Arrival in Vermilion! Passing Through to Pewter!

The brilliant array of warm colors created by the setting sun was Amber's first greeting from Kanto. The gentle sea breeze whipped past her hair, and she ran one stray hand through it, pushing the locks that were now obscuring her eyes away. The ship had docked without incident, and the trip was uneventful. Her Pack seemed to have enjoyed it, however, and each carried an eager glow in their eyes as they made their way down toward the dock. Amber especially was glowing with energy and excitement, as if radiating it in an aura around her. A wide grin was on her face as she took in all of the sights. While Castelia had been a gloomy and bustling port town, Vermilion seemed the opposite. The place was lively with energy and beauty, just like the color it was named for.

The minute they stepped onto solid ground, Amber as well as her Pack wobbled slightly. They had gotten used to the gentle rocking of the boat against the sea waves, and the ground underneath their feet was now something foreign. Her balance seemed to think they should still be rocking, so her body tried to rock with the stationary ground, forcing her to catch a nearby post jutting from the dock in order to maintain her balance and not make a fool of herself by falling into the vast pool below.

The Pack seemed to adjust much quicker than their owner. Each was on the ground for the time being, and while standing on four legs, they all could maintain their composure and balance better than the people stumbling by. Ash's eyes darted every which way, as if doubting everyone could keep their balance and preparing to protect Amber from any impact.

While still clutching her temporary wooden crutch, Amber glanced around for her police officer companion. She wasn't sure where he would head next, but she would at least bid him a farewell as they both took their searches through Kanto. Besides, Amber though mischievously, he still owes me a badge. I am law enforcement now, sort of. With thoughts of a badge to call her own, and potentially get some respect and authority, her thoughts were of the Pokemon of Kanto. There were a lot of potential Pack members scattered around this beautiful land, and she was determined to make her Pack great. Well, Kanto, let's see what you've got!

The officer which was making Amber's acquaintance stepped from the boat shortly after she had. He didn't seem to have as much trouble as she when he stepped off; he didn't even shake in his balance. "I take it that that was your first time riding on a ship," he questioned. "You seem just as wobblish as the first time I rode one." He chuckled a bit and stepped forward, looking around where they were. "Well, if we aren't in Vermilion. A peaceful town, but not my favorite..." He turned his head towards the direction towards Pewter. "When we get to Pewter, you get your badge."

"Then I'll be getting two badges," Amber smiled wryly. The turning and spinning of dizziness in her head was now faded enough for her to reluctantly and carefully release her grip on the dock's post. She still occasionally shifted her weight as if she were going to fall, but she could stay steady enough to stand on her own. The Pack was somewhat unaffected by now, as Pokemon they had much better reaction times due to their battling lifestyles.

"Well," she started to say, "Pewter's a pretty far walk away. I'm sure we could find some sort of transportation there, usually delivery trucks offer free rides if you happen to be heading the same direction, I used to use it a lot as free transportation back in Unova... though I'm just assuming everything's the same here." Her wide eyes were still staring slightly star-struck at the city beyond her and the many people passing by. She glanced over a poster saying something about the annual S.S Ann docking, and looked to the territory barely made out beyond the town. "Do you mind if I look around a bit and maybe find a ride before we head out?" She was slightly hoping to see what sort of wild Pokemon were nearby, especially for the training she never quite was able to get to. Adding to her Pack wouldn't be a bad option either.

"Sure... Go ahead," the officer told Amber, not really wanting to stop her. "Just be back before it gets dark."

"I will," Amber replied, and she held back a roll of her eyes. He sounds like my Dad, she contemplated, well, I'm sure he'd sound like my Dad if my old man was there for me compare him. She ran her hand absentmindedly across her bag, remembering the gleaming pair of dog tags resting somewhere inside, the only thing she has to resemble her father.

Taking a step off the dock and strolling her way through town, she gawked at all of the buildings as she passed. Nothing caught her full attention, and the only contender was a small homey looking place with a sign hanging above the door to display what lays inside. "Pokemon Fan Club," Amber observed, "huh." Her curiosity wasn't enough to constitute herself going inside, so she instead made her way toward the outskirts of the port town. Her Pack was following closely by, and she scanned the tall grass that grew in untamed clumps all over the place. It was the perfect spot for any wild Pokemon to wander by.

"Well," the trainer said to her Pack, "let's see what our first encounter in Kanto is going to be!" She waited for any signs of a wild Pokemon...

There was a nearby bush that seemed to be rattling; other than that, the wind blew in the trees, revealing there were also a few pokemon there, though they seemed to be sleeping.

