4.0 Dedicated to its Members and Fans of Pokemon A Pokemon Sandbox RP
Pokémon Dubstep (ft. Lindsey Stirling)
W
elcome Adventurer to EPOCH! A Pokemon Sandbox Rp set in the original region of Nue. Everything you need to know will be in the Guidebook and PokeDex 101!
EPOCH uses the Manga and is built on the Original ideas suggested by our members.
We are more than just a Pokemon RP, we're a friendly community with a goal on being a memorable experience for those that look in.
Golden Rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated. If you find yourself content with being an asshole EPOCH and its members will not tolerate you.
RULES
Understand We're All Human. Respect the staffers as well as your fellow members and guests. We all have flaws, tempers and quirks. Be patient with one another, but if issues involving other members come up please don’t just grin and bear it. Contact a staff member, informing them of what's going on so they can address and resolve the situation. The staff won't know what's bothering you unless you tell them.
EPOCH is PG-13. Proboards’ Terms of Service:
Sex; When you get under the clothes, fade to black.
Violence; Do not go into extreme nauseating detail.
Cursing; This is so fucking allowed, but don't go overboard.
Suggestive Content; In avatars, signatures and templates can attract the wrong kind of attention. So be careful.
I'M GONNA BREAK YOUR LITTLE HEART, WATCH YOU TAKE THE FALL
It probably wasn't the best of ideas. Going into a haunted wood walk with Danny. But Amber couldn't really turn him down, he loved Halloween. The candy, the costumes, the trick-or-treating. He was so excited on the phone when he called her to meet up in Kalos for a Sudowoodo Haunted Wood Walk. And from the description, it didn't sound that bad. It was basically a walk through the dark forest and some random things could happen to you on the walk through. They even let you bring a few Pokemon through. The two of them decided to bring on each, and of course, the one Amber choose was Fang.
The golden Mightyena's coat was barely visible through the night. He kept near Amber and Danny, making sure that he was within touch of her at all time. She patted Fang's head as they stood barely 15 feet away from the exit. After they had paid the fee to go in, the person had given them a really crappy flashlight. They told them that they needed to shake the flashlight every now and then to get it going again. Amber was somewhat regretting not bringing a Fire or an Electric type into the woods, but Fang would be able to guide them through at least. Well, she hoped.
She held the dim flashlight up and shined it on the path ahead. The light didn't do much for them, they may as well follow the moonlight instead. Amber sighed and turned the flashlight off, not wanting to waste the battery until they got deeper into the forest where the tree branches would cut off the light. Amber zipped up her red jacket and kept the flashlight close. Turning to Danny, she pointed on ahead and held out the flashlight towards him. "Did you wanna take the crappy flashlight or should I?"
Post by Danny Kazuki on Oct 6, 2014 22:28:33 GMT -5
The thrill of the Haunted Wood Walk had Danny’s feet feeling as light as his heart, prancing with his knee high-fiving the air with each merry skip, he had a hard time slowing down to match Amber and Fang’s easy-going pace when all he wanted to do was charge head first into trouble. It wasn’t the kind of trouble that would have him clad in heart-speckled boxers and a giant red ribbon tied daintily around his neck and head in front of the Mossdeep police station, because that would have him immediately running in the opposite direction. Instead, it was the kind of trouble that had him floored from start to finish, having him grinning like a kid that was ready to set off the fire alarm because they wanted to skip out on a few minutes of school. ”This is going to be the greatest day of 2014 yet, I swear! I can feel it in all of my bones! You could grab one of those bone fortune teller fellas right here, right now, have them amputate this arm in this exact spot, and they will agree that today is about to be uh-freaking-mazing.” While a missing arm or leg could’ve put a damp towel on his bubbly mood, that wasn’t going to happen when Amber brought Fang for protection.
Of course, if Fang was the one tearing his limbs off, that was another story. But despite their small personal spats, he trusted Fang well enough to rescue him in his time of need.
