Walking along the road, Mark gawked at Ice Town. He had never been here. He didn't know what he expected... but it wasn't this. All the buildings were built with clean white stones with blue shingle roofs. It was the middle of summer, but from streetlamps were misters that made the air feel cool and almost icy. Around the town were ice sculptures of ice or water pokemon. In the center of the town was a large stone fountain with an Articuno ice sculpture. The bushes and trees around the town were covered in a light frost that made them glisten in the fading light. The streetlamps were giving off a blue tinted light as it got darker. It was clear that the Team color was present here just as much as it was in Lightning Town. The Team members were wearing Mystic jackets or uniforms with the white Articuno on it. While the locals or family civilians of Shamouti simply wore casual clothing with the color blue but no Team symbol. It was only the older locals of Shamouti that wore headbands or colors supporting all the birds. Mark flinched as a passing older man glared at him as he led a Taurus pulling a cart of supplies.

Pryce watched the older man go, before asking him curiously. "What was that about? Shouldn't he be arrested for wearing all the colors like that or something?" Mark shook his head, answering coolly. "No. He's an exception to the rule because he's an islander. See... The Islanders worshipped ALL the legendary birds. The Teams kind of moved to the island and slowly took over the islands for themselves. They learned what they wanted from them and... kind of... destroyed their culture. But to keep the peace with them, they are allowed to stay neutral and believe what they wish. They do not like us though... Can't blame them." Pryce huffed softly to himself, stating as he looked around. "So, the people that believe in Harmony are the ones pushed from the picture... Interesting. And you know about them how?" Mark cleared his throat, nervously admitting. "I talked to a local once. The Teams go out of their way to ignore them unless they have to interact. I... got curious." Mark glanced over his shoulder to see if Sean was still following them. He was. He was looking at everyone nervously.

Mark followed his eyes, noticing some of the Team Mystic people staring at him with dark expressions. Their angry features were unsettling. It wasn't illegal for him to be here, but there were reasons the Teams had their own town and Island. Pryce didn't take notice of the Mystic people starting to watch them like predators. Slinking in the shadows to tail them with pokeballs at the ready. Pryce looked over all the buildings of clothing stores, restaurants, the police station, little apartment homes, and more. Shrugging, he mumbled out. "Where is the Pokemon Center? It's usually a red building, right?" Mark snorted, tugging on his arm before he passed it, commenting lightly. "Maybe where you come from. Not here. This way." Mark steered him up to a little square building with a bright blue and white design. In bold bright blue letters, it read; 'Pokestop.' Mark chuckled as Pryce gawked at the building with wide nostalgic eyes. Tilting his head, he told Mark in a wispy voice. "Oh my god... I had forgotten... I recall... Just wow. What a blast from the past."

Mark patted his arm, walking him over to a group of trainers by what looked like a circular blue tech styled pokeball signpost outside the building. The young trainer in front of them, pulled up his sleeve to reveal a black bracelet with a flat pokeball ID reader. The center of the pokeball on both the sign and the bracelet blinked as he swiped it before the sign. The sign turned from blue to purple, asking the trainer in a sweet automated voice. "Welcome to the Pokestop. Your one stop shop. How may I help you, Samuel Oak?" The young man began scrolling through a list of things on the circle of the sign. Mark flinched as Pryce grabbed his arm in an iron grip, looking like he'd seen a ghost. Mark glanced between Pryce and the young trainer. Did he know him? Mark watched the young trainer press a few tabs, before the automated voice told him. "Thank you. Your number is fifteen. Please wait inside to confirm your room and pick up your supplies. Have a pleasant day." The young trainer hefted up his backpack, starting to head inside as a young woman called out to him. "Samuel, hurry up! We have to confirm our rooms before the class goes to the museum without us!"

The young trainer smirked, jogging up the steps as he told her nicely. "Relax. I've been here before when I six. The fossils aren't going to get up and walk away, you know. Although, I did hear a rumor that one did and ate a-" The girl shoved him playfully, scolding him with a small shiver. "Don't tell me that! Are you trying to scare me?!" The young trainer laughed and she blushed a deep red. From the building, two more young men rushed out to grab Samuel. One snatched Samuel's backpack and sketchbook. While the other lifted Samuel off the ground. Samuel squealed loudly as his friend spun him around and teased out loudly. "Flying finger Sammy! You made it! We thought you'd get lost in those damn sketchbooks of yours!" Mark smiled at them, until he saw Pryce step up more. A tear running down his cheek as he watched the kids, uttering out. "Oh my god..." The kid put Samuel down, causing Samuel to shove the kid back playfully before telling the other boy through giggles. "Someone has to explain what you're looking at. Kurt! Give me that back!"

