."
It stood there as if it did not hear him.

"You can probably hear me. Because that's what most Pokemon used to do. I need someone- or someTHING-" he looked at the tree again, unsure if he would regret this- "to guard my place while I search for food. Capiche?"
Gale stood there for ten seconds, as if he were really talking to an inanimate tree. Sighing, he shook his head. When he opened them, the tree had come closer. Gale closed his eyes for just a second, then opened, and it was in front of his entire face.
Obviously startled, he flinched, falling back on a branch. The tree seemed to chuckle at him, as he got up, prepared to punch the thing.
"You are gonna regret that!"
The tree suddenly dropped its arms and ran back. A smile crept across Gale's face, but as he turned around, what awaited him was a floating tree stump. Again, he tripped back, but caught himself. He took a look at the ghost-tree hybrid that float in front of him. Two more appeared from his left and right. These things had him surrounded.
He stepped back, cornered into a group of large, topped trees.
"Oh, shit."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

A small harsh ringing noise sounded. Theodore punched the small alarm clock that was sitting next to his bedding on an endtable made of an old laundry basket. Theo was a human before the calamity, however he didn't know how he ended up in his current state, he didn't really remember much about being a human either. All he knew was now he was a Pancham, and his own name Theodore, which was inscribed within a Brass Pocketwatch he wore around his neck. Theo also had a knack for finding relics of the past. Furniture, Clocks (especially clocks), and other assorted things. He used them to spruce up a small cave he found out in the wilderness. Not only that but he fancied himself a bit of a Curator. He would keep relics to preserve what once was.

However, Theo went to check a small cupboard he managed to drag back here. He usually stored berries and other foodstuffs in here. Unfortunately, this day it was empty. His little tummy growled. "Well I must simply find some food" He thought to himself.

[Chevaleresse]

As she trudged through her woods toward her destination, Amarantha heard what sounded like a human voice. She turned to scuttle away from it, until she listened closely to what the voice was saying. It didn't seem to sound hostile; in fact, it actually sounded friendly. She paused as she searched her memory, trying to remember human speech. It wasn't something she needed to know particularly often. She took a couple steps back toward the voice's source, curiosity overcoming reason. However, the voice turned hostile, and she remembered her situation. Amarantha turned back around and headed toward her previous destination, hoping that the human wasn't headed in the same direction. The Togepi stopped once more when the note of anger in the voice was replaced by fear. She had to see what was going on, so she picked up her feet and moved with as much speed as she could muster.

When she arrived, she saw something that, given the situation, wasn't entirely unexpected. A human was surrounded by Trevenant, ostensibly because the Phantump hovering nearby had been bothered by him. However, something felt off. She had a strange feeling that this person meant no harm. The Ghost-types surrounding him didn't seem to get the same idea, though. She piped up with her small voice, telling the Trevenant how she felt.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

As Theo was out searching for some berries, he heard a ruckus in the distance. He however had no idea what it it was. Lucky for him it sounded pretty far away. He continued to pick the various berries on the bushes. Especially the Razz Berries and Figy Berries. They were his favourite both having a Spicy taste to them. He gathered quite a bit putting them in a small picnic basket he found. He wondered what the sounds in the forest were. However, he decided it was something he probably didn't want to be a part of, so he wandered back to his little makeshift home.

[Arkhi]

Just before his inevitable demise, Gale heard a soft, rather high-pitched sound from not far away. He looked right to see a small creature- a Togepi- with its tiny arms raised, making noises at the ghost trees. Back at the reconstruction site, there were lists of useful Pokemon: all that were not on the list were considered useless and should be killed off to allow only the strongest to survive. Suddenly, Gale tasted bile in his throat, thinking of how stupid the people there were to think that a Togepi wasn't of any use: it could communicate with threats and had the bravery to do it. Being familiar with the danger of the new world, he was able to slow his pulse among these threats and make himself appear to be no threat. If he proved himself to be innocent and well-intentioned, and this Togepi acted as his wingman, then he could get out of there safely- maybe even with the Pokemon.

[Chevaleresse]

After some argument on the matter, Amarantha managed to convince the Trevenants of her feelings. They were only trying to protect the forest and those within, after all. They knew something of the small Pokemon before them, and were startled by the fact that she was defending a human. Togepi were rarely seen in the wild, or anywhere, for that matter, due to the nature of their evolution process and how humans viewed Pokemon, particularly small, weak ones. With some warning looks at the human, who appeared to have calmed down, they left, off to guard another portion of the forest from other, less friendly humans. After the treelike Pokemon left, Amarantha was alone with the Human. Her temporary courage expended, she shrunk down slightly, waiting to see what the human would do.

