His foot reached the stone of the bridge as a raindrop hit his nose. Raziel stopped right there, reasons unbeknownst to him as he examined the sky for a brief moment. It was growing grayer, blacker by the minute. A solitary moment hung in the balance -- an uneasy silence connecting him to his Houndour, who had no reason to turn around but did so. Their eyes connected in that instant, and another raindrop hit Raziel's forehead, spilling down. The storm was fast approaching, and the duo would need to hurry to beat it.

"Azula?!" she dashed at him, razor teeth bared for the world to see. A bark rang out behind him, too, and Raziel's head spun on its axis to reveal a Mightyena charging him.

Raziel turned to face the hungry predator and leaped backward as it leaped forward, powerful jaws open and coming for him. A burst of fire, even in the dour weather, came from behind him to meet the Mightyena in the face. His hands were up now, but the Ember was enough to halt the Mightyena. Azula stepped between them as Raziel increased the distance between him and the wild Pokemon. The massive waterfall framed the battle as it began, paws using the friction of the cobblestone to lunge at one another. Mightyena jolted Azula with a Crunch, but the Houndour showed no fear. "Ember!" passionate flames spewed from Azula's snout and splattered all over her enemy once again, causing a yelp.

The Mightyena must have smelled the food in his bag. Raziel was becoming increasingly aware of the storm brewing above them, his heart rate picking up to match the increasing incidence of raindrops on his head. The dampness in the air would weaken Azula's following fire attacks. "Smog! Then Bite!" a thick, poisonous cloud surrounded the Mightyena, its creeping tendrils wrapping themselves around the rabid Mightyena to poison it. The charging figure of Azula ripped through the stench like a turbine, clearing it as the Houndour plunged into Mightyena's flesh.

Was the battle over? The raindrops kept coming faster and faster now, his long locks stuck to his forehead as he looked on to the dogs before him. Mightyena panted heavily, its head dipping in defeat. Would it let them go with a treat?

Raziel began digging into his backpack, searching for some food for the Pokemon. The moment his eyes pulled away from the battle, Mightyena let out a roar that practically pierced the heavy clouds above them. "Oh, fuck..." if other Pokemon hadn't been alerted to their presence yet, they would be now. "Azula, Ember again. Buy us a second to get going!" with an obedient nod, the Houndour spat flames at the weakened Mightyena to finish it off for good before turning on her heels to follow her trainer as the two opened up into a sprint toward the end of the route.

They had to be close.

Some part of his instincts told Raziel to keep looking over his shoulder as he ran. The raindrops getting coming and coming, a downpour now upon them. With enough luck, the howling of the wind had died down so Raziel could still run. Azula was on his heels, the ever-faithful hound keeping close to her trainer to protect him from whatever threats lingered in the mountain cliffs that loomed over them. After every few steps, Raziel would glance back in the direction of the bridge where they'd fought Mightyena. Why he was expecting a pack of Mightyena to jump them, he wasn't sure.

Raziel was so expectant that he had to grind to a halt when it came in front of him. Azula stepped between them and lightning lit up the sky.

"...Absol." The bringer of death. With its white coat plastered to its body, the Dark-type Pokemon looked no less impressive than in pictures. A quiet dignity filled the air as the Pokemon stared at Raziel. The three beings stood there again, the world around them stopping as unspoken understanding passed between them all. It only took an instant for Raziel to realize that Azula would have to fight Absol. She, too, understood this, and stepped forward again.

Thunder boomed above them. The rain hissed louder as the wind began to surge once more.

"Smog!" Raziel felt a glint of exhilaration pass through his gaze as he watched the poisonous fog surround the Absol, but to no avail as the Pokemon whipped its scythe around to clear the air. Its white figure leaped into the air, dashing at the Houndour with a Quick Attack. Azula sidestepped quickly enough to dodge, returning to hit with a Bite into Absol's abdomen. Her teeth sunk in for a mere moment before Absol broke free, returning the favor with a Bite of its own. The pair of Pokemon separated to regain composure on each side before Azula jumped in for a Beat Up -- she could feel the energy of her 5 companions backing her up as she headbutted the Absol numerous times. Absol retaliated quickly with a Pursuit.

Raziel spectated like he was watching a boxing match, or a sword fight. The blows were quick and concentrated, traded off between the two Pokemon. They seemed to be pretty evenly matched in strength, their fighting spirits practically setting this damp day aflame with excitement. With one strong last Bite from Azula, the Pokemon separated.

Raziel suddenly became aware of the raging thunderstorm that plagued them again when Absol bowed its head. Were they worthy to pass, worthy to survive this storm? "We need shelter!" his voice drowned in the whipping winds but reached Absol nonetheless. Absol turned and began running, signaling that the battle was over. Raziel found himself hesitating to move when the Absol stopped and looked back at them from 30 feet away. Did it want them to follow it?

The duo broke into a run, following Absol around a curve in the cliff that they had been passing in the shadow of. Rain beat down on its profile, forcing the trainer and his Houndour to remain close to the cliffside. Below, the ocean roared and screamed at them, telling the to run and hide.

Absol stayed ahead of them, occasionally looking back to make sure the pair could follow. What felt like an eternity of running ended when Absol turned into the cliffside -- there was a cave! Raziel and Azula dipped into the cave as well, which extended into the mountainside, threading into a system of caves. Would this lead them to Route 48, or at least back to Tanba?

He panted as he looked at the Absol; the three of them were soaked to the core, kept warm only by the adrenaline. He caught his breath, taking in the sheer beauty of the deathbringer before him. Its white coat was truly magnificent, but the true allure came from its knowing eyes. Raziel bowed his head at the Pokemon. "Thank you, Absol. You might have saved our lives." Absol nodded in return, eyes passing between Raziel and Azula slowly before returning to Raziel to bow its head. This day, Raziel felt a bond form between him and Absol and knew what he needed to do.

He pulled out a Pokeball and offered it out to the Absol, seeing if it would accept his kinship.