Not wanting to disturb the sleeping Pokemon, Amber opted for the rustling bush. She gave Amethyst a gentle and silent glance, and pointed her eyes toward the bush. Getting the command, the small Pokemon crouched low and tensed, carefully moving closer toward the rustling without making a sound, slow work, but something all predators were good at. Once close enough, she jumped and sprang up, attempting to pounce whatever it was and potentially catch it by surprise.

The pokemon in the bush obviously ended up pounced, its shriek loud and clear. "Hey, back off," a trainer called. "That's my pokemon you're at! Yeesh, you didn't even ask for a battle first!"

"Oh, sorry," Amber apologized, shooting the trainer a sorry look. "We didn't notice you and were just looking for some wild Pokemon to train on," she explained, giving Amethyst a smile as the pup backed away from the Pokemon, content not to continue her attack. "Are you here for the same?" she asked, "I wouldn't mind a battle if you were up for one."

The trainer called his pokemon back, looking over to Amber with a sigh. "I had my pokemon stay there while I wandered off a bit. I was chasing something down that seemed really strange, but I lost sight of it before it got away... I guess my friend moved a bit and it seemed like a wild pokemon..." He looked down at the pokeball. "Well, he's definitely unconscious by now... I'd have to take him to a pokemon center before we even thought of battling..."

"Oh," Amber's voice lit in concern and she looked toward the Pokemon, now showing to be fainted in the bush. Must have rustled in the wind and I mistook things. Well, it can happen to anyone, she thought, not wanting to fret about mistaking the Pokemon for being wild and healthy. "If you don't mind me asking, before you go, what did the Pokemon attacking you look like? Any idea where it headed?" If there was a wild and angry Pokemon running rampant, she and her Pack weren't about to sit back and do nothing about it. I'll have to calm this Pokemon down before it hurts anyone else, the trainer decided, maybe I could even befriend it or help it with whatever's eating at it. There aren't many naturally bad Pokemon, something probably set this one off.

[Pardon the late post]

"I didn't really say it was a pokemon or not," the trainer told Amber, sighing to himself a bit as he petted the pokeball and put it away into his pocket. "But I suppose there's no use in hiding it... It was a pokemon, but it didn't really seem to have emotion."

"Strange," Amber murmured more to herself than the other trainer, "do you know where it last was?" she asked, "I don't want any other person or Pokemon getting hurt by this Pokemon, so any information will really help." She was now enthralled with the thought of an emotionless Pokemon. She had heard of people without feeling or remorse, but never Pokemon. It sounded dangerous, but nothing the Pack couldn't handle! Five pairs of curious eyes, one human and four canine, gazed at the trainer while waiting for a response.

""I couldn't really give you a specific area," the trainer told Amber as he pointed to where he had been coming from. "All I could tell you is to head that way..." A rather loud roar arose then, though it was almost as if it was pitched for only canines to hear.

All four of Amber's Pokemon's ears rose in unison and their heads snapped toward the roaring noise almost unheard by Amber herself. She glanced from them to the boy to the spot where her Pack's eyes seemed to curiously linger. "I'd imagine it's over there, then," Amber said, almost breathlessly. Her eyes found Ash, the natural Pack leader, and she nodded slightly toward him. Bowing his head low in his own sort of nod, the Mightyena launched himself forward in the direction of the roar. Azure yipped excitedly and took off after him. Amethyst, meanwhile, waited for Amber to start running after her Pokemon and maintained a position near her trainer. As did Lavender, taking up her spot on the other side. The trainer and Pack ran toward whatever had been howling.

The trainer looked at Amber as she boosted off after her pokemon, wondering what she was going after. Whatever seemed to be causing a mess, pokemon or not, was aiming at canines. It could be possible what Amber would find could give her a further lead on what had happened previously. Another rather loud roar arose, the pitch even higher than the first.

Amber's curiosity grew as she watched each of her Pack members suddenly skip a beat and flinch slightly, as if some other unheard noise had a bigger effect than the one prior. "I guess this is one time I'm glad not to have ears like yours," she joked, looking down at Lavender and Amethyst. The two glanced back up toward their trainer but did not make any sort of reply. They continued to run toward the source of the noise, Ash and Azure at the lead with the rest taking up the rear.

The creature seemed to take a bit of time between the times it continued emitting roars. A stranger came running from the direction that Amber was heading towards, wearing a rather large jacket to hide his appearance. "Get away from that thing," he told her, skidding to a stop a few feet away from her. "I may have signed up for this group, but not something like that!" On one of the sleeves of the guy's jacket was a symbol, and he had a collar in his hand almost exactly like the ones that had been seen before.

