Pokemon Mage (PG-13)

[Ysavvryl]

Pokemon Mage: Hoenn's Trials​

Player list

Ysavvryl: I will be primarily playing mediator, narrator, and NPCs.
Monster Guy: Mage Timothy "Tim" Wolfe
Slipomatic: Wizard Ithero Despar
SoulMuse: Wizard Ian Blackwood
Andydemon: Novice Mage Lucas Serenes
Agent Tectonic: Mage Elmeigh Soreen
Lost Requiem: Mage Marie Aeternam
Jason-Kun: signing up...
Titian500: Novice Mage Arthur Mason
Golden Houou: Novice Mage Jocelyn “Jo” Petal
Manaphy Mare: signing up...

March
Route 101, Littleroot

It was a blustery morning, that first day of spring. The sun was shining, but the wind constantly buffeted the newly-leafed trees. While a few Pokemon were out and about, there weren't as many as usual. Not even May's Pokemon would come out to walk with her as she headed south on Route 100. “It would be nice if I could go in a Pokeball in weather like this,” she said to herself, clutching a brown package tightly. “Or if they'd finally open up a post office in Littleroot so we wouldn't have to run to Oldale for packages. Whooaa!” She paused as a particularly strong gust blew through. She put a hand on her bandana, reassuring herself that she had tied it tightly.

“I hope you're not going to get blown away, Miss Birch,” someone called over to her. It was a man she ran into from time to time lately. He had short golden blond hair, but the bangs of it nearly covered his eyes. As usual, he was wearing a long black coat that had a insignia of a silver Gorebyss and Huntail, smaller on the front and larger on the back. It was an unique thing, at least she'd never seen another like it. The wizard waved to her. “Still a nice day.”

“If you don't mind the wind,” she said, picking up the pace with the gust past. “What are you doing out here, Mr. Caine? I thought you were looking for rare Pokemon.”

“I am,” he said, nodding.

“Am!” his Wobbuffet guardian said, giving her a salute as he mimicked his partner. He seemed to like doing that.

May laughed. “I don't know if there's anything rare out here. Maybe a Ralts, but they tend to be seen north of here.”

“Are you sure about that?” Caine asked her. “There may yet be rarely seen Pokemon around that most people wouldn't be aware of. What are you up to this early?”

“Helping out my dad,” she said. “He's got the guardian summoning ceremony today.”

He rubbed his chin. “Ah yes, that is today, isn't it? Are you participating this year?”

Smiling, she shook her head. “Nah, I'm just helping him because there's a lot of things to do. I failed three of the tests, after all.”

Caine bowed his head. “Sorry. Does that bother you?”

“No, I'm fine with it,” May said. And she meant it. “I've already got a lot that I'm doing right now, and I don't want to add learning magic to that. Well don't let the wind blow you around today!”

He laughed. “Same to you. I mean to be out here most of the day, because I think... never mind, it wouldn't be important to you. I hope things go well with the ceremony.”

-+-

In Hoenn the official guardian summoning ceremony only happened once a year, and this was the day for it. This year, it was taking place the the relatively new town of Littleroot, as Professor Birch had been chosen to perform it this year. This resulted in the town seeming to be far more lively than usual. It was mostly a quiet community, surrounded by trees and not often visited. Today, there were a number of teenagers in and around the research lab that Birch ran, hoping that they would officially become mages in a short while. There were also their families, friends, or neighbors who had helped get them to Littleroot or were waiting eagerly to see what would come as well.

There would normally be another wizard or two around for this, to make sure things went safely. This year, there were more than that around Littleroot Town. Many people were worried about this important ceremony because of the many strange omens that were prominent around all of Hoenn: the active and restless spirits around Mount Pyre, the strange weather around the shrines to the region's guardian deities, the smokeless black flames that constantly burned on top of Sky Tower, among other smaller signs. Littleroot Town wasn't near most of this phenomenon, but there was still worry for the novices if something went wrong here. So far, it was mostly just windy, relatively normal for the time of year.

The door to the lab opened, but it was May who came out, not her father. She excused herself from nearly bumping into someone, then hurried around the building to where Drake was. As the leader of Hoenn's Pokemon League, he was one of the most powerful and skilled wizards in the region. He was sitting on a bench by a community garden; a Relicanth seemed to be snoozing among the early spring plantings, but Drake's guardian was quite alert.

“Drake, Dad's ready to get started,” May said. “And he'd rather get things rolling before lunch. He and Ithero say things seem secure within the building, but they need to know how it is out here.”

The old man (or old pirate, as some joked) nodded. “Keeping it short is prudent this time. We've not confirmed any wayward spirits around, but some of us have heard an unusual sound in the woods. We'll keep whatever it is from getting too close.”

“All right,” she said, wondering about the this sound. She hadn't heard it herself, but maybe there was an unusual Pokemon around today like the rare hunter thought. That would be better than some alternatives, though. “We'll get things started then.”

She ran back to the building and called for the participants to come inside. There were a few she recognized, like Vincent (he was top student at a Lilycove academy) and Joyceln (she was part of the family that ran the flower shop outside Rustboro). But others she didn't, like the youngest there who seemed to be a shy ten-year-old named Lucas. All in all, there were seven this year; her father said that it was lower than normal, but not by a lot.

Inside, a lot of space had been cleared out in the lab's main room. The air was distinctly different than usual; May never had a strong sense for magic, but even she could feel the change that usually indicated some supernatural spirit was active nearby. In a sense, there were spirits around the room now, guardian Pokemon waiting to find their partner and take on their physical form. Hopefully it was only those spirits around. She had a job to do, so once she informed her father of what Drake said, she went to fetch a box full of books.

Professor Birch was dressed for the occasion, with a dark green robe covering him neck down and a multicolored sash. The sash had symbolic patterns that indicated things he had accomplished in magic, such as being recognized as a master and an accomplished Pokemon researcher. Close to him was his guardian, a Meganium who was laying on the floor and monitoring a runic device that created the environment supporting spirits. Elsewhere in the room was Ithero and his guardian Absol, former students and researchers under Birch who were there helping with and observing the ceremony. There was also a traveling mage who had been given permission to observe, a young woman named Marie whom May hadn't gotten much of a chance to talk to yet (she didn't even know what to call the girl's guardian; the Pokemon seemed to be little more than a swaying candle with a violet flame).

Although there was concern about the safety of this year's event, the professor did a good job of masking that. “Good morning,” he said, smiling at them. “Some you you might recognize me as Professor Birch, a simple Pokemon researcher, as well as my dear guardian Basil here.”

“Cuurrrooo,” the Meganium said in a kind gesture. He was soon looking back to the device, though.

“My student Ithero over there and my daughter May are here to help me out, so listen if they have instructions for you while I'm handling something else. Also with us is a guest from Sinnoh, Marie, here to learn about our region's traditions. But I'm sure you're not here for lessons and lectures, at least, not yet. We'll be getting right into this, although I do want to remind you that there's still a chance that a guardian may not appear to you today. Even if that should happen, you have all proven yourselves to have a talent for magic. Perhaps one will come for you another year, or there may be a different calling in your life.

“Now, I have been preparing for the summoning of the guardians. I hope you have as well. These Pokemon will become your lifelong partners, growing up with you and guiding you through the mysteries of magic. These spirits may be angels, or they may be a reflection of your soul. There are still mysteries surrounding the guardian Pokemon, but one thing that has always been clear is that you and your guardian will come to be so close that it is like being one being in two. Learn about your guardian and you will learn about yourself.