”It would’ve been better if they gave us a working flashlight. Maybe we were just unlucky and got a dud?” Even as Amber aimed the flashlight through the moonlit parts of the woods, the difference in light wasn’t all that helpful when their brightest light source kept dying out on them. It took a couple of shakes to kick the thing back into action, but wrists were bound to get tired, and already Amber was trying to pass on flashlight duty to him. He debated laughing it off and forcing her to get her hands fatigued while his were prime for pointing and laughing at the various failed jump scares that must’ve been waiting for them in some deep part of the woods, hidden in the cover of the night’s uneasy stillness, where even the nocturnal birds couldn’t be heard. ”Oh, goodie. I get to be in charge of something. The responsibility is almost overwhelming. I could even faint.” Accepting the position as the honorary flashlight holder, he swiped it out of her grip a little too eagerly, immediately turning it back on and swishing it around as if it was an imaginary light saber.
Saving light before they got somewhere deep? Psshhhaw. Imaginary sword fights were top tier important on the list of things that were pretty damn important.
Mimicking the sounds of laser blades zooming past one another, colliding as he jumped and bounced around the path, he had to admit that he had some ulterior motives to his otherwise dorkish display. Right now, he had to feel the waters to see how dedicated Amber was to trailing behind him. If he could just sneak the right amount of cover behind one of the trees, he could pop out and scare her for a beautiful moment of terror and anger from Princess Sis-Piss, a nickname that Danny never dared to say outright to Amber’s sweet and innocent face. Mostly because he didn’t want a Flamethrower to the face, but her feelings were also kind of important, he supposed.
So far so good. Maybe this is just a nice, tame Halloween walk after all . . . Or not. You have COMPANY. You can't catch it so you better run and request another roll!
I'M GONNA BREAK YOUR LITTLE HEART, WATCH YOU TAKE THE FALL
She wasn't sure if he was genuinely excited to take responsibility or if there was sarcasm there. Amber felt like she should have picked up on that if it was sarcasm, that was her language after all. The flashlight was swiped from her hand and Amber pulled it back instantly, placing her hands in her jacket pockets as a source of comfort. Fang stayed close to the two as they continued through the forest. His ears perked up every now and then when the wind would pick up or there were noises coming from within the forest.
Amber stopped in her tracks for a few steps as Danny swung the light around like a lightsaber. "Stop that or the batteries might die." She said, picking up her pace again as he continued to swish through the invisible enemies up on ahead. Her eyes glanced from side to side, studying the forest as they continued making their way through. They had went all out making the forest look creepy, she was definitely feeling creeped out at this point. Fang picked up on Amber's uneasiness and moved closer to her, standing in front and holding his head high. She smiled slightly and patted his head. Fang was a good protector, he wouldn't let any thing happen to her or Danny.
Looking up, she realized that Danny had basically ran up ahead. There was a good ten or more feet between them now. Amber shook her head slightly. He was really excited about this whole walk, wasn't he? She supposed it was worth it that she came to tag along. He might have gotten lost without her help or Fang's. However, she couldn't help but shake off the feeling that there were things lurking in the forest. Just how far of lengths did Laverre go to?
Rustle Rustle SNAP
Amber froze instantly. What was that? Fang took a protective stance over Amber as the fur on the back of his neck sprang up. She kept close to the canine and hovered over him, leaning down to try and hide behind the Mightyena. That sound was not good.
...
Where was Danny?
"Danny?!" Amber said, somewhat yelling his name as she looked up on ahead. Wait a moment... something was heading right towards him!
Post by Danny Kazuki on Oct 9, 2014 19:54:04 GMT -5
’Pssshaw, the batteries won’t die.’ Amber’s concern was without a doubt misplaced, because there was no way their perky light saber would lose the spark of truth and justice. Besides, it looked fine right now, even if it needed a helpful nudge every now and then. It was still reliable enough to work as needed, assuming your arms had the stamina to make it last through the entire walk. But why worry about that when he had such a good feeling about his outing with Amber? This was a prime scene out of the feature film called “It’s a Danny’s Life”, where the plot only went sour when he willed it to be, and the rest of the movie was filled with scenes of him being awesome and saving an entire village filled with nothing but hot babes and puppies. It was honestly the best combination ever, in his book at least. He had a while before his life could reach that exact scene, he’d get there someday. Therefore, he absolutely could not die before that extraordinary moment in his life happened.
