((I'm so sorry that I vanished on you guys. Serious computer issues....))<br/><br/>**Palette Town**<br/><br/>"Good to meet you too." Gary nodded, tipping an invisible hat. "It's good to have you."<br/><br/>Micah nodded in agreement. "On the way, do you think it would be possible to stop at a restroom somewhere?" He knew the question was out of the blue, but it was necessary.<br/><br/>Gary smirked. "Sure, kid."<br/><br/><br/>The group caught a ride in Gary Oak's car, winding their way through the city and stopping at a market for the bathroom. Micah hurriedly went about relieving himself, because he would have felt bad to hold up the ride for too long. Soon enough, they all were back on the road, and Gary's internal map led them flawlessly through the streets of Palette Town. In fact, they were nearly to their destination, when Gary had to slam on his brakes, almost sending Micah through the windshield.<br/><br/>A huge monster--at least the size of a large man but with a massive wingspan--seemed to drop from the sky out of nowhere. Gary had to ask if everyone was okay just to steady himself, and he didn't even fully comprehend what was going on until he looked out the windshield again. Micah saw it first.<br/><br/>The monster from above was actually a large Charizard, strangely black in color with blazing yellow eyes and a demeanor that seemed nearly possessed. He was rampaging through the street, over turning parked cars along the way, and twitching his neck this way and that, as if looking for something.<br/><br/>"What in the name of..." Micah started, but stopped when Gary's door opened, leaving the car beeping loudly and repetitively to tell him to put his seat belt on and not forget his keys.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>**Palette Town--Oak Family Home**<br/><br/>"Thanks." Jonathan laughed, clapping Mewtwo firmly on the shoulder. "I don't know how to repay you, but I'll certainly think of something." He turned back to Charity. "If you decide to leave before Gary gets back, make sure you at least leave him a note. You don't want to complicate things or frustrate him."<br/><br/>"I know..." Charity sighed.<br/><br/>"Alright then. I'll see you when you get back to the ranch. Good luck with everything, and I'll tell you if I hear from Samuel again."<br/><br/>"Thanks." She waved him off, accepting a hug from the man only because he offered it.<br/><br/><br/>With Jonathan gone, Charity spent only a little time preparing a note for Gary and putting away the rest of the groceries. She was actually very eager to get going. After all, the sooner they went to Pewter, the sooner she might find out what exactly Samuel's message was about. And, being as curious as she was, she really wanted to know.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>**Route 28**<br/><br/>The whole story made Samuel uneasy. Personally he hated hearing stories about monsters getting killed. Even more so he hated stories of children dying needlessly. But perhaps the most disturbing part of the story wasn't the story at all. It was just the tone of the man's voice--his cool matter-of-factness that really put Samuel on edge.<br/><br/>That and stories of monsters turning deadly were not as uncommon as so many people wanted to believe.<br/><br/>They were pets, trainers defended, and experts--even Samuel himself--long believed that there was no such thing as an evil pokemon. But that was changing rapidly. Samuel had seen it coming too, long before the Shadow pokemon started cropping up all over the place. He saw it because of the incarnus. And much as he hated to admit it....<br/><br/>"Ace was right...." He found himself muttering aloud, realizing only seconds later that he'd spoken instead of thought. "Things are getting much worse...." He continued speaking his mind, if only so as not to overly confuse his travel companion. "That's pretty impressive though." He said, quickly trying to redirect his thoughts back to Alphonse. "Never met a human brave enough to take on a monster without a monster at his own side...."