Footsteps of the Goddess, the Silver Tower Tournament.

[Phanima]

Having been acknowledged for her previous input—and by a ranger no less—the blonde wannabe suddenly found herself conflicted, in that she really didn't know how to respond. Of course, being the stubborn girl she was, she simply huffed at Robert's remark but nodded in agreement anyway, hastily waving off her ever so slightly flushed cheeks.

"Hey kid, we've got a plan, just stick to it," she remarked in the direction of the boy spouting all sorts of ideas that were obviously infeasible, before then turning attention back to Robert's suggestion, "and if no one else is going to pipe up, I may as well."

Although contrary to her remark, it wasn't only the ranger man who was starting to take some initiative in the plan's execution; the older, clumsy, yet classily clad girl with the emerald hair quickly snatched away whatever self commanding role she had established for herself. In most cases, she'd have shown this 'Mika' a thing or two about taking charge but since the opportunity to prove her worth had conveniently presented itself, she thought it best to simply get down to work. Although in all honestly, all of this putting up a strong front without any follow through was starting to irk her. It was about time for the first challenge to start and she was like before, still raring to go.

Even though she had expected the river's current to be somewhat volatile and completely unsafe for traversing, such expectations were understatements. The sheer force from the currents that ran the length of the canal was enough to forcibly de-root the protruding rocks there within, sweeping them effortlessly downstream. Not only that, but it was cold. Freezing cold.

Shuddering as she felt the backlash from the waves lapping against the riverbank, Seras promptly scanned the encompassing forest to pinpoint the appropriate lumber needed for the proposed bridge's construction, while the rangers were apparently off to round up any wild pokemon that could contribute to the cause.

"Setxaro'll get to work in cutting down some logs," she started, releasing the toxicroak in question, her eyes then scanning the current number of present team members to estimate her next calculation, "all we need to do is get about five or six logs, tie them together and push it over onto the other side."

Turning her attention to the raging river once again, her brow furrowed, slight hesitation now rising with her voice, "We'll definitely need something to hold it in place though, which I guess any pokemon that can throw a couple of rocks can handle."

With all the grace a poison clawed toad could muster, the champion's toxicroak had already made its way through the first of the nearest trunks with an elegant flurry of Fury Cutters when the girl finally added over her shoulder, "Oh, and if you can't help, don't get in the way."

 

[Alter Ego]

Laurel had a dreamy, absent look on her face as she watched Seras get to work. So young yet so serious and determined, it was cute...almost unbearably so, and it took all her self-restraint not to interrupt the construction project with another surprise hug. As much as it saddened her, she'd have to take a slightly more subtle approach with these children.

"Leave that to us." she chirped at the request for setting up a base for the bridge, flicking out a pokéball of her own from her belt, "Rex, if you please."

Despite its abrupt materialization, the Rhydon's manner was the very epitome of cool composure as it emerged, eyes shut for the briefest of moments before it struck a pose, immediately managing to catch a couple of impressed looks from spectators nearby.

Laurel constrained a giggle, "I'm sorry to ask you but, do you think you could do me a little favor?" she beamed at the giant, dinosaur-like creature, "See now, we are setting up a bridge..."

The rock type nodded slowly, raising its hand to signal that no further explanation was necessary before it swaggered over to the river bank. For a few more minutes, the creature simply stood rooted at the spot, its expression unreadable. Then, its right foot began to tap in slow, carefully measured rhythm, the soil at the riverbank trembling ever so slightly under its weight. Then, with the same sense of timing as when it first emerged, the Rhydon abruptly struck a second pose, bringing its full weight down on the ground and following it up with a strong punch from its arm, effectively pulverizing a slice of the riverbank and sending a hail of rocks crashing into the stream below.

"Applause would be advisable." Laurel whispered to her companions as the rock type turned back to face them, still bearing a cool, unbothered expression, "Where do you want those rocks?"

 

[Lynnx]

(OOC: Chibi-chan: Ack, sorry about the wardrobe mistake. D:)

---

As it turned out, Rhea didn't have to answer any of the questions directed at her. Instead, the green-haired girl rapidly took command and then seemed to almost shrink into herself after they reached the river, as she regretted ever speaking up in the first place. Weird.