As far as he was concerned, there was nothing in this forest that could possibly get his heart to tremble in fear. Nothing. Even the horror known as The Beheaded Doduo wouldn’t have him bolting up the nearest tree for cover, considering that monsters like that were nothing more than harmless creepypastas posted on the internet for teh lulz. Amber and Fang were still in eyesight as he ran ahead, and knowing how tough the two of them were, he had little reason to think that either would be frightened enough to call him because they wanted him close by so early in the trip. The big scares were supposed to happen during the climax of the walk, which he assumed would be when people would least expect a monster to jump out at them. That big moment couldn’t possibly come as soon as Amber was suspecting, but even as he turned to face her with an easy-going grin, he couldn’t help but wonder what had her so on edge. ”I’m right here, you goofball. See?” He flicked the light back on and aimed it right at Amber and Fang, who were both huddled close together due to some strange tension in the air.
Of course, he’d be just as nervous at the occasional rustling too if he heard them in the first place. That was partially his fault for humming ‘This is Halloween’ the entire time, but the sound of nature made such a lousy soundtrack, and anything he could sing or hum was infinitely more entertaining. ”Don’t tell me you’re scared already. We’re barely 10 minutes into this thing. You’re so thin-skinned. I can practically see your skeleton from here.” He teased, feeling awfully cocky for seeing such a vulnerable side to his little sister. The only thing about this whole thing that bothered him was the way Fang was standing over Amber, fur prickled up like a Jolteon that was ready to attack. Maybe Fang was being paranoid too, but it felt out of place to see the mutt being this defensive on a trip that meant to be nothing but fun.
He shut the flashlight back off for shits and giggles, entirely amused at how dark the forest was when his eyes needed time to adjust to the sudden lack of light. When his eyes were still adapting to the light of the moon, he couldn’t even see Amber and Fang until the clouds covering the moon rolled over, gently illuminating the shadowy figures in the forest. He wanted a good laugh, and if teasing helped them loosen up, then by all means he was going to tease the hell out of them.
”Come plaaaaay with me, Aaaaamber. There’s nothing to fear but me out here, and--“ That wasn’t a sentence he was going to finish any time soon. Interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps charging at him from behind, he turned around in time to catch the crimson gleam of a gem before he was tackled and knocked face first into the ground.
”GRRRYUUHHHH!”
The night was filled with the roar of a Pokemon that sounded like autotuned nails scratching against a chalkboard, and with the flashlight knocked clean out of Danny’s hands from the tackle, there was nothing but moonlight to illuminate the sharp horns that rose out of its head. To be honest, Danny peed himself a little from the shock of it all. Not that he’d tell anyone that, of course. Getting his senses back as the monster lowered its face to meet his, it felt as if all of the blood in his face packed their bags and left to the safety of his heart, which was pounding faster than he could count. ”U-Uh…UHH…H-Help…” He managed to squeak out, scrambling backwards in terror as he tried to get back onto his legs, but they refused to work and turned to jelly, making him flop and scramble even more in his haste to get away. The beast roared again, arms waved wildly as if it was possessed by an unknown force that wanted to claw its way into the creature’s head.
”AMBER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! ICAN'TMOVEDOSOMETHINGFORME PLEAAAAASE!” Today was the day that Danny officially learned what terror was, feeling even more rattled than usual for being tackled in such a primitive fashion. People weren’t supposed to feel pain during these types of events. That just wasn’t how it was supposed to go. It felt humiliating to be tackled like the skinniest twig on the football team, and being so easily overpowered was enough to leave his entire body trembling in shock. It didn’t help that he completely forgot to pick the flashlight back up, making the situation all the more scarier when he could barely see what was attacking him in the first place.