Kurt held Samuel at a distance, looking through the sketchbook as he told him with a chuckle. "Still drawing pokemon... Honestly, Sammy... Why can't you draw girls? Such a waste of talent." The girl yanked the sketchbook from Kurt, smacking him with it as she snapped out smugly. "Because THAT is a waste of talent. And it's rude, Kurt! Besides..." The girl moved around to Samuel, handing him his sketchbook with another blush as she told him. "I like his drawings." The other young man leaned on Samuel's shoulder, teasing out loudly. "You would say that, Agatha. You'd say anything to get his-" Agatha narrowed her eyes on the kid and stomped on the kid's foot hard enough to cut him off. Huffing loudly, she spun around and strutted into the building. Samuel flinched away from them, asking a little concerned. "Pryce? You alright? You know you really shouldn't provoke her..." Pryce hopped on one foot, grumbling out through his teeth. "I didn't. I was stating a fact and she flew off the handle."

Samuel chuckled, telling young Pryce over his shoulder. "This is why I stick to facts about pokemon. Less life threatening." Kurt and Samuel shared a hearty laugh, while young Pryce rolled his eyes and followed them inside. Mark swallowed, asking Pryce very softly. "Should we be worried that you two are in the same area?" Pryce swallowed, telling him without looking at him. "I... I forgot this. We were all so... close." Mark put a hand on Pryce's shoulder, asking a little worried now. "Pryce... You still with us?" Pryce inhaled sharply but nodded to him with a distant look. Pryce patted his chest, trying to sound normal as he said in a grim voice. "I'm fine. I just... I need to sit down a minute." Mark watched him walk to a bench on the opposite side to sit. Behind him, Sean moved closer to ask softly. "What do you think is eating him?" Mark shrugged, saying rationally. "Maybe it was overwhelming to remember? A shock? He seemed to say they weren't close anymore... Friendship gone bad?" Sean shook his head, mumbling out. "See? Relationships of any kind is pointless. It only ever ends badly. Come on. We don't have time for this."

Mark turned watching Sean pull his sleeve up to scan his blue pokeball bracelet. The sign went from blue to purple again, upon addressing Sean. Sean began to scroll through options, while he moved up beside him to say coolly. "You didn't grow up with friends... did you?" Sean refused to look at him as he growled out defensively. "What makes you think that? I was a perfectly happy child." Mark saw how intensely Sean was trying to make him believe that, but little things gave him away. The way he wouldn't look at him. The way his jaw clenched, and the way he stood so stiffly. Sliding a hand across Sean's shoulders, Mark whispered discreetly to him. "People don't get into bad relationships unless they feel trapped or alone. And the evil people of this world prey on those with no one to turn too." Sean stopped touching the screen, turning his head to give him a dark look as he told him. "Do I look like a victim to you? What you saw in the woods... It wasn't what you think. So, stop trying to sympathize with me. I don't need your pity. I'm fine." Sean knocked his arm off him, then returned to look at the screen.

Mark leaned over Sean's shoulder, discreetly whispering to him in a warm loving tone of voice. "Why would I pity you? You came back fighting all on your own. I'm impressed. But take it from me, Sean... Pretending it didn't happen, doesn't make it go away." Mark touched Sean's arm, feeling him flinch. Keeping his hand light on his arm, he added gently. "If you wanna talk about it... I'll listen." Sean's jaw kept tensing and relaxing, before he blurted out defensively. "I'd never share something so personal with an enemy." Mark stood his ground, telling him seriously in a loving voice. "You're not my enemy. And I'm not my Team. I offered because I'd like to try being your friend." Mark backed up from him, watching Sean turn slightly to ask him with a confused expression. "Why? Don't you understand that we can't." Mark shrugged, asking him with a smirk. "According to who? It should be your decision. As for why... maybe I feel like we have more in common than we think."