“When your guardian appears, May will give you your first spellbook, where you can record the runic forms of spells you learn, or make notes about them. More importantly, there is a piece of parchment inside the front cover of the book. Remove it and write the name of yourself and your guardian on the top. An oath will appear there; you will need to swear to it and sign it with your guardian in order to confirm your bond. You should keep track of this oath paper to remind yourself of it, either in the spellbook or in another safe place.”

At this point, he looked back to his own guardian. Basil nodded, ready to being as well.

“Let's move ahead with this. Please remain quiet, both without and within so as not to disturb the spirits invited here.” Birch faced the potential mages, putting his hands together at his chest and looking down. “Come forth, spirits of magic. Come forth, the slumbering star Jirachi. Today we gather to honor the alliance between Pokemon and humans. We thank thee for accepting us and assisting us throughout the ages. Today, we ask for the assistance of the guardian spirits on behalf of the youths gathered here. If there is a guardian ready to come for their sake, now is the time. Jirachi, lend me the power to make their wishes come true.”

May felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand as the energy of the spirits intensified around her father and his Meganium. They were using their own magic to help the young guardians come into physical existence. Such a summoning of multiple beings took tremendous energy. That was part of the reason she came back home for this, even though she wasn't qualified. She and her mother would need to make sure Birch and Basil could recover from it.

“Shara,” he said, waving one of the girls to come forward. “The spirit of a guardian has called your name. Take my hand.”

Once she did, a green glow appeared from Birch's hand. It passed to Shara, then turned yellow before moving aside and growing. An Electrike appeared beside them; she looked briefly puzzled, then looked up at her new partner excitedly.

“May you find great blessings together,” Birch said, letting her go then waiting to see who to call next.

May picked up one of the spellbooks and a pen, then went over to waved Shara and her Electrike guardian aside to give the items to them. The new mage seemed excited too, but she kept it quiet for now and opened up the book. After thinking for a moment, she wrote two names across the top of the page.

The oath then appeared on the parchment. From what she'd seen and heard, May knew it wasn't always the same. For instance, this one didn't seem to mention one of the local Pokemon gods but she knew her father's mentioned Rayquaza. 'By the principles of honesty and honor, I solemnly swear to assist, protect, and guide my partner for all of our lives. Together, we will seek the meanings of tradition and how we shall work with it while pursuing our own dreams. We will seek to remain moral and responsible with the use of magic.' The girl signed her agreement to this oath on the bottom of the page, while the Electrike did the same by burning an image of her paw on the paper with her electrical powers.

Although, May only caught glimpses of this. She had to be handing out the spellbooks and pens, as well as listening in in case her father needed her to get something else for him.


Note: The oath will be personalized to each person, but of similar structure and the same last line. It will focus on ideals the mage has, with something addressing their goals and/or their weaknesses. The guardian will mark their signature however he/she/it can.

If your character isn't attending the ceremony or is not around Littleroot, at least keep them in the same time frame. Sydney and Glacia are also around Littleroot, helping Drake keep the ceremony from being interrupted. Caine, as noted by May, is looking for rare or unusual Pokemon on Route 101.

 

[Slipomatic]

Ithero Despar - Wizard
Littleroot Town Pokemon Lab

Today was a big moment indeed or for Ithero it was. His guardian absol, Rizanel, didn’t seem thrilled with what was happening today. Clad in his formal robe, which was a black robe with flames on the bottom, it was ceremony summoning day for new recruits. Ithero shared a slight smirk at Rizanel as he sat stiff and looking at each person with trepidation. Granted, Ithero was slightly nervous around so many unfamiliar faces, but he had to work professionally, especially with the ceremony that was soon to happen. Ithero was partly glad that the ceremony was done only once a year as the preparations that went into the ceremony was extremely dangerous if done with untrained wizards or mages.

While Ithero assisted once in the ceremony, he simply lacked the endurance to complete the ceremony even once. Thankfully, it was a summoning that the professor was assisting him in doing once. Never again did Ithero ask to do what Professor Birch was going to do today. He was amazed at how the professor could do multiple summon ceremonies in a single day, granted he usually spent roughly the next few days doing nothing but resting. While given orders to keep things orderly, Ithero decided to keep tabs on what guardians turned into for the soon-to-be novice mages that were here today.

He had his notebook ready to write down the pairings of both humans and guardians alike, the atmosphere was definitely infused with an ethereal energy. He could feel the excited energy radiating from spirits that remained unseen for now. Ithero looked down fondly at Rizanel as he looked up at him and they both shared a smirk, thinking about what outcomes might come from each pairing. Ithero wouldn’t outright laugh, but he might snicker a bit if one of the person became emotional. While not often, he did witness that happening and it usually caused instabilities for maintaining the positive energy output that the ceremony fed off of.

Even though they never tested the hypothesis out, both he and the professor assumed that summoning guardians could work in a negative energy environment, but the results could be potentially harmful, both to the spirits and the humans themselves. While Ithero wanted to test it, he could see the reasons why it should just disappear. He wouldn’t want someone with malicious intent to use it wrongly.

His mind was brought back to the present as the professor began the ceremony, calling each person up, one by one. As each summon came and went, he recorded down what pokemon appeared as the guardian for each person down on his notebook. Ithero wouldn’t admit it, but his notebook was incomplete with the list of pairings of guardians and human. He had most of the better known trainers with guardians, but some of those more hidden ones he lacked. But it did give him a reason to go out and explore at some point.

 

[Monster Guy]

(OOC: Tell me if I overstepped my boundaries here.)

Timothy "Tim" Wolfe - Mage
Somewhere around Route 112

Tim looked around in confusion as the rain poured. There had been reports of strange weather all over Hoenn. His hometown of Fortree had been experiencing something of a drought, while there had been storms going on close to where Ever Grande and Mossdeep City were. There was heavy rain near Lavaridge, and intense sun near Dewford. Being an aspiring Weather Wizard, the strange weather patterns were something he had to go see for himself.

"This is really weird, dad says it's not supposed to be raining like this over here. Something's definitely not right." Tim said to himself.

Sitting on either shoulder, were his Castform. Casty, and his Guardian Gale, who also was a Castform. Tim figured when Gale was summoned, and Casty hatched from his egg a few days later, that fate really must've wanted him to follow in his father's footsteps, and study the weather too. Both of his Castform were in their rain forms, and they both appeared to be a bit down. For some reason, the weather had an effect on their feelings, and the rain made them sad. Tim couldn't blame them, it looked gloomy out here.

Tim soon saw a Slugma that got caught in the rain making it's way towards the entrance to Fiery Path. Becaue It was made of lava, the poor thing looked like it was suffering every time raindrops fell on it. Tim couldn't help but felt bad for it, it wasn't accustomed to this type of weather, and he wasn't sure if it could make it to safety in time before it's body cooled down too much, and things got ugly.

"Oh, you poor thing!" The Mage hurriedly took out his wand from his backpack, pointed it towards the sky, and shut his eyes. He took a deep breath, and tried to clear his mind and block out any other things going on around him so he could focus on sensing aura, and shaping that aura into magic. Once he got into the zone, he imagined the clear blue sky, and the shining sun. He twirled the rod around a bit as he let that picture come into focus. After a few moments of that, he opened his eyes and whispered, "Sunny Day." This wasn't a particularly difficult spell for him to cast. He had studied weather spells so much since he became a mage, that changing the weather was almost as natural as breathing.

