Shadow- Hey brats! Wanna a battle?

(Okay, cupcakes I understand- but who's the cause of the magnificent cheesecake? XP)

Ara huffed, too irritated to notice the brief look of concern on Cloud's face. "I don't need your help, you little-" she didn't get to finish her sentence as a girl stepped in, asking for a battle. She seemed to be around their age, with long hair and a coat. After a brief examination, Ara frowned. "Brats?" she echoed.

Shadow- You heard me! I just can't stand you're bickering any longer!

"Oh? I wasn't aware i had to regulate my arguing to the standards of a stranger. My humblest apologies." Words dripping with sarcastic politeness, he rolled his eyes. "But in any case, if you want to battle, i'll have to pass. My Sneasel's been playing bodyguard because she," He jabbed a thumb in Ara's direction, "can't take two steps without getting in trouble. So it's not battle ready."

Shadow- Are you guys a couple cause you guys fight like one I swear! * Crosses arms *

"No, gross!" Ara shook her head quickly. "I can't even have a proper conversation with this guy without being insulted." Then, she crossed her arms. "Besides, he's not my type anyway."

Shadow- Ya.....right, well what are you guys doing here?

"For once, i agree with her. Though i'm not sure if i'm insulted or relieved at the type thing." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Cloud then returned his attention to Shadow. "As for why we're here, i'm hear to-" Cloud's explanation wss cut short as a sudden scream drew everyone's attention.

"Get your hands off me!" Sage shouted, trying with all her strength to pull free of the man's grasp, but to no avail. He was simply too strong for her.

"Not until you give us your Pokémon, brat!" The man shouted back, and that was when Cloud noticed the red 'R' on the man's shoulder. The raven haired boy's eyes narrowed.

Is it them?

Shadow- Hey! Whats your deal you weirdos! Zoarork Shadow Claw!

"Whoa!" Ara yelped when the girl's Zoroark rushed in to attack the thief. She considered bringing her own Pokemon out, but decided against it, as they weren't really hers anyway.

Shadow) Come on you girl run!

"Ah ah ah~" A girl muttered in a sing song voice from behind them, "I didn't ask for interference." Just as Zoroark lunged forward, the dark type was suddenly engulfed in a flash of light, before returning to Shadow's side. Cloud swiftly turned around, to see a girl dressed in a seemingly skintight black suit with black combat boots, and a black flak jacket. Her cherry blossom pink hair extended down her back, and her eyes were blood red. In another flash, an Alakazam appeared right beside her.

"Now, you three stay put," She suddenly smirked, "I wouldn't want your blood stains on my new suit."

Shadow- Are you threatening me "Cherry Blossom"! * She mocks the girl and crosses arms * I don't want to ruin youre hair its so pretty and all but I have to keep my hands clean Master said * Glares at the girl and tells Zoarork to use Nasty Plot *

(Cheesecake? That is the work of the gods themselves. =.=)

"Oh, this one's got an attitude," The girl licked her lips, "I like the fiesty ones." Quickly nodding to Alakazam, the girl turned her attention to Cloud and Ara. "You two on the otherhand, are totally boring." Alakazam flashed again, this time reappearing in front of Cloud. "Say goodbye, little man." Cloud's eyes widened as Alakazam began forming what looked like a Moon Blast, aimed at him.

"I'm honored. Not every day i hear a psycho call me boring, i'll keep that in mind. In the meantime..." He reached down for Sneasel's Pokeball, but found his hand was frozen in place, as if it had a mind of it's own. "What the..." He growled, exerting more force, but the result didn't change. His hand refused to grab the Pokeball,

"Oh? Got cold feet, little man?" The pinkette vanished, reappearing beside Cloud. Almost seductively, she leaned into him, and Cloud was frozen in fear, unable to move. "Is it possibly..." Her face became very close to his ear, "because of this?" Cloud looked down, and saw a glimmering sun necklace around her neck.