Post by Amber Kazuki on Oct 11, 2014 20:46:43 GMT -5
WORD COUNT
000
TAGGED
@tagged
NOTES
Notes
I'M GONNA BREAK YOUR LITTLE HEART, WATCH YOU TAKE THE FALL
Amber stared in horror as her step-brother was tackled to the ground. The flashlight spun out of his hands and hit her feet. She scrambled to pick it up and turn it on, shining it on the creature that attacked him. And that was a horrible idea. Once the light hit the creature, it pulled back from its assault on Danny and stared directly at Amber. Her hands almost let go of the flashlight but fumbled to catch it mid-fall. The creature was a dark gold color lined with purple. It had the body of a Pinsir and the gem eye of a Starmie. Fang jumped in front of Amber and barked to scare it away, but it didn't seem to be too happy about being confronted. When Danny had screamed for Amber's help, she snapped out of her horror ridden state and shakily held the flashlight for Fang. "G-G-GET HIM!" Amber cried out. Even before she had said a command, the Mightyena jumped forward, knocking the Pinsir-Starmie thing off of Danny and rolling with it on the ground.
With the creature off, Amber rushed over to Danny's side and bent down to drag her step-brother up. The flashlight locked under her chin and between her chest as she helped him scramble to his feet. Fumbling with the dim flashlight, Amber shined it over to the battle going on off to the side. Fang had locked the morph down with a Fire Fang, the fire fuming from his jaw as he shook the morph's horns. The Pokemon didn't seem too bothered by the fire though and swiftly turned around, punching Fang away with his fist. The canine rolled off and landed on his side. Quickly getting back to his feet, he faced the Pinsir and jumped back. The fight continued while Amber stayed close to Danny, latching onto his arm and almost shoving the flashlight into his chest. "Go go GO! FANG, BACK!" Amber yelled, grabbing Danny's hand and running away.
The Mightyena kept the creature busy long enough for the two to get enough distance. Fang turned to follow but the creature took a step to follow, that was until Fang looked back over his shoulder and growled dangerously low. A Dark Pulse emulated from underneath the Mightyena and knocked the creature away. The morph decided it wasn't worth it anymore and scampered back into the forest. The Mightyena snorted and turned to run after Amber and Danny.
Once they were far enough away, Amber dropped to her knees on the ground and panted heavily. It didn't take long for Fang to catch up, he came to a slow stop and nudged Amber's neck with his muzzle. She patted his nose and rubbed her cheek into him. "Thank you, Fang." She muttered. Once she caught her breath, Amber looked over her shoulder to Danny with wide eyes. "Are you okay?" She asked. The golden Mightyena turned around to face Danny as well, moving over to sniff him over and check for any wounds. What sort of forest was this? The forest of some scary scientist where his failed creations roamed?
2 more spaces forward and you notice a path that looks a little less than "official." Skip ahead to the designated space. You hear some ominous sounds along the way though, so you better move fast.
Post by Danny Kazuki on Oct 13, 2014 19:00:01 GMT -5
After letting out a quivering cry for help, his legs and arms felt so heavy from the weight of his terror that he felt pinned down before the faceless hulk even touched him with its twisted, overgrown claws. It was only when Amber finally registered the danger and aimed the light straight at its head, or at least Danny assumed the oddly structured gemstone acted as its head. It was hard to get a good look when he was trying not to revert to the fetal position in one second, and the next had Amber shooting Fang like a bullet, toppling the threat over before it could dig its horns and claws into a raw Danny. At least cook him first, you asshole. ”What is that? What the hell is that?!” He demanded as he felt Amber’s hands against his arms, urging him onto his feet while Fang still had the chance to distract it. Even Amber must’ve needed a double take, because she had the flashlight revealing hints and parts of the battle as Fang clashed teeth and feet with the gem creature’s horns.