Within a few seconds, the rain stopped, and the grey clouds parted, letting the bright Hoenn sun shine through the hole left behind in the clouds. "There we go, much better." Tim said with a satisfied grin on his face. His Castform also seemed much cheerier than when it was raining, and were now in their sun forms. sunny days had that effect on them.

Next, Tim approached the Slugma, and pulled out a Pokeblock case from his pocket, chose a spicy red Pokeblock, and fed it to the Fire type. "Here ya go little fella. That should make things better." He said in a quiet voice, which wasn't all that different from how he normally spoke, in order to not frighten the Pokemon. The sunny day wasn't going to last too long before it wore off, and the rain came back, but at least this Slugma would make it back to the cave by then, and restore it's body temperature back to normal.

The Slugma took a second to sniff the block, then happily nibbled on the treat. While Casty floated around it, pestering the Lava Pokemon to play with him, and just being hyperactive. Gale stayed in her usual spot on Tim's shoulder and looked on.

 

[Titan500]

OOC: I suppose this is what I'm supposed to do? I don't actually know, so I'll just write the thoughts of my character for now.

Novice Mage - Arthur Mason
Ceremony, Pokemon Lab, Littleroot Town

To an external observer, Arthur seemed a bit nonplussed about the situation at hand, but in fact, the teenager was only just managing to keep his nerves from getting better of him, and was inwardly sweating at soon partaking in one of the most important events of his life - the guardian summoning ceremony. It was incredibly difficult, trying to keep his emotions from showing when confronted with such things, especially when all he wanted to do was mumble nervously and hope that nothing would go wrong. But he could not; there were some important people around, and he definitely didn't want to look like an idiot in front of them.

Another stepped up. His nerves grew. It was getting closer and closer to his turn, and soon he would obtain a companion in the form of a guardian spirit. But what if that didn't happen? What if the summoning failed for him? What if he embarrassed himself in front of everyone? The usually stubborn and impulsive boy had seemingly taken a complete flip from his usual personality - there were absolutely no signs of a teenager who was fully confident in himself, only a normal young boy who was on the verge of trembling vigorously. Yet it was to be expected - this was an important event after all.

The number of people in the line was dwindling. More and more novice mages were meeting their guardians for the first time. He took a deep breath. It would be alright. He would not fail. Everything would be perfectly fine. He would successfully summon his guardian, and would soon be able to find his mother again. There was no reason to fuss.

But ... there was a still a niggling feeling in the back of his mind that asked: "But what if everything isn't fine?"

Something in his pocket shook. Arthur looked down. Inside the transparent dome of the Pokeball, his Anorith yawned in what could be described as a comforting way, wobbling the ball around once more. The teenager smiled - it was nice seeing his other companion show support for him, especially at such a time. For the first time ever since the ceremony begun, he felt confident, and ready to take his first steps onto his journey.

The boy in front of him walked away, having obtained a guardian. It was his time now - his time to meet his guardian. It was time to truly become a mage. It was time to make his mother proud.

Arthur's smile grew bigger.

"It's showtime."

 

[Ysavvryl]

OoC: I was going to let you bring in your guardians and your characters, but I went ahead and did something. And you can write your own version of the oath.

Route 112

On seeing a patch of bright sunlight breaking through the gray overcast, other Pokemon started peeking around to see if there was time to get things done before the rain came back. It seemed peaceful for a moment, with the young Mage paying attention to a Slugma that had strayed too far from the Fiery Path in the last break in rain. Then there was a lengthy rumble overhead, lightning branching inside the clouds at the edges of the Sunny Day hole. The clouds nearest that edge seemed to be glowing, a classic sign of friction between weather magics that could end up in some fierce lightning bursts.

The Slugma didn't feel comfortable with that going on, so it nuzzled Tim's hand briefly (not even having to be careful to avoid burning his skin, with his own magma being so crusty) before hurrying back on its way to the volcanic tunnels. Gale had decided to check on the hole in the clouds that her partner had made. Normally, two different weather spells would oppose each other for some time, sometimes just ten minutes, sometimes nearly half an hour. But the rain clouds were already closing up the sun's space.

And to confirm that, a bolt of black lightning struck the ground three minutes after he had cast the spell, right before the Sunny Day spell was negated entirely. It had missed hitting anyone, and the Slugma had safely made it back to Fiery Path. Still, that bolt terrified Gale and Casty when it appeared, for it had the feeling of demonic magic.

-+-

Birch's lab, Littleroot Town

“Arthur, the spirit of a guardian has called your name,” Birch said, calling up one of the boys. “Take my hand.”

Birch wasn't fully paying attention to the room, as much of his focus had to be on the spirits nearby. The second one that had come forward had the feeling of a Ground type. But as the novice took his hand, he heard something in the background that didn't sound right. It was a brief dissonant melody from some spirit other than the ones he had invited. Since it sounded far off, out of the building even, he went ahead and allowed the new guardian to take the form of a Rhyhorn. That was a Pokemon he hadn't seen as a guardian yet; it'd be interesting to see what this novice would be capable of. Once he let go of the boy's hand, May quietly came over and led the pair off to the side, since it was a rather large guardian for a new one.

Then the professor hesitated a short time before calling up one of the others, trying to find and identify that uninvited spirit. If it were a ghost, it might be harmless to allow near to talk to later. But he didn't think this was a ghost; the song didn't sound right. Whatever it was, it was keeping away from now, possibly distracted by something else.

Better that it keep away, whatever that singing spirit was. He quietly apologized to the guardian spirits, then called on the name of the next one who's partner was ready.

 

[Andydemon]

Lucas Serenes - Novice Mage
Littleroot Town, Pokemon Lab

Lucas had made it to Prof. Birch's Laboratory, but when he tried to get inside he found that the doors were locked. That's when Lucas looked around and saw there were others outside as well and they all appeared to be waiting. "We must've gotten here early." Lucas assumed. He then moved a slight distance away from the others with his best friend, Eevee, following close behind. When he felt he was at a safe distance Lucas leaned against the wall and took his hat off while letting out a sigh.

"Vee?" Eevee said to Lucas in a questioning tone.

Lucas seemed to know what Eevee was wondering about and crouched down to be at eye level with Eevee, to whom he said "You don't have to worry Eevee, I'm not nervous or anything. This is the day I get my guardian summoned, which means we're gonna make a new friend today."

"Eevee!" Eevee exclaimed as he jumped up and down in excitement.

Afterwards Lucas and everyone else had been called inside the lab. Lucas then stood up and put his hat back on before heading inside along with Eevee, who had jumped onto Lucas' shoulder.

Once they were inside the Lab Lucas felt a certain presence in the room, he knew that these were the spirits that would soon manifest into Guardians. Lucas also noticed the others in the room but focused his attention mainly on the man who started talking, who introduced himself as Professor Birch.

Lucas had heard of Professor Birch but had never seen him in person until now. He listened as Birch introduced the other people in the room, and then went on to explain the process in which the ceremony was about to be performed. Birch then started to recite what sounded like a prayer to Jirachi. Both Lucas and Eevee gasped as the feeling they've had since they came in here suddenly became stronger.

After completing his prayer Birch starting calling people up one at a time, Lucas watched as each of their guardians manifested and began to think about what his guardian would turn out to be and what they would be like as partners.