[Arkhi]

He had no idea what this little gal just did to save him. But it worked. As the trees left, he heaved a sigh of relief. Gale looked at the Togepi, which seemed a bit smaller in size from seconds ago. He bent down on one knee, and looked at the little creature, which look completely innocent and even somewhat frightful.
"Togepi, I think it is? You just saved me from living trees. I don't quite know how to correctly respond, but a thank you is in order. So! Thank you."
He pulled his trademark smirk, much more at ease.
"I don't know if you understand me, but I'd like it if we stuck together. Sound good? I've got food and shelter." He pulled out a few oran berries, not sure the Pokemon would like it, but it's the best thing he had. Berries were quite rare, and Oran were the most common of the rarities.
Gale stretched out his arm, palm upward, berries in hand.

[Nova]

Jessica realized she had been extremely lucky to survive. The others had not been as fortunate. But she knew that this was a sign to leave this place. She looked at her knee. It was a small wound, but leaving it open would be dangerous. She had to find a way to bandage it. She walked to the side of the ruins, near the forest. She found a large tree with thick leaves. She could reach a few of them, and knot them to use as a bandage. It was enought to last a while, but for it to cure, medication was needed.

But in the village, there was only rubble, so she had to venture out in search of others. And the only way out was the forest. Jessica never liked the forest. She thought it was spooky, and the tales of tree-like Pokemon attacking traveling humans frightened her. But she had no other choice than to go through. She followed a small path covered with rocks and rubble into the forest...

[Chevaleresse]

Well, he didn't try to crush me, so that's a good sign, right? She listened to what the human was saying. Something about coming with him? He seemed nice enough, especially when he offered some oran berries. Amarantha waddled hesitantly toward the outstretched hand and took a berry in her stubby arms, beginning to chew on it. As she wolfed it down (and the next two), she thought about her options here. She could turn around and run away, staying safe and resuming her previous state of existence. Or, she could follow this strange human that could potentially end up killing her. It didn't seem like that was likely, though. She walked closer toward the body of the boy. Amarantha stretched her arms upward as far as they would go and whined at him, trying to communicate that she wanted a lift. If she was going to get killed, she might as well not have to walk to it.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Theo had returned his berries to his home. But now he had to go back out for water, he was sure there was a river around here somewhere. He began wondering in the woods in search of the river.

He heard a strange ruffling in the trees however, he thought it was nothing at first so he kept going, but it kept happening. He didn't see what it was until he got close to the water's edge from what he remembered. The Creature Following him tripped on a tree root, really ironic considering what it was. A Sudowoodo, lay sprawled on the ground rubbing its head.

"Well guess my cover is blown" He said in a rather high squeaky voice. "Sorry, for following you sir, I was just starving and I smelled Berries on you."

Theo put his little paw to his head. "It is fine, if you wanted food you could have asked. I just got plenty from the bushes down a ways. THey are a bit scarce these days. I mostly only took the Figy and Razz berries though." He held out some of the berries he took with him, it was a small number, mostly Oran Berries.

The Sudowoodo quickly grabbed them and devoured them whole. "Ah, that hit the spot, has been weeks since I least ate. At least it felt that way. So what are you doing here, you strange little mon? I have never really seen one of you before."

"I am a Pancham, and I was getting water to take back to my home." He said holding out a small red bucket.

"Want any help? I mean you scratched me back might as well scratch yours a bit." The SudoWoodo said abruptly.

"Sure take one of the pails, but you can't stay once we are done." Theo said with a bit of a scowl.

Sudowoodo saluted, "Yes sir!"

They arrived back with all of the pails of water and the Sudowoodo set out. "He was strange" Theo thought to himself. " Hope he doesn't show up again, I am not used to dealing with people or Pokemon for that matter."

[Nova]

After some time of traveling through the woods, Jessica noticed the sky getting darker and the moon rising in the sky. To get through the night she needed food and, more importantly, a place to sleep. She had never been farther than a few steps in the woods, and she was also not used to having to work to survive. She saw a small river leading into a cave of some sort and decided to set up her camp near the cave. She tried to set up a fire with several stones and twigs, but without any experience, it failed.

Using a pile of leaves as a simple bed, she lied down. But somehow she couldn't fall asleep, even though she was tired of traveling. The strange noises started getting louder as well, and she was worried if she could survive the first night...

[Arkhi]

Gale watched the Togepi eat the berries rather quickly. After seeing what was pretty much the end of the world, he had a right to say this was adorable. After she finished, she paused for a second, then walked up to him, arms raised and made a soft, shrilling noise. He smiled, lifting the Pokemon into his arms.
Up in the sky, shades of blue turned to orange. "Sun's going down. We'd best get going."

