Cry, Restart

[Nightmare]

“[No] matter what a waste one has made of one's life, it is ever possible to find some path to redemption, however partial.” - Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC and Triggers}

• This is gonna be a more angsty/dark thread - death, depression, self loathing, and a lot of other stuff is gonna be touched upon. If any of these or similar topics make you uncomfortable I suggest not reading this topic. Thank you and take care of yourselves. <3
• This is a progressive topic.
• Please do not GM this thread at all.

Parting ways with Bergus in Natrio (read: ditching Bergus) had its own setbacks. By the time the dunes had evened into flat ground and gave way to greenery Salem was achy and exhausted. For whatever reason Bergus hadn't mentioned the stolen goods so the delinquent didn't return anything other than the pendant. For the most part after that Salem had largely been left alone by people and Pokemon alike. He'd not only physically worn himself out but his emotional state was wrecked too.

The mere mention of his sister had set him off, her name casually rolling from the lips of someone who knew nothing. His sleep talking had never been a problem because he stayed away from people - having to sleep near someone else was a disaster mixture.

With autumn coming to a close and winter just around the corner, Salem made it out of the sand maze. The breeze would've chilled his arms if not for the legwarmers that covered them. Solace had made them too big, so he never put them on his legs. Instead they were worn much like detached sleeves - even in the most scorching weather. She always had a knack for creation…

A beep from the holocaster called his attention to his arm. The screen lit up as he searched its contents for - ah, a message. He resisted the urge to growl at the contact name. One thing after another- the bastard had added his contact information. Lock was a brutal man who enjoyed toying with people - Salem had the misfortune of meeting him and being dragged to the Obsidian Dagger. One the subject, Tenshi - his boss supposedly, had been the one to stop Lock in his tracks.

She had wanted the delinquent to battle him - after he refused she had him beaten by the man. He felt a sense of shame but there was something else too… fear. For all his attempts to remain unshaken, Tenshi scared him. She had almost killed Lock for disobedience. She slapped him and he'd done nothing to retaliate and had listened to her without question when she told Lock to beat him bloody. He hated the memory, hated them, but he opened the message regardless.

LOCK: Head to Vlotstik. Tenshi has a job for you. Something keeps draining electricity at one of our bases. Find out what it is and stop it. Here's the address.

...and now they were giving him jobs? There was nothing but hatred in him. He doubted Lock could see him, but the fury on his face would've made the older man smirk. He seemed to get off on annoying people - or pressing buttons. He was close to Vlotstik though, he was literally in front of it.

001: What's in it for me?

He chose to ignore the fact Lock set his contact as a project number. The bastard had called him that when they met too, perhaps he could-

LOCK: A hard kid to move, huh? There will be a reward waiting for you once you're done. Just talk to the hotel manager when you've fixed the problem.

001: Whatever.

Closing the device cover Salem pushed the bike forward. How the hell was he supposed to stop an electrical issue? He wasn't an electrician! More importantly, why was 'Tenshi' giving him jobs? He wasn't her tool- he didn't have better things to do but he didn't like being used either. He gripped the handlebars until his knuckles turned white but continued to trek further regardless. The city was just up a head and the air suddenly felt clearer and… sweet?

The closer he pushed forward the more he realized how different Vlotstik was from the city. Lush greenery, almost no vehicles pushing fumes into the sky, and very clear streets were the sun hit everywhere. Houses were sprinkled here and there, and moving through the main street he could see most of them were brick. There were rolling hills further away that he could only assume was farmland - a deerling nibbled some grass near the edges of the town. His eyes couldn't settle on only one thing!

He was a city boy, he'd never known anything passed Weswell! Somewhere along the way he'd determined that he'd take care of Arbor's problem even if he wasn't sure how. He wasn't interested in helping him for free, but knowing that Arbor had wealth and influence was enough to motivate him. If by some miracle he managed to get on the man's good side Salem could press him for information.

What was the project? Why was Salem chosen for it? If he was referred to by number did that mean there were more people like him involved? If he was part of it did that mean Solace was too?

Solace… his lips tugged downwards, the beginnings of a frown settling in as his eyes narrowed. No, he didn't want to think about it. Shaking his head clear, he pushed the bike further into the square before he caught sight of a bike shop.

Convenient.