When Lucas was finally called up, he started off afraid. He wasn't used to being picked out of a crowd and this was certainly a unique occasion to him, perhaps the most important moment of his life even. Still he managed to build up enough courage to approach Birch.

As Lucas started walking, Eevee decided to get off his shoulder and follow him on foot as he didn't want to cause too much of a distraction.

At first Lucas was hesitant as he slowly offered his hand to Birch. Once Birch took Lucas' hand a black glow emerged which quickly turned blue before finally manifesting into a Riolu. Lucas was surprised at first, but was nevertheless satisfied.

Once Birch let go of his hand, Lucas thanked him with a slight bow and noticed Birch's daughter May beckoning him. Lucas approached her and was given a spellbook and a pen, when he opened the book Lucas looked to the Riolu that had emerged before putting the pen to the top of the page and wrote down his own name as well as the name of his guardian: Ryuka.

After the names were written, the oath began to appear 'By the principles of honesty and friendship, I solemnly swear to assist, protect, and guide my partner for all of our lives. Together, we shall learn more about the world and grow stronger so that we may help those in need. We will seek to remain moral and responsible with the use of magic.' Lucas signed his signature at the bottom of the page indicating his agreement to the oath.

Ryuka proceeded to place his paw on the page. His paw then gave off a strange blue fire that burned brightly for a moment before fading away, afterwards Ryuka lifted his paw leaving an imprint of it on the page.

 

[Slipomatic]

OOC: I will edit if I'm overstepping boundaries, plot wise (not that I know which direction it's headed.)

Ithero Despar – Wizard
Littleroot Town, Pokemon Lab

Overall, the ceremony seemed to be going smoothly according to Ithero’s opinion. Each trainer stepping up and doing as told to do and walking away with a guardian, that was until the energy in the atmosphere changed slightly. He couldn’t tell what it was, but with how Rizanel had a slightly fearful look on his face, it wasn’t something to be taken lightly. Ithero rested a hand on Rizanel, eliciting a nudge against his hand as a response as Rizanel sought some comfort in his hand. He looked up to see that the professor had paused slightly in the ceremony, probably trying to decipher what had just happened.

While Ithero didn’t understand much, the feeling of a slight restlessness in the atmosphere did not give good tidings. On a separate page, Ithero jotted down a note describing a sense of restlessness and unease during the ceremony. He didn’t go into details, but it would be something to discuss later when the new novices were outside getting to know their guardians. No, for this matter, it would be best to discuss in private where there wouldn’t be anyone listening in. Perhaps the elite four needed to be told concerns about what happened during the ceremony.

He wanted to almost brush that idea away as it was just a slight change in the atmosphere, most likely born of paranoia. Still, any changes should be mentioned to them as being cautious instead of not knowing at all would help ease his concerns. He whispered quietly to Rizanel, only telling him he would be back. He quietly walked over to where May was busy handing out spell books and tapped her should gently and briefly to get her attention. She finished handing out the spell book that she was holding and gave her attention to Ithero who whispered quietly in her ear, cupping his hand around his mouth to reduce the chance of it being heard. “When we’re done with the ceremony and the new novices go outside to get to know their new guardians, we need Drake and the others responsible for keeping an eye out outside to come speak with Professor Birch and me. You are welcome to join in on the discussion if you so wish May.”

Ithero walked away after May nodded and resumed her task, handing out spell books. Ithero returned to his original spot where Rizanel looked up at him and leaned against him, silently pleading for some attention. It was a bit unusual reaction from him, but Ithero obliged the unspoken request and rested his hand on his head, gently rubbing it soothingly. Ithero resumed watching the ceremony as the professor began to finish up the ceremony as the last few trainers to become novices were almost complete. He would mentally take notes and write down the pairings when he had the chance.

 

[Monster Guy]

Timothy "Tim" Wolfe - Mage
Route 112

As Tim was paying attention to this Slugma, other Pokemon started peeking around to see if the rain was gone. It seemed peaceful for a moment, Then there was a long rumble overhead, which made Gale nervous, and lightning branching inside the hole in the clouds where the Sunny Day effect was. The clouds closest to the edge seemed to be glowing, a classic sign of clashing weather magic that could result in some fierce lightning bursts. It also confirmed to the boy that this rain wasn't natural, but magical.

Tim could tell the Slugma was uncomfortable with the rumbling going on in the background as Gale was. It nuzzled Tim's hand briefly, which managed to not burn his skin because his magma had cooled somewhat, before slithering back to the volcanic tunnels as fast as it possibly could. Meanwhile, Gale had decided to check on the hole in the clouds that her partner had made. She was concerned about those glowing clouds. Just as the Slugma had made it's way back to the safety of the Fiery Path, a bolt of black lightning struck the ground three minutes after he had cast the spell, right before the Sunny Day spell was negated entirely, causing Casty and Gale to turn back into their rain forms. When the lightning bolt struck, Tim's eyes widened in shock, he got a case of goose bumps, and his reflexes caused him to jump up, "GAH!" Meanwhile, Casty and Gale hid behind their partner's back. Gale had her eyes shut, and was shivering and mumbling something. Casty poked his head out from Tim's shoulder after a few seconds, and looked around to see if whatever it was had passed.

Fortunately, the bolt had missed hitting anyone. Still, it terrified Gale and Casty when it had appeared, for it had the feeling of demonic magic. The strange bolt of lighting also freaked Tim out. He knew the Sunny Day spell wouldn't be permanent, but it normally lasted much longer than that. "What was that?!" Tim wondered aloud. "You don't see Black Lightning everyday. Something strange is at work here." Scary as that was, Tim was curious about it. He had never seen this type of magic before, and figure out what that was all about. He figured the source of this magic, was responsible for these strange weather patterns. He took out his leatherbound, sky blue, and grey cloud patterned spellbook from his backpack, and opened the book to an empty page. He held his wand up and cast another spell. "Detect Magic!"

(OOC: I'm assuming whatever Detect Magic detects will appear on the blank page. Because I have no idea how Detect magic should work. xD)

 

[Titan500]

Novice Mage - Arthur Mason
Ceremony, Pokemon Lab, Littleroot Town

Arthur's eyes closed as he took the professor's hand, letting the energies flow. He could feel something taking shape - something big. He twitched, his energies flowing into the spirits around them as a Pokemon began to coalesce nearby. The ground below him rumbled; the sound of a creature roaring resonated through the air. A heavy weight fell upon his body; it was coming. The roars grew stronger. The earth shook below him. It came. A stony behemoth prostrated itself in front of him, its eyes staring into his. He smiled. This ... was his guardian.

Rhyhorn.

They were led off. It was logical though, especially when his new companion was rather large compared to those of his fellows. However, he could not keep the smile off his face - he was now a full-fledged mage. Arthur suppressed a chuckle, his mind rather giddy. He was actually a true mage now! He took a quick glance at his guardian. The being did not react. It was surprising, how he had bonded with such a powerful beast; he was sure that Rhyhorns were not very common guardians. Not that he minded. Together, they would carve out their destinies on the road to greatness - and with his guardian's help, he would find his mother again.

The spellbook came. The teenager stared down at it, taking the pen into his hands. It was time to sign the oath, it seemed. Good. Time to truly solidify his goals.

'In the name of justice, I swear on the names of my ancestors that I shall assist and fight alongside my partner until the end of time. Together, we shall travel across the world in pursuit of the future - learning restraint as to reach for our dreams; learning compassion as to bring smiles to all; and learning duty as to protect the innocent. We will seek to remain moral and responsible with the use of magic.'