He started walking out from the clearing where he met his new companion. It seemed that, with the Pokemon nearby, he felt more optimistic.
"If we want to make it back in time, I gotta start running. It'll be bumpy, but if it gets to be too much, let me know. I could put you in a poke ball or..." Come to think of it, Gale hadn't considered trying to catch the Pokemon.
He took a poke ball from his satchel, making a gesture towards Togepi. "I could put you in here. It might be safer, but I don't know what's inside." He set down Togepi, and placed the ball in between them. Cross-legged, he raised his eyebrows as if to ask Togepi if she wanted to go inside.

[Chevaleresse]

Her human companion accepted her request, and lifted her up, carrying her toward wherever they were going. After a short while, though, he set her down, which prompted a bit of protest. She quieted down after a moment, however, when he pulled out a pokeball from his bag. He seemed to be offering to have her stay in the device. Eh, I've always wondered what it was like inside there. This also means that he's not taking me somewhere to be disposed of. However, those things don't seem particularly comfortable. Amarantha thought for a moment, trying to think of how to communicate her message. After pondering it for a moment, she walked toward the device.

She picked it up in her arms with a bit of difficulty, then set it down while looking at the person in front of her. Amy shook her head at it, but tapped the button on the front, trying to say that she appreciated the offer, but would rather stay outside it until it was necessary to be inside. She then rolled the ball back towards his bag a short distance, then looked back up at him, stretching her arms back out to get another ride.

((it's optional to actually understand this, lol))

[Jory]

Perseus hung lazily from a tree in the forest, minding his own business and eating a nice, sweet Pecha Berry. He was hanging below a branch, three of his limbs keeping him attached to the tree while the fourth slowly moved the Berry to and away from his mouth. He liked to rest above the stream so he could watch all the other Pokemon scurry about beneath him. None of them knew the value of moving so slowly that it was difficult to distinguish Perseus from the tree he was actually in. He looked around, taking roughly a full minute to move his head enough to scan the area near him. During this scan, he saw a human walking in the direction of Tiny's cave. Those were a rare sight since the Cataclysm and an even rarer sight in the area. Perseus sighed and finished his Berry, then slowly began making his way through the trees toward her.

By the time he'd reached the girl, she was laying down outside Tiny's cave. I don't think she knows what's in there... he thought to himself. He was hanging over her, but how could he get her attention? Suddenly, Perseus noticed a Berry hanging from a nearby branch. He reached for it, straining his muscles in an attempt to not have to move to get it. He finally gripped it, but as he did so he lost his grip on the rest of the branch. His weight pulled the Berry off of its branch and he fell, landing with a slight grunt on top of the human.

[Nico Nico Nii~]

Returning to the once miserable hellhole that was her home Yuki entered her demolished house in search of any food. Since, for her house anyways, the electricity has gone out, it was easier to get in, especially when anything in her way so far would be beaten down with a Shadow Ball or Blizzard. Reaching her kitchen she inspected the fridge, only to find a small amount of food left, being a bag of Pamtre Berries, water, and raw steak. She began to wonder Since I'm a Froslass now, I wonder how these will taste? She then took a Pamtre Berry and ate it down, then another and another until she only had three left, for later she says. She then chugged the bottle of water down to only a small layer was left at the bottom. Now about the raw steak, she took a bite only to spit it out, thinking Yuck this is disgusting. Well, I never liked meat anyway, and I only ate it to leave the table early only to puke it out in my bathroom. Thinking about it more she thought someone alive, if anyone, that would actually want this would trade her something in return. So she took the meat with her alongside the Pamtre Berries. She began to walk/float out outside only to see a small figure and what seemed to be a walking tree not to far from here. Maybe they would want this meat she thought as she started ti followed behind them.

[Nova]

Jessica had not slept much that night, but now she tried to close her eyes once more. Her attempt to sleep was abruptly stopped, though, as a huge ball of fur dropped from the tree above on top of her head. Jessica jumped up and screamed, but shut herself quickly to not attract any unwanted dangers. What seemed like a huge ball of fur was actually a Pokémon, after Jessica calmed down to take a look. The Pokémon was lying on the ground where she had just tried to sleep.

"I thought the monsters had me" she thought. "But you're just a Slakoth". "I knew i wasn't alone here." Jessica sat down near it and watched what it would do...

[Jory]

Perseus shook his head, disoriented after the fall. When his vision came into focus, he saw the young girl from earlier sitting near him. Evidently, she had decided to observe rather than directly engage him. The Slakoth lazily raised his head and dragged himself along the ground on his stomach using his front paws, eventually resting his head on her foot. Getting caught would be the life! Free transportation and all the food a Pokemon could want! he thought, letting out a rather noisy yawn. Ever since he'd heard of Pokemon Trainers, he'd wanted to befriend one. Getting fed every day and getting to battle as well? That was a good deal in Perseus's mind.