"Wha?" Amber managed to say as the man quickly approached and warned her of what was ahead. Taking in the rest of his sentence made the trainer narrow her eyes and slightly bite the inside of her cheek. Her instinct was telling her not to blurt out what organization?, as there seemed to be a more important event going on. She did study the strange symbol on his jacked for a brief moment in order to commit it to memory. If he was holding one of the collars, it would be a good idea to find any distinct thing about who he was.

Ash was growling slightly at the man and taking a defensive position beside Amber, as if to protect her from the stranger. Laying a reassuring hand on the Mightyena's head, the trainer looked beyond the man toward where the roaring was still silently piercing the air. "Don't worry Ash, I think we have bigger threats to deal with." The great wolf lowered his head and continued forward, leading the rest of the Pack and Amber herself to follow. "Thanks for the warning," she called back toward the man, "but I think I can handle things on my own. I'm not its foe."

[You should sprite the little design so we can put it in our signatures xD]

The stranger continued running in the direction that he had been headed, planning on getting far away from whatever it was that was causing so much trouble. Another roar arose, a few others eventually approaching Amber. Unlike the first, however, they all ran past her quickly, dressed the same as him and carrying collars like he had been. "Can't just leave well enough alone, can you," someone asked Amber when they noticed her. "We know who you are and what you've done... Back off, would you?" The stranger jumped in front of Amber, holding a pokeball in her hand. "You aren't stopping us... Operation Alpha will continue!"

The voice of the stranger was feminine, and based on the figure, it was definitely a woman. "So why don't you just go back to wherever you came from like a good girl..." She was holding her pokeball a bit toughly, her jacket hiding everything about her appearance except her figure and smile. The woman seemed to have sharp teeth, almost as if a canine's own. "Or would you rather worse happen? The phrase 'bark and no bite' doesn't apply to me." Another roar came from a shorter distance than before, giving Amber evidence she was close.

"Well, I guess we'll be seeing who's the alpha here," Amber replied with a threatening grin of her own, "I hate nothing more than a bully, and you seem to really be hitting a sweet spot. Let's see who'll be the one rolling over first!" The trainer decided to pay no attention to the strange, canine-like teeth of the woman blocking her way. Operation Alpha, she commented in her head, information is just streaming in. Good thing I did decide to go for a walk. Amber had to make a decision: the roar or the trainer. Which was a bigger threat?

"Ash, I want you and Azure to go after whatever is making that noise," she decided to command, and the Mightyena and Kyansei obeyed, dashing off toward where they had heard the closest roar. "Amethyst, Lavender, let's show her who's boss." Both the Espeon and the Tenebris were ready, taking positions as to block the woman from pursuing the two larger wolves. "Well," Amber said, "hit me with your best shot."

"You really are a rotten girl," the woman snarled at Amber. "Quite a nuisance... Weren't you raised to obey your elders?" She turned her head and saw the two great wolves rushing off. "They can be subjects for Operation Beta..." She tapped her side, a button apparently hidden beneath her jacket. A cage was released from a tree branch hanging above the two wolves, it falling fast to capture the two.

"Honestly," Amber chuckled, "I raised myself to obey people I respect. Sadly for you, that list's just about empty. You didn't make the cut. Also, for someone without 'bark', you sure are talking a lot." The sudden surprised yelps of Ash and Azure made Amber quickly turn on her heels and suck in a slight gasp. The noise quickly morphed into a snarl as she saw them helplessly contained in some sort of cage.

"Let them go," she growled, "or I make you." Lavender's steady gaze went from the cage back to the woman. There was a hint of displeasure in her otherwise emotionless eyes, and the gem atop her forehead shimmered, as if she were preparing to attack, regardless of weather Amber would allow it or not. Even Amethyst was baring her teeth as the fur along her back bristled. The normally shy Pokemon would fight for her Pack.

"I'd let them go for one of two things," the woman told Amber in a snarl. "The first, you agree to leave." She then lifted her head a bit, revealing yellow eyes from her hood alongside the strange smile. "Or you could join our group. You seem to like canines enough."

"J-Join you?" Amber said, stunned. Out of everything coming from this woman's mouth, that was the last thing she expected to hear. There was a sort of mysterious mischief to her, but something told the trainer to still take her words with a grain of salt. She was, after all, giving Amber an ultimatum using her trapped Pokemon. Deciding the best course of action was to gather as much information as possible, she took a deep breath and met the woman's own golden eyes.

"What would joining you entitle me?" she asked, "I don't know your goals, and those collars are something I despise. If you're behind them, I'm going to have to decline. Forcefully." She crossed her arms and awaited a reply.