With a flourish, Arthur's brush strokes crossed the paper, his signature appearing on the bottom of the parchment. It was soon joined by that of his new partner, who pressed down against the oath with a strong foot.

Arthur Mason
Rhys

His smile grew.

"Original, ain't it?"

 

[Liltwick]

Marie Aeternam- Mage
Littleroot, Pokemon Lab

Marie sat silently in her chair, lost in thought about the things she saw in the region in the short amount of time she had come their. The heat was already getting to her, with her robe starting to function as an oven. Though, she couldn't take off her robe without a spare shirt or something, as in her current entire, she knew she would look like a total slut with out her robe. She sighed, and started to read through her spell book thinking about the spell her mother hastily taught her before she left

Soul Inferno is an interest art... If I'm correct, it is based off of the move Inferno, which has horrible accuracy, but will always burn. Thinking about it, it's a variation of Zap Cannon and DynamicPunch... Meaning this is a very risky spell I should only use when I have to. It's the same with with most of my spells, as I don't have Lumiere's fire resistance I'm most likely going to get heavy burns if I get into my spells' cross hares. Anywyas, I'm here to get use to this regions' customs.

She continued to read her book until she started to hear people speak. She closed her book and listened intently

Good morning,” She heard Professor Birch say, with him smiling at them. “Some you you might recognize me as Professor Birch, a simple Pokemon researcher, as well as my dear guardian Basil here.”

“Cuurrrooo,” the Meganium said in a kind gesture. He was soon looking back a device. Marie didn't know what it was exactly, though.

“My student Ithero over there and my daughter May are here to help me out, so listen if they have instructions for you while I'm handling something else. Also with us is a guest from Sinnoh, Marie, here to learn about our region's traditions." Marie got up and bowed as her name was called and sat back down

"But I'm sure you're not here for lessons and lectures, at least, not yet. We'll be getting right into this, although I do want to remind you that there's still a chance that a guardian may not appear to you today. Even if that should happen, you have all proven yourselves to have a talent for magic. Perhaps one will come for you another year, or there may be a different calling in your life.

“Now, I have been preparing for the summoning of the guardians. I hope you have as well. These Pokemon will become your lifelong partners, growing up with you and guiding you through the mysteries of magic. These spirits may be angels, or they may be a reflection of your soul. There are still mysteries surrounding the guardian Pokemon, but one thing that has always been clear is that you and your guardian will come to be so close that it is like being one being in two. Learn about your guardian and you will learn about yourself." The professor seemed to tell the potentially new mages. Marie took notes the entire time during her speech, as that's what Pheobe instructed her to do.

"Let's move ahead with this. Please remain quiet, both without and within so as not to disturb the spirits invited here.” Birch faced the potential mages, putting his hands together at his chest and looking down. “Come forth, spirits of magic. Come forth, the slumbering star Jirachi. Today we gather to honor the alliance between Pokemon and humans. We thank thee for accepting us and assisting us throughout the ages. Today, we ask for the assistance of the guardian spirits on behalf of the youths gathered here. If there is a guardian ready to come for their sake, now is the time. Jirachi, lend me the power to make their wishes come true.”

The worship the Fallen Star Jirachi here... This is very interesting to me, to say the least. Lord Giratina, please forgive me to go into here with out your sanctity, I have only done this so I can become stronger, and closer to you my lord. Besides, the Fallen Star... No, that's not it. I must bide my time here. Something feels really, off.

Marie silently waited for all of the rituals to finish, watching as all of the new mages got their guardians. She felt Lumiere twitch from where he was sitting, on top of her head. She was handed a cup of razz berry tea from Lis, and thanked her Pokemon as she took a sip. She didn't know where Noir was, but hopefully he wasn't causing mischief. She looked around and saw the Duskull messing with what looked like papers

"Lumiere, make sure Noir doesn't burn those papers. I'm thinking he might have been picking up Will-o-wisp from you. Anyways, if you see anything of interest, tell me. You know what mother's mission for us was here." She ordered silently to her Litwick as she got up. She silently walked over to the Professor, who was about to have a meeting with his fellow wizards and the like, and silently whispered

"I feel something off here, care to explain?"

 

[GoldenHouou]

Jocelyn "Jo" Petal - Novice Mage
Pokemon Lab, Littleroot Town

Jocelyn was standing at the far back of the laboratory the summoning ceremony was held in, her face in an anxious scowl and her heart racing so fast it made her feel physically sick. She had been one of the last people to arrive, not wanting to seem too enthusiastic but not wanting to disrespect the people present by arriving late either.

She had hoped that actually stepping inside the laboratory with the rest of the new Mages would somehow make her nervousness go away, but all it did was manage the complete opposite. Just like she had predicted, the rest of the newbies were kids or at least preteens, and so she stood out among them like a sore thumb. Her fear of failure, of turning out not to be that suited for all this mage business after all had only intensified after the realization. She absolutely could not fail if all these kids around her succeeded.

She stood back and watched as one candidate after another summoned a guardian and then moved aside to write their vows and exchange greetings. The more Jo looked at the kids playing with their newly acquired partners, the more out of place she felt. These kids were here because this was what they truly wanted. They wanted to become mages for whatever reason and they all were, more or less, dedicated to that goal. They had probably studied for this. Probably seen their parents perform magic for them or prepare them for the ceremony through some other means. They had probably been waiting for this day for ages; so much was clear from the look on their faces. Now, she? She was here because she felt obliged to be, because she didn’t think she truly had a choice. This wasn’t her dream, nor was it something she was particularly looking forward to. She was a trainer, and she would forever remain a trainer and hold on to her dream of besting the league as one, magic powers or not. She just wanted this whole ceremony done and over with.

Well, that’s what she kept telling herself, but the more people went and received their guardian and the closer it was for her turn to arrive, the more she started to wish time would go slower. She didn’t want to walk up there. Especially not when she could see that not everything was alright around the laboratory. The older mages might have been able to fool the enthusiastic kids, but their worry was clear as a day to anyone a bit more mature who happened to look around. A man in his thirties who probably acted as the professor’s aid looked particularly concerned, and when he moved to whisper something to May who was handing out books, Jocelyn couldn’t help but try to inch closer so she could hear. She didn’t. But something was definitely strange here. Her magic powers weren’t that strong and she couldn’t feel the presence of spirits as well as many of the others probably could, though, so she couldn’t say whether it was something in the air that made everyone so tense. She just desperately hoped it had nothing to do with her. Maybe the spirits knew she wasn’t doing this with her full devotion and wanted to grill her out of the room? She gulped. Could that actually happen?

She didn’t have any more time to worry about that when her name was already called and she had no choice but to walk towards the man beckoning her.

Alright, there’s no way out now. Just… damn deal with it. You aren’t any worse than anyone else. Bucker up.

So, drawing in a breath, Jocelyn walked up to Birch. Failure or success, it would all be decided now. She nodded, offering her hand gracefully when it was requested. At Birch’s words, her guardian began to take form in front of her closed eyes, and slowly Jo started to notice a sweet aroma floating in the air. It was a nostalgic scent, bringing her back to her childhood days of taking care of flowers. It soothed her and made her ease up a tad, her shoulders slumping and her iron grip of the professor’s hand loosening. And then she heard a cry, one most likely belonging to her new guardian, urging her to open her eyes and take a look. So she did.

And instantly, she wanted to scream.