Then out of nowhere, Alakazam reappeared in front of Zoroark, Moon Blast fully charged.

Shadow- U - Turn! * Zoaroark switches with Alakazam and she tells it to use Dark Pulse * Nice try Cherry Blossom! Too slow! * Smirks and once again crosses with lollipop in mouth *

(Doesn't U-Turn switch the user out? I'm so confuzzled.)

"Cherry Blossom? I like that, actually," The girl muttered, still leaning on Cloud before pointing at one of the houses. "But joke's on you, because you weren't what i was aiming at." In that instant the house she pointed to was obliterated by the Moon Blast, sending splinters of wood everywhere. Alakazam reappeared beside her, and she still was way too comfortable with Cloud, who remained paralyzed in fear. "Well, it seems like i'll have to be on my way. We got what we came here for." Turning back to Cloud, she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you later, little man." With that, she, along with the man, vanished, leaving behind an unconscious Sage, a frozen Cloud, and a blown up house which they weren't sure had been empty.

( Idk a person said it switched out the Pokemon lol )
Shadow- Is she you're girlfriend or something? If she one crazy one you two should break up * Runs up the house and yells at house to see if anyone was injured * That lady is so heartless I'm almost sorry for her. * She turns around and glares at Cloud in the eye * You ok kid?

(Where is Serebii when i need it most? lol)

"........"

Cloud was silent, dead silent, as he answered Shadow with nothing more than a nod. His eyes seemed void, like empty windows, and he made no sound.

I couldn't do a thing.... He thought, turning around and walking away. I talked about Ara....and i just froze up like a coward! Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists tightly, he glared ahead.

"Never again...."

Shadow- I wouldn't say you were a coward, its normal for you humans to freeze up. * She reads his mind. She looks at him dead in the eye and states, Its natural, there's nothing you can do unless you use it to your advantage. * Puts focus back on house and crutches down, looking through the rubble and changes subject, *Luckily nobody was in that house and nobody was injured.

"Save your speech, i don't need life lessons from some stranger," Cloud muttered, walking into the Pokémon Center and leaving the others outside.

Shadow- Look who's got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning * Walks inside Pokemon center and gives nurse joy her pokeballs * Come on Zoarork you feel good right? * Zoarork nods and walks on all fours beside Shadow *

(Whoa, things went crazy here XD)

"Yup, I'm outta here."

That was the only thing Ara could think during the commotion. She'd learnt from a young age to never get caught up in things that weren't her business, especially when they were explosion-inducing. You see something bad happening? Take a big breath, turn around, and run away- preferably without being noticed.

That was exactly what she had done. It helped that she'd spent most of her life running and hiding. It also helped that the cherry-haired girl seemed more interested in Cloud than her, and her Pokemon was fighting the other girl's Zoroark.

Whatever it was that helped, the point was that she'd escaped- just in time, too, because she heard an explosion soon after, and something huge crumbling. Soon, curious people began returning to the scene, Ara included. Apparently, the girl and her partner had left, and thankfully no one got hurt. The girl that had been attacked didn't have major injuries, she just fell unconscious.

Shadow- * She walks back the Pokemon Center and gets her Pokemon. "Well lets go tell dad Zoarork." She says in a bored tye of tone. She rides on her Hrdreigon and spots a girl running away. She smirks, " Hey Hrdreigon go over to her. " Hrdreigon flies down and she jumps off while returning Hrdreigon as well. Zoarork jumps down from the trees, " Where's she going in a hurry?

(Actually, if she's talking about Ara, she was returning to where the battle happened, not running away. She kinda did that during the battle XP)

( No someone else sorry for confusion XD sorry )

(Oh alright, thank you for clarifying XD)

( Ya thank you for understanding)
Shadow- Free Pokemon on the way to daddy * Walks up to girl while Zoarork threatens her * Give me your Pokemon or my friend here will hurt you. * Smirks and puts out bag to put her pokeballs in * Come on don't be greedy give to the needy.