This was far from a regular Pokemon battle. For all Danny knew, Fang could’ve been fighting one of those haunted animatronic things gone horribly wrong. It looked alive for what it was worth. Now that he wasn’t the target of his assailant’s bloodlust, he was tempted to get a better look at it while it was still preoccupied. His mind was quick to reject the idea as soon as it was thought up, but before his curiosity could protest further, Amber had already latched onto his hand and dragged him further into the depths of the woods. ”What kind of Halloween walk sends people to their deaths?! That…that that that thing! The thing…thing…” It was easier to talk once they confirmed that they weren’t being chased by some faceless predator, but his lungs reminded him that breathing was top priority, not talking. Catching up with a couple of tired pants under the cover of some of the trees, he crashed onto the ground with a crinkle and a crack from the dry and decaying leaves underneath. These woods must’ve looked so warm and inviting during the day, but suddenly it felt as if the trees were closing in on them, trapping them in a maze where the sun didn’t dare to shine.
Any sense of safety felt like a temporary convenience as Danny timidly glanced around the woods in response to Amber’s question. ”As ok as I can get. Thanks to Fang, it’s not like it had a chance to give me love bites.” He smiled at their concern, and he was thankful that he wasn’t going through this walk all by himself. Sure, he brought Hermes along for company, but that was under the assumption that he ended up finding any apple trees that were ripe for the picking. Now that things weren’t nearly as hilarious as he thought they’d be, suddenly he was longing for the extra company. Still, he was reluctant to send out the Zigzagoon against man-eaters that were even taller than him. It wasn’t as if Hermes could grow hulking biceps that would magically save the day by smashing everything in the face, but Danny could dream about it, at least.
”Just to be clear---I did not see anything about this in the fine print. Not that I read it all in full detail, but it’s not like any of the words screamed ‘wet your awesome new pants’.” On the bright side, his pants and undies didn’t feel wet. That was always an accomplishment in his books, even if he was the only guy that would ever appreciate it. ”Geez, if that thing got you instead, I’d be sent to the nearest guillotine knowing mom and dad.” And by ‘mom’, he definitely meant Amber’s mother. His birth mom wouldn’t of cared if it was his fault that Amber broke a leg out here, probably saying something along the lines of “Better luck next time” or “I’m glad you kids were motivated enough to take ‘break a leg’ to heart” while giving him yet another dismissive smile. Yeah, all of his parents sucked. ”So…now what? That was just a fluke thing, right? It’s not actually gonna do anything to us. I mean…they’d get sued.” Though it sure gave Fang a load of trouble, and that meant something, considering that Fang was all kinds of raw power. ”Yeah, that’s gotta be it. We panicked like wussies early. Figures.” Oh, how dearly he wanted to laugh this experience off and throw the memory of the attack as far away as he could. Even if he had to force himself to believe that the danger was all in their heads, he was going to stay positive about this.
He didn’t want Amber to worry to the point that she feared for her life. Of course, he never wanted to be responsible for that sort of thing. Especially when she was involved. He brushed himself off and jumped back onto his feet, looking as renewed and energetic as he was before the walk even started. For all he knew, they just passed some kind of terrifying initiation for the Halloween Wood Walk, and that was something to be proud of. ”So! Let’s go. Let’s go let’s go let’s go! Maybe we’ll win something or be on TV if we’re the first ones out!” He wasn’t too sure where to run after their sudden escape, feeling awfully disoriented on where they were and where they were supposed to go at this point, but he didn’t see the harm in cutting through the mud and trees to get further into the maze. In fact, he could see the clean cut path before he even started walking through it. ”It’d suck if there was poison ivy here.” He chuckled, thankfully wearing long pants and socks to keep his legs safe from such a fate, but that meant nothing if he ended up touching the cloth subconsciously.
Danny walked as if there was nothing to fear for miles and miles as long as they weren’t standing in plain view on the moonlit path. He would’ve loved to skip and hop as carefree as Seedot on a summer day, but the night as about as unfriendly as it could get.
RUSTLE RUSTLE…"Grrrrunt. Graaahh…"
There wasn’t a single gust of wind that could make the leaves crinkle against each other quite like that. Immediately freezing and searching for the source of the unfamiliar sound, he tensed as the noises faded back into silence. It sounded as if there was some kind of struggle going on, though damned if Danny knew what was fighting what.