There, floating in front of her was a small grass Pokémon with brilliant, bright eyes and a small dress made of petals, resembling her own. It was swaying in the air like it had been dancing, a sweet scent surrounding it as it floated closer and gave a small curtsy. It didn’t take more than a second for Jo to recognize it as a Petilil.

“Are you serious?!” Jo gasped, not believing her eyes. A guardian was supposed to be part of you, right? That was like saying part of her was like... like that, proper and sophisticated. But that wasn't true, right? She could never be like that. She never even... would want to be like that. She hadn't succeeded when she tried, and she held no interest in trying again. She was crude and clumsy and stupid, and that was fine. She liked it that way. What, were the spirits just mocking her now? Was this her punishment for being here without conviction? Otherwise, why Petilil out of all the Pokémon in the world? Out of all the grass types?

Jocelyn refused to acknowledge the little princess as her guardian, but before she could open her mouth to protest, she realized she was probably both embarrassing herself and standing in the way of whoever was supposed to come after her, so she begrudgingly shut up and stomped away from the centre of the room, not wanting to cause a scene. Her Petilil followed after her, concerned and very much confused over her human’s peculiar behavior.

Jo's face was red as she snatched what May handed to her and gave her one final pleading look, desperate but not that hopeful.

“It… isn’t possible to change your guardian, is it?”

May merely shook her head, seeming a little concerned someone would even want to do that.

Figured.

Jo's name was written down now, and the oath began to appear. For the longest time, Jocelyn just wanted to refuse writing it. Nothing could force her, right? If she didn’t sign, she could still leave this magic and guardian business for others and go back to training her Pokémon – she needed a lot of practice if she wanted to defeat the champion after all. Champion who incidentally was the girl she was now standing in front of. Who must’ve thought of her as a kid throwing a tantrum. She... had already failed, hadn't she? Her face grew red from the thought, and she could feel her hands trembling. She had embarrassed herself. None of the kids had complained. She just.... just wanted out of the building now. The Petilil probably wouldn’t follow her if she gave up her mage position; after all, they weren’t bound by the oath yet. She could still escape the torment.

But she didn’t.

Instead Jocelyn gritted her teeth and took the pencil she was given. She had run away long enough, so just this once she’d see at least something through, no matter what happened. She would become a freaking amazing mage and that was damn final. She'd just have to sign and then she could leave. She wouldn't need to look at the Petilil anyway.

Jo had no idea what the oath said. She didn’t care to read it, and had she tried, she would have probably been in too much internal panic to make out the words anyway. All she did was blindly sign her name and not even wait for her Petilil to do the same before she walked off towards the door, her head still a mess. She was unable to look at her Guardian, but she knew it followed after her. It always would from now on, huh?

Like a freaking curse.

 

[Ysavvryl]

Route 112

Having been used to reveal the information within the book, the Detect Magic spell took a few seconds before making text appear on the page. It started off as normal, but soon took a turn to the strange.

'Weather magic detected, source located ENE. Spell: Rain Dance (writ in blood) Type: Water Power: hahahahahahahahahahahahaha Accuracy: -@ ##%^[],<$ Duration: … Description: “””””$$$###&$#=kyogre*s_+-=$#%spirit_!!#%^??will_%^&@#break_#%%&#@anvistrom_???>>!!!%%&&*#^$##...'

Then the script continued on for the rest of the page in nonsensical gibberish. Once it was full, the page shuddered before flipping over. The next four pages of the spellbook were rapidly filled with much of the same junk until it started scorching the paper itself. Fortunately, being out in the rain kept Tim's spellbook from catching on fire; the strange text ended with one page turned completely black.

-+-

Birch's lab

Some guardian matches were obvious, readily apparent in the mage's personality. Others were unexpected and it seemed that Jocelyn's Petilil was one of those. While they looked somewhat alike, the young woman didn't seem happy with her. But as Jo got closer to the door, everyone in the room heard a shrill call from outside.

It might have been a bird call, except no bird or Pokemon in Hoenn sounded like that. Or it might have been a screech from an unskilled violin player, except it managed to it some semblance of a melody. Whatever it was, it seemed to be somewhere in Littleroot.

“Hang on,” Professor Birch said, starting to sound strained from his work. “Don't leave for now. But if I tell you to leave, get out of here immediately. There's only one guardian spirit left.”

And there were two boys left that hadn't been called forward yet. There was Takusen, a boy with dark blue hair who seemed to have stepped out of an older era of Hoenn, and there was Vincent, a boy with dark blond hair who had a new tablet computer in a bag at his side. The latter of the pair shifted his glasses and looked at the former with some anxiety.

Outside the lab, the strange call had been heard too. Drake got up from the bench, noting that he was nearest to the source. At first he didn't see anything. Then it began to form, a black and dark pink form that was vaguely shaped like a fairy Pokemon. It wouldn't have a fully physical form now, but if it got into the area Birch was using to call on the guardians, then it might emerge as a real Pokemon as well.

That wasn't normal, a risk to the novices no matter what it was. Drake glanced down at his guardian; the Relicanth was already swimming towards the spirit to attempt distracting it so that it didn't get into the lab. “Should've brought Phoebe in,” he said quietly to himself as he went along. But the spirit had noticed him, lowering its voice and growling a warning. He should be able to buy enough time for Birch to finish up.

 

[Agent Tectonic]

Elmeigh Soreen
Mage
Fiery Path

Even from within the cave, Elmeigh could hear the rain pouring. She had taken the past few weeks to train up on her fire magic on her own, no longer under the teachings of Flannery. The gym leader was a good teacher, but she was also a bit out there and didn't focus well. Fire required perfection, too uncontrollable if not contained with caution. Since Flannery wasn't that sort of person, she found it prudent to either find someone else or train on her own. Which to say, wasn't a bad thing. One could always improve without others.

Ahead, she saw a Slugma, its magma appearing cooled and hardened a bit, “running” further into the mountain. Too weak. She heard a disgruntled chirp from her shoulder; her guardian Blaze seemed to have agreed. Rain was the best of teachers. Which was why Elmeigh had opted to train here rather than where droughts were springing up. If she could master her craft to where she could sustain it in the rain, the possibilities beyond that were limitless.

Around her, the steam was continuing to build up, clinging to her traveling gear and surrounding the cave in a smoky gray. It was refreshing to feel, but the nausea inducing smell of sulfur was becoming unbearable. There weren't many Pokemon around it seemed, likely due to the rain, which was becoming louder as she approached what she thought was a way out. She also noticed the fog was getting heavier as she followed the path marked to lead towards Route 112. Her destination wasn't far, she saw the cave entrance and the torrent of rain behind it. She felt a small weight lifted off of her shoulder as Blaze transferred himself into his ball of fiery light. She still needed to train him to withstand rain, but that would most likely come with evolution. She stepped out into the storm to see a rather large burnt spot in the ground some distance away from her, but it did reveal that off in that direction, a boy likely no older than her at most was also braving the weather. This she liked and proceeded to walk towards him, passing some signs saying that Mt Chimney had been experiencing some rock and mud slides. This didn't matter much to her; she wasn't anywhere near enough to have these problems. Her only thoughts were the boy ahead and her training. Nothing more.