Word Count: 839

SPOILER: Click to show

{Edit Reasons}6.6.19 | Added post lol
6.11.19 | Grammar / Spelling fixes
6.20.19 | More spelling fixes
7.3.19 | Title change, again
7.7.19 | Updated post, WC corrected
7.13.19 | Editing more errors.
8.30.19 | Edited title and quote
9.19.19 | Edited title
10.6.19 | progressive topic marker and more notes added.
10.9.19 | I swear if I keep changing the title I'll--
12.27.19 | Hippity hoppity, I changed the title properly
1.24.20 | post redone eeeeee
3.19.20 | fixed some spelling and such

SPOILER: Click to show

{Pokémon Declaration}

Houndour Received at Level 5 Grrr... This little guy seems angry! That snarl is quite wicked! This little Houndour is mad at the world, it seems. He has learned that the world isn't always kind, and that the strong will triumph by any means necessary. Foul play and power go hand in hand and as long as the human has power he'll live with being owned. Nickname: Sinne Gender: Male Type: Dark/Fire Ability: Flash Fire Height: 2' 1" Weight: 24.7 lbs Health: Low EXP Rate: Slow EXP Gauge: (71/82) EXP Gained: 64 Level: 17 Division: D8 Total Stats: 187 Attack: 32 Defense: 33 Sp. Attack: 54 (29%) Sp. Defense: 30 Speed: 38 Vitamins Used: None	Moveset: 1. Ember 1. Leer 4. Howl 8. Smog 13. Roar 16. Bite Unique Moves: - - - - Item: -	Murkrow Received at Level 15 You, better than she? Hah! Don't make this gal cackle. She's better than you and she knows it - she'll prove it if she must. This Murkrow demands all the attention, with the attention on her what could go wrong? Though if it isn't... well, she'll just have to force her way into the spotlight. Nickname: Pride Gender: Female Type: Dark/Flying Ability: Super Luck Height: 1' 9" Weight: 4.7 lbs Health: Intermediate EXP Rate: Medium Slow EXP Gauge: (53/54) EXP Gained: 17 Level: 17 Division: D6 Total Stats: 221 Attack: 60 Defense: 22 (10%) Sp. Attack: 60 Sp. Defense: 22 (10%) Speed: 57 Vitamins Used: None	Moveset: 1. Astonish 1. Peck 5. Pursuit 11. Haze 15. Wing Attack Unique Moves: - - - - Item: -
Aron Received at Level 13 Slow and steady wins his race. As far as this Aron is considered work was never his calling. Now, napping and not moving? Yeah, he could live with that. Though he’s determined to be lazy, he does have very rare fits of passion - he doesn’t get fired up easily nor is he easily motivated though. Perhaps in a few hours turns to days, sometimes months. It’s just his pace, and who are humans to stop him? Nickname: Sloth Gender: Male Type: Steel/Rock Ability: Sturdy Height: 1' 4" Weight: 132.3 lbs Health: Low EXP Rate: Slow EXP Gauge: (77/82) EXP Gained: 35 Level: 17 Division: D8 Total Stats: 187 Attack: 41 (22%) Defense: 73 (39%) Sp. Attack: 30 Sp. Defense: 33 Speed: 10 Vitamins Used: None	Moveset: 1. Tackle 1. Harden 4. Mud-Slap 7. Headbutt 10. Metal Claw 13. Rock Tomb 16. Protect Unique Moves: - - - - Item: -	Poochyena Received at Level 15 Who let the dogs out?! Well, apparently this Poochyena left on his own accord. Sick and tired of the confines within his life, the pup has decided to leave behind his sheltered life of his pack. Despite his young age, he's quite skilled having constantly adventured away from the safety of his family. He's used to getting tossed aside and heck, there might have been times where he teetered towards death, but he'll never tell! However, in the end it is a dog eat dog world and the Poochyena has learned to bite before barking. Nickname: Wrath Gender: Male Type: Dark Ability: Quick Feet Height: 1' 8" Weight: 30 lbs Health: Scrawny EXP Rate: Medium Fast EXP Gauge: (48/55) EXP Gained: 0 Level: 15 Division: D10 Total Stats: 135 Attack: 45 (33%) Defense: 29 Sp. Attack: 1 Sp. Defense: 20 Speed: 40 Vitamins Used: None	Moveset: 1. Tackle 4. Howl 7. Sand-Attack 10. Bite 13. Odor Sleuth Unique Moves: - Fire Fang (Egg Move) - - - Item: -