Post by Amber Kazuki on Oct 16, 2014 19:26:11 GMT -5
WORD COUNT
000
TAGGED
@tagged
NOTES
Notes
I'M GONNA BREAK YOUR LITTLE HEART, WATCH YOU TAKE THE FALL
Fang snorted at Danny's appreciation and walked away with a nod. Even though that Danny was a bit of a ding dong, Fang never wanted to see the goofball hurt. They didn't see eye to eye very often, but he still cared for the idiot. Deep, deep down inside his golden heart. Like, way deep down. There's a two inch thick layer of gold covering that "I love Danny" spot in his heart.
Amber stared at her step-brother with concern. For someone who had just gotten attacked by a... thing, he was sure peppy. Then again, this was Danny after all. You could knock them down and he'd spring right back up like one of those boxing dolls. You could never keep them down for long, and the monster that attacked didn't seem to make Danny want to slow down.
"Typical of you not to read the fine print." Amber said with a roll of her eyes. She brushed herself off as Fang walked over, keeping close to his partner as she moved to Danny. It was expected of Danny to throw them in a forest filled with monsters. Knowing him, the poster for the forest literally said "Disclaimer: Monsters inside" and Danny only saw the "Take a walk through a haunted forest!" part. And he was right about one thing, if that monster had attacked her and mom and dad got wind of it, Danny would join her in ghostliness. However, the danger ahead didn't seem to faze Danny that much. He practically jumped right back on his feet and guessed that they simply got scared early. If that was a early monster, Amber didn't really want to find out what was deeper inside the forest. But Danny decided to simply ignore the clear warning and go right back on the path. She shook her head and followed, holding the flashlight out to reveal the path ahead.
"If there is a reward, it better be a shitton of money." Amber said flatly. At this point, she hoped there was a stupid prize for making it out. And she hoped that they would make it out of here in one piece. The Mightyena took the lead, walking a few feet in front of Danny as they began out a beaten path. It looked different than the main one, perhaps a shortcut? She followed him through the muddy path, lifting her legs high to try to make sure her waist didn't get the worst of it.
The noise made her jump and Fang take a protective stance again. Amber completely missed on what Danny had said and moved behind him, nudging him not so softly. "Move it, and don't look to see what it is either!" Amber hissed through her teeth, forcing Danny through the mud and making his ass move just a bit quicker. It didn't sound close, but it didn't sound that far away either. And Amber did not want to meet another monster so shortly after the first one. Fang moved around to push Amber through the mud, helping the duo along as they made their way through hell.
4 spaces forward you become aware of something lurking ahead in the darkness. Rather than face it head-on, you run down another path. Where your flashlight then flickers out for 4 posts.
Post by Danny Kazuki on Oct 18, 2014 22:39:05 GMT -5
By the time this Haunted Wood Walk was over, a generous 100 dot prize didn’t sound too bad. That was just expensive enough to act like a rich douchebag at the club, all while treating everyone to free drinks. He wanted to be that rich douchebag someday, but he couldn’t give up this early in the event if he wanted to even come close to rich boy status. ”If they give us money, you’d just take all of it as ‘compensation’ for putting you through this in the first place.” He thought, and considering how much he actually owed Amber for all of the shit he dragged her through over the years, it was pretty much a miracle that she was still willing to do these things with him when he couldn’t properly pay her back. ’She probably gets a power trip when she puts me in debt. That’s her plan all along. Scumbag Amber.’ Whether he owed her dots, physical labor, or weeks of sucking up, it was pretty clear that he was usually in a position where he rightfully owed her something in one way or another.
While thinking about the finish line at the end of the winding, moonlit trail was enough to get Danny moving with a merry hum, the sense that there was someone else out there watching them was enough to cause a crack in his voice. Amber knew enough to drag him through the mud, and with each squishy, sloshing step as his nice shoes sunk deep into the goo, Danny had an even harder time restraining the clear look of disgust on his face. ”Eww…I think the mud sunk into my socks. That’s not sanitary. Those were my awesome new Batman socks too, mannnn.” He still wanted to know what was making those funny noises, but if that meant walking through more ankle-deep mud, then it wasn’t worth it. ”Sick. The prize money better be enough to buy another pair, or I’ll throw these at whoever is in charge. That’ll teach them. That’ll teach all of them!” It didn’t take long to make it onto a dry patch of land where the grass parted ways, revealing a small dirt path for them to take. After giving it a few test steps, Danny confirmed it to be safe and dry, much to his relief.