 

[Slipomatic]

Ithero Despar – Wizard
Littleroot Town, Pokemon Lab

Ithero was slowly starting to relax as the summoning ceremony was close to being done. Granted he did become slightly worried when the woman looked to be displeased with the guardian hers turned out to be. However, before the next person was called up, a shrill call echoed throughout the room, causing him to wince slightly at the volume and pitch and Rizanel to flinch badly. Ithero recovered quickly and saw Professor Birch giving orders to sit still and wait unless he told them to leave. As the professor exited the building, Ithero moved towards the entrance of the building where the professor had left. Rizanel drew up beside him, glaring outside the window at something unseen.

This had Ithero worried, partly because it was unusual for Rizanel to be this worked up, and partly because he couldn’t quite sense what his guardian was most likely sensing. Whatever it was, it meant business if his guardian was this on edge. He looked around the lab to locate May and saw standing near the group of fresh novice mages and managed to catch her attention when she saw him looking at her. He unclasped one of his miniaturized pokeballs and enlarged it and held it up to her in a sense of preparing to battle and she got his message, readying herself.

Satisfied that the caution was given to her, he turned back around and faced outside, mentally bracing himself for whatever would come. He glanced down at his sheathed blade and hoped it wouldn’t have to come to him having to use that. It wouldn’t do well to use such skills in front of novice mages who most likely have never seen abilities manifested by humans when used. Out in the distance, he noticed a Relicanth swimming towards something, well more like floating towards as it was in the air and not in water. He assumed it was probably Drake’s guardian moving to intercept whatever had caused that unpleasant call. Regardless of what happened, if a battle unfolded, it would be show time.

 

[Manaphy Mare]

Takusen
Birch's Lab

Takusen looked on as the other novice mages walked up to the professor and received their guardians. He had recalled several faces from his dream before, one was the girl who received the petlil. Another was the blond boy with the tablet. His mind briefly wandered back to that dream he had several nights ago. he could recall that there was something different about the boy, but he couldn't recall what it exactly was. Another thing that stuck out was the spirit he sensed in the dream. His mind was focused on the spirit now, and he recalled from the dream that Brawly and Birch sensed it too. He sensed it was certainly powerful, but he had no clue as to what it was doing nearby. Takusen was snapped from his daze by a shrill cry from outside. It was something else that he recalled from his dream. Though completely harsh and grating, it still carried a faint echo of a melody to it.

“Don't leave for now," Ordered Birch, "But if I tell you to leave, get out of here immediately. There's only one guardian spirit left.”

Only one? Takusen stared at Birch and the other boy with a puzzled look on his face. Perhaps there had been some mistake. Did Birch miscount the spirits left? Or did something happen to one of their spirits. The other boy looked towards him with anxiety in his eyes. Takuesen would be lying if he tried to deny that he felt the same way.

"Takusen," Birch said, "The spirit has called your name."

Takusen rose gracefully from his seat and walked up towards the professor. He had paid enough attention to the others to know what to do. He took the professor's hand as the others had done. Something different happened to him, however, the marking on his hand shone with a brilliant red light, but it faded away when a light blue orb spun around the two and darkened. The sapphire-hued orb then took the form of a Phione.

To say Takusen was both confused and amazed was an understatement. He had never in his wildest dreams thought that his guardian would be that. Because of his powers he had always figured something like a Ralts or a Psyduck would be his guardian, but he never figured that it would be a Phione.

Takusen was soon brought back to reality by May draw hing him to the side and handing him his spellbook. As he opened the cover he saw his contract appear on a loose piece of parchment.


By Kyogre and Dialga I have been given the sight which can delve the seas of time. I solemnly swear to forever reach out for the truth. Though there will be trials and obstacles to face, we will stand as a beacon of hope and truth that will pierce the fog of doubt and confusion and reach all others. We will seek to remain moral and responsible with the use of magic.

Takusen grabbed the pen and looked first at his hand and then at the Phione beside him and signed his name.

"I think I know our first mystery," Takusen gave a small smile, "Kenshin."

The Phione nodded before marking the contract with three bubbles as his own signature.

 

[Monster Guy]

Timothy "Tim" Wolfe - Mage
Route 112

The Detect Magic spell took a few seconds before words began to appear on the page. It looked fine at first, but soon things got weird.

'Weather magic detected, source located ENE. Spell: Rain Dance (writ in blood) Type: Water Power: hahahahahahahahahahahahaha Accuracy: -@ ##%^[],<$ Duration: … Description: “””””$$$###&$#=kyogre*s_+-=$#%spirit_!!#%^??will_%^&@#break_#%%&#@anvistrom_ ???>>!!!%%&&*#^$##...'

The pages of the book were rapidly filling with gibberish, which caused it to ignite, and Tim to drop the book on the ground from shock "Gah!". Fortunately, being out in the rain kept Tim's spellbook from catching on fire. After waiting a few seconds, he picked up the muddied book, and reopened it. Four pages were filled with complete nonsense. The strange text ended with one page turned completely black.

"Oh dear..." Tim said worriedly. Gale also looked to be unnerved by this...thing as she peered over her partner's shoulder. He'd heard stories of demonic magic before, but this was the first time experiencing it up close. Despite all the gibberish in there, four words stuck out.

kyogre*s_+-=$#%spirit_!!#%^??will_%^&@#break_#%%&#@anvistrom

Breaking a Deity's spirit was very worrisome. He looked to his two Castform and asked, "What's Anvistrom?"

If Castform had shoulders, Casty and Gale would be shrugging them.

Tim put his book away. He was worried about what he should do. Something bad was going down, and he knew he should do something about this, but... this is a demon. He was far from ready to face a demon alone. He figured he should get help from someone, but who? It's not like he knew any expert on demons... He started pacing back and fourth wringing his hands, Gale floating around him looking equally nervous. What to do, what to do? Casty stayed in place, and just looked at the two curiously.

In the middle of his nervous pacing, Tim caught sight of a tall blue haired girl. Her eyes were covered by a mask that resembled a Blaziken's feathers. Startled by the sudden appearance while his thoughts were elsewhere, Tim jumped, and let out a yelp. "Gah!" Gale also did the same. In the process, Tim lost his footing, which caused him to trip, and fall face first into the muddy ground. "Ow!"

Casty floated over to his trainer to make sure he was ok.

Tim got up slowly, and tried to get the mud off his face. "Ugh, today just isn't my day..."

 

[Ysavvryl]

Littleroot

After calling yet another unusual guardian in a Phione (quite an interesting group this year), Birch checked again but most of the spirits had already left the area. Except for the singing one, which was now clear enough that he could hear annoyed nonsense. Basil the Meganium agreed with him that this was not another guardian. It would be foolish to call it forward without knowing what it was, especially with a candidate here that hadn't received a guardian.

“Thus we conclude the calling of the guardians,” Birch said. “We thank you, Jirachi, for allowing and blessing these partnerships to be formed. May your light continue to shine for all of them.” With that, he adjusted his focus to back in the lab, with the seven teens and six new guardians. “You would do well to show gratitude to Jirachi as well, when you have the time at one of her shrines. Congratulations to the six of you for becoming mages. And Vincent, it seems you need to wait another year before trying again.”

“I know,” he said, although he was looking down in disappointment.

“Normally, I would be giving you some basic instructions on magic at this time,” the professor continued. “But as you certainly have noticed, there's been a disruption and I need to take some precautions around here in case of trouble. I'll send you all a letter with the rest in the next few days. You may leave now, and I'd advise you leave Littleroot soon. At the very least, be careful around the one who is singing out there.”

As they started to leave, Birch went over to his guardian and started work with him in order to close up the opening he'd made to the spirit world. It wasn't long before the others helping him were nearby to figure this out. Marie asked, "I feel something off here, care to explain?"