(Crazy is an understatement. XD)

"Are you alright?" Nurse Joy asked in concern as Cloud reached the counter. The raven haired boy just nodded quietly, handing over his Sneasel's PokéBall and immediately leaving.

No, he wasn't alright by any definition of the word. He was furious, he was absolutely livid. He froze up like some amateur in an emergency situation. Had he been able to stop her to begin with, they wouldn't have had to pray that house was empty. It was his fault. His own weakness.

Fear was for the weak.

But self loathing was for the weak, too.

Even if he had acted, none of the others really mattered to him anyway. Their lives were worthless to him, so he had no reason to ge guilty-

"I-Ivy...Saur..."

Cloud stopped both his train of thought and his walking, looking over to the green haired girl who was still hardly conscious on the ground. She was in tears and looked half awake, like she was a toddle going to bed. She must've been the one that man was harassing.

"Ivysaur....please....come back...." Sage whispered, the tears streaking down her face like rivers. Cloud remained with his normal scowl, and he kept walking.

He didn't care.

It wasn't his problem.

Shadow- Come on just give me the pokeballs and I'm on my way.
Ally- No! Leave me alone! Servine vine whip!
* She simply let out a smile as Zoaraork counter attacked her and then injured her and her Pokemon. But she had a feeling that she never had before but she didnt care she just wanted approval from her father. Thats all that mattered it didn't matter how many lives, how many Pokemon she had to hurt as long as he's happy nothing mattered., " Zoroark shadow claw! * She takes the pokeballs and jumps on Hrdreigon * See you another time idiot. * Zoaroark Shapeshifted into a Altaria while Hrdreigon flew off *

(I have made my GLORIOUS return!)

Cloud stopped for a moment as he spotted Ara walking towards where the battle had been taking place before. Right now, she was none of his concern either...

But making her mad might cheer him up a bit.

"If it isn't the matriarch of mistakes herself," He greeted in his usual tone, expecting her predictably angry response.

( Yay! )

Shadow- Well now I have to transfer these Pokemon to dad. * Walks back to Pokemon Center but looks back at the girl one last time, " Why do I feel so guilty? "

(I, THE GREAT NOJIDA, HAVE ARRIVED!
...I may be a bit too obsessed with Undertale. Sorry XD)

Ara glanced over at Cloud. Normally, she would've made a retort, but the chaos from before and her curiosity to find out what happened helped her think more rationally. Raising an eyebrow, she examined him briefly.

"You're alive," she noticed. "Did your girlfriend decide to dump you?"

(Well, aren't you a bonafide Undertale fan?)

(Also, with Sun and Moon being a thing, i think i'll have to sue Game Freak. XP)

"I don't even know her!" He huffed, crossing his arms. "But anyway, that girl is very important. She had another necklace..." He looked down at her sun necklace, before looking to his own with a concerned frown. "A sun necklace like yours." He scowled even deeper as he finished that. "That means there's probably another Moon and Earth, too. I don't know what these are, but if those guys have them, we have to be even more alert."

He needed her around now, if only as bait to draw out those bad guys again. If they were after her and she couldn't leave her...

But he also didn't need dead weight.

So if he was to keep her around...

"Listen," Cloud began abruptly, "Those guys will probably be after us because of these necklaces. While i honestly don't care about what happens to you, i need you alive until i know what these guys are up to. And since you can't defend yourself, i'll have to ask you to..." He stopped, visibly disturbed at what he was about to say, "Travel...with me." He crossed his arms again, looking away.

This whole thing was so stupid.

(I can't help it, the game and fandom are really Sansational! ...If you know how to avoid certain parts of the latter, that is.)

(How so? XD)

Ara blinked, staring at him as if there was something on his face. Then, a sympathetic grin spread across her face, and she snickered.

"You're not really a people person, are you?" She crossed her arms, before shrugging. "Thanks for your generous offer, but I have much better things to do than travel with you. Besides, if it's the necklaces they're after, that's great! Could help us get rid of them."