[Nova]

The Slakoth seemed to have crawled up to her foot, which kind of hurt because of her wounds. He looked like he wanted something. Jessica couldn't figure out what exactly, but she assumed he was hungry. She tried to talk to the Slakoth: "I know you won't understand me, but i'll talk to you anyway. My name is Jessica. I'm a human from the town up far, although it is not really a town anymore. Something terrible has happened, and I think i was the only one to survive. Anyway, pleased to meet you."

Jessica's stomach made a grumbling noise. She was starving and couldn't take any food when she left, so she had to find food. Jessica spoke to the Slakoth again: "I'm hungry. I think you are hungry too. I am going to find some food. Hopefully, i will bring some back. If you stay here, you can have some too." Jessica stood up, preparing to leave for a while in search of food. Just before leaving, Jessica stood and looked at the Slakoth, which had remained on its spot for most of the time, waiting for some sort of corfirmation...

[Arkhi]

Gale had only a fragment of the idea Togepi was suggesting. She brought the ball back to him, as if to say yes, but shook her head- rather, she shook most of her body.
"Well, we might be a bit late getting home. Or at least what I consider home. You are quite warm, so it is nice to keep you nearby."
He picked up Togepi into his arms again and headed back to the entrance of the forest. Having lived in Reborn for all of his life, he was rather used to the climate and geography of the place. It was strange, then, to feel a sudden chill, as if a strong north-eastern wind from the Carnelia had blown.

"Gotta pick up the pace, or we'll freeze out here." Gale said. He began to run a bit faster.

[Jory]

Perseus smiled as the Trainer offered to give him some of her food once she was actually able to get it. Apparently, her name was Jessica. She seemed okay by Perseus's standards, but Perseus was wondering how she expected to survive out there. He looked near his head and saw that she had a small cut. The Slakoth realized that Jessica might need him to protect her while she went and retrieved their precious food, so he reached his front paws up toward her to signal that he wanted her to carry him.

[DarkLight]

"Ugh, can't a girl get her beauty sleep without being disturbed?"

In a river deep in the woods of Reborn, a Dewgong awoke to a sudden crash that was followed by a piercing scream. Needless to say, she was not happy at all.

"I had everything that I had wanted thanks to Celestia: Fame, glory, luxury... Anything that I wanted! Everyone loved me at Lilycove! And now," the Dewgong looked around her small little water cave, "This is what I get. What did I, Nivia, do to have humans trying to kill me and hurt me? I never injured them as far as I remember. Hell, I don't even know where I am!"

Nivia sighed in frustration. It only seemed like a day ago that she was training with her Pokemon coordinator, Celestia, for the upcoming Master Rank Beauty Contest. Everything was fine and dandy until a sudden tremor came around and sent her spiraling out into the middle of nowhere. Okay, being lost would have be fine and all with Nivia; she thought she could just ask for help, right? Wrong. Those humans that she thought admired her turned out to be angry, foul beasts who wanted to destroy her and drive her away. Not only once, but twice, and thrice! So, without any help offered to her, Nivia reluctantly decided to find herself a somewhat decent cave in a nearby river for her to rest until the sun comes out again. She had, luckily, eaten lunch before this whole fiasco came along, so she wasn't too bothered by hunger at this point in time. Nivia just wanted and peace to ease her troubled mind.

"But, nooo~ Even a peace of mind is too much for Arceus to offer me. I am okay with something, or someone, making a little camp by my temporary home. I am okay with it starting a campfire that can potentially burn me, but now screaming and conversing in the middle of the night?" Nivia whacked her white, flowy tail against the water currents.

"No!" Nivia finally barked. "I am not going to stand for it! I will go and give them a piece of my mind!"

With that, Nivia the Dewgong pulled herself up from her sleeping position and quickly made her way to the surface.

Edited March 3, 2014 by DarkLight

[Nova]

Jessica saw the Slakoth reaching out to her in a friendly manner. She was never very trustworthy towards strangers, especially strangers who invade you by falling out of trees. But this pokémon might seem an exception, or at least someone to accompany her until she reaches safety. Jessica also doubted she could hold the combined weight of a Slakoth and of any food she found.

But Jessica knew that taking risks was sometimes worth it. And trusting your instincts is often the best thing to do, especially when survival is involved. She held out her hands and picked the Slakoth up, putting him on her shoulder, almost dropping down the first time because of the weight. But slowly and steadily, she walked further into the woods, the Slakoth firmly gripped on her back. Finding food would not be an easy task, especially when danger lurks everywhere...