“It's a spirit that I can't identify,” Birch said. “That's what we hear; I noticed it shortly after I invoked Jirachi's assistance. There is some risk in doing this, in getting another kind of spirit bonded to the new mages. They certainly wouldn't be as helpful; might even be dangerous. We have taken some precautions, but with all the other disturbances going on around Hoenn, I felt it was safer to, end the ceremony quickly.” He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. Basil cooed and nudged his head.

“Don't overdo it, Dad,” May said, worried about him.

“I'll be okay, I just need to get this closed off before...”

At that moment, a black and dark pink streak flew through the north wall and past the group of them, stopping at an empty area of the lab. It flickered and then took on the form of a Pokemon. But not one they could recognize. It seemed like one of the fairies, petite and winged. Then again, it had ragged black wings tipped in dark pink and what seemed to be a tuning fork growing off the top of its head like a ponytail. Much of its body was black, with only a few dark pink markings. Turning to face them, it sang a discord, but missed Birch with its Confuse Ray.

May brought out her Blaziken, ready to help defend her father.

 

[Slipomatic]

Ithero Despar – Wizard

As far as Ithero knew, there usually was a closing ceremony that usually thanked the spirit Jirachi for granting the spirits that became guardians. It was worrisome when the professor abruptly ended the ceremony and started giving instructions for the new novices to begin travelling soon. While they would be leaving the area and give the professor time to seal the opening created to perform the ceremony. Ithero had rehearsed this many times under the watchful eyes of the professor, but it was time consuming and tedious work. They couldn’t quickly close off the hole as it may produce a shockwave or something negative. They couldn’t take their sweet time either as the hole would become larger or worse, become a vacuum and suck living beings into a realm where those alive shouldn’t be. He had read a report from the Sinnoh region about a spiritual tunnel that had collapsed near a camp training ground that Professor Rowan used.

He had read in the report that a dusknoir was involved in it and that there was a spirit that tried to suck in some trainers from the camp into another realm. Thankfully, no reports of losses resulted from it, but it did raise some speculations about it. He resumed his task of slowly closing the hole as May talked with Professor Birch. Razanel was helping Ithero slowly close the hole while trying to ignore the constant singing that was still going on. However, this ignoring the song would prove to be problematic for him. He was surprised when he felt the circle light up faintly as something took shape within the center of the circle. It formed into a pokemon, but it was nothing Ithero had heard, seen, or even remotely imagined like a fairy, barring Celebi, but this didn’t have green wings like Celebi did. Regardless, he stood with his mouth hung open at this foreign pokemon as it opened its mouth and some dischords rung out from its mouth.

It missed the professor, but it managed to hit Ithero head on, causing massive confusion within him as he stumbled around, eventually falling onto his back as he was reduced to being entertained by the colorful ceiling that was nonexistent. Razanel rushed in front of Ithero and growled threatening at the unknown pokemon extremely displeased with what happened to Ithero. Unfortunately, he couldn’t take any offense as it would leave Ithero open to attacks until he regained his senses so he was stuck staying between him and this unknown pokemon.

 

[Manaphy Mare]

Takusen
Birch's Lab

“Thus we conclude the calling of the guardians,” Birch said. “We thank you, Jirachi, for allowing and blessing these partnerships to be formed. May your light continue to shine for all of them. You would do well to show gratitude to Jirachi as well, when you have the time at one of her shrines. Congratulations to the six of you for becoming mages. And Vincent, it seems you need to wait another year before trying again.”

As Vincent acknowledged what Birch said Takusen couldn't help but give the boy a reassuring smile and say, "Sometimes perfect things take time, some of the stronger mages in Dewford took several years before they formed a partnership."

“Normally, I would be giving you some basic instructions on magic at this time,” the professor continued. “But as you certainly have noticed, there's been a disruption and I need to take some precautions around here in case of trouble. I'll send you all a letter with the rest in the next few days. You may leave now, and I'd advise you leave Littleroot soon. At the very least, be careful around the one who is singing out there.”

Most of the other novices made their way out of the lab, but Takusen stayed behind along with his brother, Brawly. He couldn't remember the specifics of this part of his dream, but he did recall one thing, a spirit of some sort was about to attack. He watched as Birch talked with one of the guests there before he went to close the portal. Takusen knew what would happen next and knew Kenshin was still to young to fight in this one. He could recall that fighting-type attacks would be useless against the spirit, but nothing beyond that.

As the spirit, resembling a twisted version of the healing fairies, emerged and began attacking everyone Takusen instinctively reached for one of his pokeballs and said, "Jet, help us out!"

The ball burst open at the seam and unleashed a burst of white light. After a moment the light solidified into the form of a sharpedo. Wasting no time, Jet rushed at the fairy and opened his jaws to deliver a, hopefully, devastating crunch attack. He narrowly dodged an incoming Confuse Ray and released a burst of water from his rear to give his attack extra momentum.

Takusen saw his dear friend dodge the ray and realized it was barreling straight at him. He tried to duck beneath the attack, but his reflexes were too slow. Takusen staggered around the lab before his coordination completely gave out and he toppled backwards.

 

[Andydemon]

Lucas Serenes - Novice Mage
Littleroot Town

As Lucas watched the other novices get their Guardians he particularly noticed the behavior of one girl, Jocelyn, who seemed to be displeased with what her Guardians was. This puzzled Lucas as he thought to himself "Why doesn't she like what her Guardian turned out to be? Even if our partners aren't what we expect at first they're still gonna be our friend, right?"

Lucas, Ryuka, and Eevee all heard a strange sound that made them curiously turn their heads wondering what that sound was.

But they all decided to pay it no mind as Birch started talking again “Thus we conclude the calling of the guardians. We thank you, Jirachi, for allowing and blessing these partnerships to be formed. May your light continue to shine for all of them. You would do well to show gratitude to Jirachi as well, when you have the time at one of her shrines. Congratulations to the six of you for becoming mages." He then stopped to apologize to the one person that didn't get a Guardian this year.

“Normally, I would be giving you some basic instructions on magic at this time,” Birch continued. “But as you certainly have noticed, there's been a disruption and I need to take some precautions around here in case of trouble. I'll send you all a letter with the rest in the next few days. You may leave now, and I'd advise you leave Littleroot soon. At the very least, be careful around the one who is singing out there.”

As he left, Lucas couldn't help but feel disappointed that he had to miss out on a chance to learn these instructions Birch spoke of. But even more so he was curious about what that singing was, it didn't seem familiar with anything he had read or heard about.

Once he and his Pokemon reached the outskirts of Littleroot, Lucas decided to stop and think over their next move as he sat down with his back against a nearby tree. Eevee had sat next to Lucas while Ryuka stood close by.

"I would've never expected a Riolu to be my Guardian. But that's okay, because we're gonna be good friends from now on." Lucas told Ryuka, smiling happily.

Eevee approached Ryuka and held his paw out as if to greet him.

Ryuka looked back and forth between Lucas and Eevee in thought for a moment until he reached out with his own paw and shook Eevee's while smiling in acceptance. Friends, he liked the sound of that.

After a moment Lucas looked at Ryuka and said "Maybe we should just go back to Petalburg and decide what we do next there. I know my parent's will want to meet you Ryuka."

With his mind made up, Lucas stood back up and left Littleroot en route to Petalburg with Ryuka and Eevee following closely behind.