(I feel ya.....aaaand i'm out of puns. XD)

(I create sun and moon necklaces, they create sun and moon games. Coincidence? I think not. XP)

(Ara's playing hard to get now? You're torturing me. XP)

"Are you really gonna make this more difficult?" Cloud sighed, "You are meaner than i gave you credit for." Placing his hands back in his pockets. "But if you need convincing, look around." He gestured to Sage and the blown up house. "Those guys kill...and steal...without any guilt whatsoever. I don't think you want them after you." He sighed again. "But you know what? Feel free to get murdered," He turned around and started walking off, "I'm sure whoever you planned on meeting would just love to see your dead body."

(I feel ya too XD Ever since joining the UT fandom I'm always trying to come up with new puns XP)

(Oh, right XD Well, what matters the most is the concept. If the story behind Sun and Moon is different, then yours is original. If it's the same... well, there's a chance you have an evil twin in the Pokemon industry XP)

(I'm not the one doing things, it's Ara XP)

Ara shivered slightly at the thought of her brother finding her dead, but she quickly shook it off. There was no way she would go running after Cloud. "Well, maybe I won't die, because unlike some, I actually do something when people attack me!" she called out to him.

(I've been trying to fit Papyrus into a pun, but it never works. It's so sad. XP)

(I can't have an evil twin though, i've already embraced the dark side. XP)

(You are the evil mastermind. XP Also, ouch, that last sentence stung me a little.)

Cloud froze as Ara's words reached his ears. She said what he'd been thinking the entire time. The thing he'd tried to ignore....

He'd frozen up.

He was dead weight.

They took advantage.

But he didn't need her or anyone else to tell him that, he'd already known.

"Well at least i actually stayed in the first place!" He turned around, eyes blazing with anger. He knew he'd been scared stiff. "At least i didn't leave all these stupid civilians behind like a coward!" He stomped back towards her, ignoring the looks the duo was receiving. He knew she was right. "At least i'm not the one who can't do ANYTHING without needing someone else's help!" Ignoring the fact that his necklace was now glowing, he clenches his fists tightly. He knew he wasn't going to hit her, or even raise his fist in the first place.

