**Viridian Forest**<br/><br/>The roar of deafening flames cracked the air, and the rattata, startled by the scream of a human, attempted to run. But it was too late. The fire from Kavarr's mouth whirled like a cyclone around the small creature, penning it in with a ring of flame. The fire ebbed just enough that they could see it trapped in the center, breathing hard, looking around frantically for some means of escape.<br/><br/>Kavarr wouldn't let it have one.<br/><br/>Spreading his wings, he lurched forward, bringing a heavy foot down on the frightened creature. The small rat screamed in pain, all the while struggling to get free. It even gnawed with its sharp little teeth, trying to break through the armor-like scales of the charizard's foot. Kavarr's grin turned wicked, and he leaned down, picking the pokemon up and squeezing it in his huge hand-like claws. He glanced at Sarianna to be sure that she was watching him, then opened his mouth and snapped his jaws around the flailing creature's head.<br/><br/>A sickening crunch cut through the air, blood trailing down his jaws and throat. He jerked his head back, separating his victim's head from its shoulders, bathing himself in a brief spray of its life. He swallowed, ignoring the still-twitching limbs of the remainder of the creature's body until he was ready to devour the rest.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>**Palette Town**<br/><br/>Calmed down enough to think straight at last, Charity felt a little guilty for yelling, but she still felt she couldn't be blamed. Even so, she  offered a smile and looked at the floor while she roughed up her hair in the fluffy towel balled in her hands.<br/><br/>"I should have been expecting you." She agreed. "I guess I just wasn't thinking. And I guess if you would have knocked while I was in the shower, I would have been annoyed to have to answer."<br/><br/>A flick of her wrist and she tossed the towel at the cat, making her way to the couch and unfolding the clothes she had prepared for herself. Her skin was still a little damp, and shone in the light coming in from outside.<br/><br/>The professor was thin, but not super-model quality. You couldn't see her ribs, and she did have perhaps a small bump of a stomach, but not enough to measure with a pinch. She was shaven, very smooth, and she always kept herself that way. She didn't like to be too natural. After all, when you're in the field doing nitty gritty research, or in a lab looking like a librarian with glasses and a ponytail, you have to have something about yourself that you take pride in. Something very womanly.<br/><br/>And that's exactly what she was. She had a good figure, and famously long legs. Her breasts were well weighted, soft, and pleasantly round. She really had quite a few things that could turn heads, but she really didn't think so herself. She could always find things to complain about in regards to how she looked, so rather than complain all the time, she just never mentioned anything, good or bad.<br/><br/>"I guess I should know by now that you're usually right anyway." Charity sighed at last. "And you didn't scare me. You just...startled me."<br/><br/><hr/><br/>**Route 28**<br/><br/>Hidden and quiet as the mountain pass was, it was scarcely traveled except by extraordinarily experienced trainers and members of the Indigo League. Mt. Silver, rising over the quiet landscape, had a history of its own. People tended to avoid it, except for the strongest, and every now and then strange phenomena were reported about the mountain<em>changing</em>people and monsters.<br/><br/>There were never any good details, because nobody ever knew how to describe it.<br/><br/>They only knew that things<em>changed.</em><br/><br/>Samuel knew that they changed. And he knew why as well. He came here often, especially when<em>that</em>was on his mind. He'd come here many times before in his youth, but some of his experiences were nothing short of terrifying. This place--the land all around it--lay thick and heavy. Cursed.<br/><br/>His hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans, and he couldn't help but imagine the unseen eyes that were upon him right now. He didn't want to even think of it. He remembered distinctly how even Ash had changed when he came here. Everyone did...but for some it was worse than others. Especially the deeper you went into Mt. Silver.<br/><br/>Train of thought derailing instantaneously, the train itself slamming into a brick wall, Samuel had to catch himself to keep from falling. He'd only tripped over a rock, but it was enough to shake him back into the here and now and force him to take a good long look around where he was standing. The sun was setting against the mountains, leaving long stains of bright red. The trees whispered softly in the wind, bird pokemon singing their last evening songs to settle in for the day. The thick grasses swayed in the breeze off the beaten path and it was then that he noticed something unusual that he hadn't seen before in any of his passings through.<br/><br/>A growing light, flickering gold in the increasing darkness, rose up from somewhere not to far off. It put off a little smoke, and Samuel knew instantly it could only be a fire. But very few people ever came this way, and they certainly never wanted to camp here. Curiosity piqued, he moved forward tentatively, intent on investigating.