mt. pyre, that was which was saturated with the spirits of dead pokemon and fog, a dangerous mountain that is not only filled with the corpses of pokemon, but of humans too. those who took the mountain's ferocity for granted—they would hike up the stiff peaks, their arrogance leading them off the path. and they think themselves a natural navigator; but when the fog overtakes, and you cannot discern with your eye the landmarks that led you astray, how will you survive?

the calls for rescue came often, and were taken up by various trainers across hoenn. cassidy was not one to heed these requests, and she thought that zev harcourt was not one either, considering his rank. a beast like mint, and just as committed to the cause, if not more. she'd heard stories about him through the grapevine, skilled in the art of assassination. she was admittedly curious. and one day, while in headquarters, she had asked him the merits of his work.

she wanted to learn. to be someone like him.

and so she told him, "if you let me prove that i am worthy, i shall return the favor twicefold."

so here they are, meeting the call came for a certain missing athlete. a rescue on paper, but a bounty hunt by mouth. for a recruit like her, this was a trial, and it was time to prove herself worthy.

they walked along the trail, her ninetails trots quietly beside her. the trees stood foreboding in the white haze, and it was easy to misconstrue their dark branches for something else; a figure or a ghost. it almost as if the spirits were watching them; there was no other life in sight. it did not take them long to stumble upon a trail marker, a dilapidated sign, worn rotten wood with faded writing.

summit ahead. dangerous area. please heed caution.

"the athelete supposedly disappeared around here." she said. she points to one of the tracks on the ground, a deep ridged line imprinted on mud.

"we should be able to follow the path of his bike."

Zev Harcourt