"At least i...." His necklace glowed brightly enough for him to notice now, and unexpectedly he found himself back in the void where he'd gotten the necklace in the first place.
~~~~~~~~
"Huh?" Cloud muttered, recognizing where he was. "Why am i back here?"

"Because, i needed to speak with you two, of course." Before he could question the voice, a glowing orange glow shined beside him, and in a flash of light, Ara appeared.

(How about... Papierus? It's overused, I know, but I don't have anything else XP)

(Then how about someone who's slightly-less-evil than you? XP)

(Guess who's fault it is? Ara's. Yup. Totally hers. Can't see who else it could've been.)

Ara stiffened when Cloud turned around and started marching towards her. She tried to keep a straight face as he shouted- after all, being insulted by him wasn't something she was experiencing for the first time. She noticed the glow of his necklace, but her attention was drawn back to Cloud as he blurted out that last line.

She probably flinched, but, once again, something interrupted her thoughts, because Cloud's necklace suddenly shone like a lightbulb, and then everything went black.

"AAAH!" she found herself screaming, hands over her head, when she opened her eyes again. She noticed Cloud next to her, but other than that, she couldn't see anything else.

She decided to panic.

"W-what...?" she stammered, glancing around wildly.

Shadow- * Her phone buzzes and she answers with a annoyed voice, " Who is it? ", her father answered, ME! Now I want you to find these necklaces! Im sending you a picture of the necklaces and the kids with them! You better NOT disappoint me!, Shadow hung up and sighed, her dad was mad and furious like always she one day wished if she did something right he would be happy. Her childhood wasn't like other children, she was taught how to steal, lie and cheat. While other parents would teach the opposite, but she looked at the image and recognized the children in a instant. "It was that stubborn married couple!", she thought. She held onto her moon necklace and went outside to see them. But she was very astonished by what she saw., " What are those kids doing? How?

(But....but...Pie is the enemy. XP)

(Sounds like a swell guy. XP)

(Absolutely. There's no other option.)

(Wait, so does she have a moon necklace, or was she talking about the picture?)

"Now that both of you are here, allow me to explain. The reason i brought you here, is because Cloud's necklace was overloading with negative energy. That was dangerous, so i brought him here so he can cool down. As for Ara, you both need to hear what i'm about to tell you." The void around them morphed into what looked like outer space, shining stars and planets included.

"Those chosen as the Barers of Sun, Moon, and Earth have a very complicated life. It's a life full of great difficulty and responsibility. They are what will ultimately decide if this world is to live....or be destroyed. Sun and Moon in particular have it the worst, being polar opposites. They go to the extreme of hating each other, or the other extreme of falling in love. No middle ground, for some reason. Fortunately, earth gets along with both pretty well." Cloud frowned. He wasn't liking that tidbit about Sun and Moon at all.

"The celestial bonds, or your 'necklaces', turn emotion into power. Cloud's anger at that moment was strong enough to activate it. So because of how dangerous you two's negative emotions are to both each other and other people, i'll have to ask you to refrain from getting too upset at each other." The image of space became a blinding white light, and Cloud had to shield his eyes.


When he opened his eyes again, he found both he and Ara standing back where they'd been before, in Cherrygrove.

"Uh...Did you get all that?"

( She has a moon necklace)

( Yay pie and I didnt know there was a UT fandom!? )

Shadow- * Stares at them blankly *

(Pie is not the enemy, do not believe in the rumors XD And yes, of course there is! And you're speaking to one of the members. X3)

(So... who exactly is Shadow's father, and what does he need the necklaces for? Do we have two evil organizations here? I gotta know xD)

Ara turned to Cloud and stared at him, but her gaze was much different than before. It betrayed fear, panic, confusion- and suddenly, without even Ara realizing, all these emotions merged together into soft, desperate laughter.

"Sure!" She exclaimed, spreading her arms. "Sure. I mean, why wouldn't I? This all makes perfect sense, right? Everything makes perfect sense, and it's all great!"

She didn't even know what was all that gibberish coming out of her mouth, but she couldn't care less. She span around and headed to the nearest bench, before flopping her butt down and burying her face in her palms.

(Cupcakes are the master race. Pie is our only remaining adversary. XP)

(The plot thickens! Dun Dun Duuuuun~)

Cloud watched Ara's clearly panicked reaction with a passive expression, though in his mind he was almost sympathetic. That had been a lot of information just suddenly dumped on them, so her reaction was fairly natural. Even he still had yet to truly understand what had just happened, he just wasn't weak enough to break down like Ara. But regardless, he understood it, even felt it to some extent.

So maybe that was why he did what he did.

Without even saying a word, Cloud walked over and sat down beside Ara, still with the same passive expression. He looked up at the sky, the clouds floating by, the sun in the sky, and didn't say a word. Truthfully, there was nothing to say. She was having trouble processing it all. He wasn't the moral support type, and he still found her annoying, but he understood.