Sean's confused expression, turned into a small amused smirk. Sean shook his head, but the smirk never left his face. Pressing the submit button on the sign, the automated voice thanked him and then slowly started to turn blue again as it finished processing. Sean faced him looking like he was going to say something, when his eyes widened, and Mark was shoved to the ground from behind. Mark hit the pavement, then groaned as he staggered back up onto his feet. Four Mystic members glared at him as a man stated aloud. "What are you doing here, Spark plug? You don't belong here." Mark straightened up, letting out a sigh as he calmly said aloud. "I'm just here for the Pokestop. Then I'll be on my way." The man moved closer to Mark, sneering out darkly. "Maybe I was being too nice. Get the fuck out of our town! Or we'll send you back to your kind in pieces!" Mark blinked unfazed as he retorted boldly. "My kind? Last time I checked; I was human. Same as you." A woman in the group huffed sarcastically, stating out sharply. "Don't compare us to yourself. You're a bunch of piss-soaked cowards!"

Mark turned his hat around, boldly chuckling out. "Do you see me running?" Sean stepped between them, telling the other Mystics. "Ignore him. He's just-" The man shoved Sean to the ground, yelling out. "Don't defend this, bitch! We let one of these fuckers strut their colors in our territory and they'll think they own the place! No. This stupid fucker is leaving in a body bag!" Mark cracked his neck and knuckles, before bringing his hands up. The man shrugged off his jacket, starting to approach Mark with a confident smile. As far as size, they were evenly matched. The man had barely taken a step, when Sean kicked the man in the knee from his spot on the ground. A loud 'pop' followed by a scream came from the man, causing him to fall to the ground. After that, chaos broke out. Mystics from all over rushed in to defend their friends. Mark punched and kicked them as they approached him. Sean bolted to his feet, dodging blows and getting in a few hits of his own to his own Team. Civilians gasped and called for the cops, but Mark was too focused to care.

As more rushed him, he started taking more blows than he was giving. His ribs took a beating, before a punch to his face took him to the ground. There he was kicked repeatedly, until Chad popped out of his pokeball on his own. Raising his ghostly clawed hands into the air, he rushed toward a group of Mystics like a possessed doll in hot pursuit. The Mystics screamed and ran from Chad. Chad tripped a few and tried to pull them under his Pikachu costume, causing them to freak out others in their fear of this unknown pokemon. Mark sat up, then got punched back down by another man. Police sirens were starting to scatter some of the Mystics, but a few still wanted to get some hits in. Mark covered his face, taking a few hits, until a familiar voice blurted out. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" The man stopped hitting Mark, turning to look as a floating street sign knocked him out. Mark sat up, raising an eyebrow as Gengar appeared and began whacking a few more unsuspecting Mystics with the metal street sign.

Nate's hand extended toward him, chuckling out softly. "And here I thought you boys didn't know how to have fun." Mark took his hand, groaning as Nate pulled him stiffly to his feet. A group of K-9 cops jumped from their cars with Growlithes leaping out to surround those trying to flee the scene. One Growlithe dashed toward Nate, but Gengar appeared beside him and licked the little tiger looking dog. The dog yelped, stumbling to the ground completely paralyzed. Nate whistled and Gengar flew closer to Sean. Nate then removed something from his pocket and tossed little grey balls into the air. Nate took a deep breath, seconds before the little grey balls exploded into grey clouds. Mark tried to hold his breath, listening to cops start shouting orders to remove the fog cover. Sean came closer but Mark could only hear him as he said. "Quick inside!" A paw rested on his shoulder as Nate led him out of the cloud. Rushing into the Pokestop, everyone but Nate coughed. As the air cleared in the building, he stared perplexed at the people standing beside him that he didn't know. An illusion? Sean's voice came out of one of them, leading them to an elevator. Scanning his bracelet, the doors opened to let them in.

In the elevator, the illusion dropped, and Zoey took her hands off them. Crossing her arms, she told them coolly. "Well, you sure made it easy to find you." Mark coughed, asking curiously. "You were looking for us?" Nate leaned against the wall of the elevator, mumbling out a little embarrassed. "I was under the impression that you'd have a lot of questions after what you saw. Figured that I'd save myself the trouble of you surprising me." Sean coughed between trying to tell him. "Look you... I don't..." Nate rolled his eyes, telling them. "Save it until we're alone. And you stop coughing..." Sean flicked him off and Nate smirked to himself. The elevator dinged, opening to a hallway of hotel rooms. Sean moved to his room number, scanning his bracelet and the door opened. Slipping inside, Nate shut the door. Mark looked around, then groaned out. "Where is Pryce?" Nate gestured for them to calm down, answering. "Relax. He's an old man. They aren't going to think that he was in that fight. We should just wait until things cool down." To Be Continued...