”I wonder how close we are to the end. I mean, that was basically a short cut. Maybe the exit is like, right around the corner. It’s gotta be as brightly lit as the entrance, so I don’t think we’re gonna miss it any time soon.” He kept his eyes peeled for the same torches and festive Halloween lights he saw at the entrance just in case they really were further than it felt, but the fog made it quite a chore to see what lurked in the horizon. Even with the flashlight, it was barely enough light to keep them from walking head first into the nearest tree.
”What do people even do when they give up or get lost? Maybe they become ghosts and haunt the place. Maybe they’re just really lonely and only come out when they sense people around. Poor ghosts. They can’t even sue these Wood Walk bastards.” If there were ghosts around here, Danny wouldn’t have been surprised. If there were ghost Pokemon, there could be ghost anything, so it wasn’t too hard to believe in ghosts. ”Can you imagine us being ghosts in a place like this? I’d make all the girls scream, if you know what I mean.” He snickered even though he didn’t know what he meant, figuring that his comment was better when left ambiguous. He wasn’t sure where he was going with the ghost talk, but he really just wanted to be in a position where he could get away with teasing and scaring Amber when she least expected it. The only con about the plan was that it was starting to kick his nerves back and forth, and he wasn’t sure if his story was just that believable when he imagined a large shadow moving behind the cover of the towering pine trees, whose branches twisted in shapes that looked ready to grab them. He must’ve imagined it. It was all in his head. If the trees looked ready to eat him alive, then he knew that it was time to take a break and re-calibrate. ”Ha…thought I saw something just now. But that was just me, right?” With a nervous chuckle, he pointed towards where he saw the figure last as he looked to Amber and Fang for any kind of reassurance. If they didn’t sense any danger, then everything should’ve been fine. Even if he had a hard time trusting his own judgment, Amber and Fang were reliable enough to catch onto these things, no problem.
”I didn’t hear anything, so it was probably just some jerk shadow moving around. I’ll check it out to make sure though. ” Despite saying that, it didn’t feel right to just ‘check something out’ without holding something for protection. At least Amber had the flashlight to hold onto, but all Danny had was the Pokeball of his unreliable Zigzagoon, Hermes, to use as live bait. Hermes was better than nothing, but he hardly felt safe as he took a risk and tentatively walked through the dense fog, and each time he turned to see where Amber stood, he gulped as the thick white cloud started to create a veil around her face and figure, making her difficult to see. The flashlight was his only landmark on where to run, and even as it flickered on and off, it always turned back on after a good shake. At least it was reliable in that sense. ”Hellloooo? Are you a monster, or are you just here to sell us car insurance? I think I’d take the monster over that.” Humor was his only saving grace as he continued to walk closer to where he last saw the shadow, fighting the increasing sense of dread as he walked alone, waiting to hear the crinkle of the leaves or the snaps of a twig to warn him to run at any moment.
He sure heard something alright. The stillness of the forest was interrupted with a repetitive clicking sound as claws raked against the bark of a tree, accompanied by a low, booming pant that Danny could practically feel breathing against his shoulder. The sound was vivid enough to imagine it being right next to him, and even as he spun around with a Pokeball in his hand, the cover of the night made it impossible to see what was out there. ”Nope. Nope. Nuh-huh. Nope nope nope—“ Immediately backing away at the sound, he could’ve sworn that he heard footsteps getting closer to him, only to stop each time he looked back in a nervous panic. ”Shiiiiiit.” He weakly whimpered to himself as he sped up the pace until his fear fueled him into a full speed run, zooming right back towards the safety of the flashlight until he could safely see Amber and Fang.
”Amber, Fang, move it!” It was the most he could spit out as he bolted past them, not even bothering to drag them along with him. They were old enough to run and fend for themselves, and right now, Danny's brain was in 'save yourself' mode and couldn't be stopped.
NOTHING DOING?