So maybe that's why he said what he said.

"You know, i kinda want to call you weak and useless again," He started, "But that'd be too predictable, and i take pride in my unique insults." He closed his eyes, mentally punching himself in the face. He had no reason to be nice, no reason care about anyone, especially Ara. But her not being like her usual self, making smart comebacks and reckless decisions, seeing her melting down like her whole world had just crashed and burned...

It felt weird.

Like waking up for school in the morning, only to realize school's over until next year.

"You should have a stronger heart than to lose your mind over some mythical therapist rant," He sighed, "You may be useless, but i at least thought you were better than that."

(That ended up being way too long. XD)

(That can't be true, I'm met some pies that were immensely delicious XP)

(And I'm the only one who has no idea what's going on XD)

Ara snickered at the last line. Her voice was shaky, but she still managed to fit a bit of sarcasm in it.

"I don't know if you're trying to help or insult me right now." She muttered. As she stared down at her shorts, her mind wandered off to the black void which then formed into a starry sky taken straight from the most beautiful work of art. She remembered the voice that spoke to them, the things it said.

"Sun and Moon in particular have it the worst, being polar opposites. They go to the extreme of hating each other, or the other extreme of falling in love. No middle ground, for some reason."

She didn't know why those words kept ringing in her head. She had no idea what that voice was, where it had taken them, or why they had those necklaces.

But what she did know was that the voice was right,

She lifted her head and looked at Cloud again. She had been glaring at him for so long that she was convinced she could even paint a picture of his face, but at that moment, it felt like she was seeing him for the first time.

They really couldn't be friends, could they?

(Here, let me join you real quick XD)

(The pie was a lie. It even ryhmes. XP)

(All i can say is...Git gud m8.)

"I'd say a bit of both, though i'm personally leaning towards insult," Cloud replied thoughtfully, as if actually pondering it. "Either way, you seem fine enough now to have a decent conversation, so it accomplished something ." Cloud turned around so he was facing her again. He still had no idea why he was doing any of this stupid, friendly, utter nonsense...but he felt like it was the right thing to do.

Maybe it was that rediculous stuff about Sun and Moon...

"Sun and Moon in particular have it the worst, being polar opposites. They go to the extreme of hating each other, or the other extreme of falling in love. No middle ground, for some reason."

That had stuck out to him as a particularly strange piece of information. He couldn't picture himself loving anyone, especially not Ara. They couldn't go ten seconds without fighting, and he wasn't the lovey~dovey type. "So, what'd you think about all that stuff, Sunshine?"

(Author Mode's contagious? XD)

(I thought the cake was a lie XP)

(Sounds like a fair statement. )

Ara frowned at the nickname, but replied anyway. "Honestly? Right now, I have no idea. This whole thing is ridiculous." She laughed bitterly as sudden realization hit her. "And you know what the best part is? I've known you for, like, what- one hour? Two? And my life's already turning upside down."

Those last words made her smirk. Supposedly, lovers were the ones using such cheesy lines, but in her case, they weren't meant to be anywhere near cheesy.

(Seems like it XD)

(Cake is like, the grand parent of cupcakes. It never lies. XP)

(The fairest of fair.)

"With all the trouble you've caused, it feels like i've known you for years," He remarked dryly, "But i agree, life seems way more active all of a sudden. And i'm not sure it's for the best, but it is what it is, i guess. At least it'll be interesting," Cloud the smirked as well, adding, "Eh, Sunshine?"

(Aaaaaand it's gone. XD)

(Grandparents lie. Like when they say they'll buy you candy if you do what they say XP)

Ara scowled. "You better not make that my nickname. It's awful." She was still confused with everything that had happened, but somehow she felt calmer now.

(Can't expect it to last forever, sadly XP)

(But what if they get you cupcakes instead? XP)

(I just realized, i still have yet to make a cupcake loving character...that is a crime.)

"Now that i know you have that necklace for a reason, it is totally your nickname." He replied, his usual cocky expression on his face. It seemed like everything was back to normal now, or at least, as normal as it had ever been. The past few hours had been crazy, to say the least. "But back to my question from earlier," He grabbed his own necklace, "Now that we know these things are important, and you still can't defend yourself...." He trailed off, not wanting to say that out loud again.

He still wasn't a people person.

(It comes and goes with the wind. XP)

(They'll still be lying XP)

(So are you going to create a character for the sole purpose of having them join the cupcake army? XP)

"Are you trying to ask me about the travelling thing again?" Ara raised an eyebrow as a slightly smug grin spread across her face. "You should stop if it hurts that much."