The river itself was even bigger than it had appeared on the moniters, roaring ferociously over jagged boulders and sending intimidating-looking sprays of water into the air every other second. Nothing she couldn't handle, though ... by herself.

Instead, the senior Sinnoh Ranger - Robert? - took control, and immediately put the bossy blond girl - Seras, apparently - in charge. The other girl immediately sent out a Toxicroak, who in a matter of seconds had slashed through the nearest tree trunk and was working its way through the others, while its trainer eyed the rest of them with that oddly flat gaze of hers. Rhea instantly decided that she didn't really like the girl. Too fierce, too commanding, and way too confident.

Next, the crazy woman with the Cherrim proceeded to send out a ... Rhydon. Which looked very strange considering her bubbly personality, but maybe all coordinators were like that. Storm the Dragonair made a small sound of derision as the rock dinosaur Pokemon promptly smashed through a good section of the riverbank and its Trainer turned to the rest of them with pride.

What can I do? She didn't have a capture styler - the Sevii Islands were too small and too isolated for such new technology. All she had were her Pokemon and whatever she had shoved in her bag before her hasty departure. Best to show them that I'm at least half-useful.

She shooed the Dragonair behind her and sent out Floe in her place. The Lapras looked slightly confused as to why she was sitting on the ground instead of in the clearing, but waited calmly for a command anyways.

"Okay, Floe, we're cutting down trees," Rhea hissed at her, directing her attention to an area a good distance away from the Toxicroak and Rhydon. "Aim for the bottom, okay? Ice Shard, please."

The Lapras nodded once, then reared her head back, a sphere of ice energy coalescing in her mouth. She snapped her head forward with surprising speed and released the move, the ball of energy shattering and forming dozens of razor-sharp ice daggers which thunked satisfyingly deep into the trunks, an area roughly thigh-high on Rhea. The Ranger scrambled away to a safe distance as the trees creaked warningly.

"Okay, Storm, take 'em down!"

The Dragonair lunged forward, coiling her sinous body tightly, then slammed herself hard into the base of the nearest tree. It swayed dangerously, just as Storm whipped around and struck the weak spot with the heavy silver beads at the base of her tail. The wood finally gave way with a resounding crash and the Pokemon dodged out of the way just in time, only to back up slightly and repeat the move.

Rhea felt another blush coming on. Great, now she looked like another show-off. Everyone's eyes were surely on her, and it took every ounce of courage she had to turn back to her Pokemon and pretend to "supervise" their systematic destruction of nature. At least they (hopefully) didn't think she was a mute coward anymore.

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Riley turned up his nose in a huff at Rhea's display, while Robert nodded. "Good job," he commented. "You're talented at this sort of thing, young lady. What was your name again?" He shook his head and laughed. "Forward and to the point. I like that."

He nodded to Riley. "Seems the tree-cutting is being taken care of for you. Why don't you...."

Riley understood his trainer's intention and dashed towards the trunks knocked over by Rhea's Pokemon. Gripping one, the Lucario strained- and then, surrounded by a blue glow indicating the presence of his aura, he hefted one of the trunks and lifted it high into the air. With a grunt, the Lucario began dragging the fallen tree towards the nearby river, the aura apparently doing something to increase his strength. Meanwhile, Robert nodded to the rest of the group and took off, detaching his capture styler from his arm sleeve. He wasn't doing much good here and now. He needed to move out somewhere and grab that one crucial Pokemon the group needed- one that could hold the operation together, so to speak. A Pokemon with adhesive abilities that could keep the bridge glued together. And the more he could get, the better.


Suddenly, a green flash caught his eye. A Spinarak, a common sight in the Johto region, dashing across the ground. Robert almost snorted with laughter. It was like the unspoken rule of being a ranger- if you looked hard enough, you'd find a local Pokemon capable of resolving the situation you were in. He activated his styler, launching the top-like capture disk as he navigated it to loop several times around the small, spider-like Pokemon. The Spinarak chattered angrily at first, but after the first few loops it settled down. Finally, the small Pokemon docilely followed after Robert, clearly ready to assist with whatever the task at hand was.

Robert called to the rest of the group. "Got one Spinarak. How much string shot do you think we'll need to finish this?"

OOC: And just to be clear, the move Riley is using is Bulk Up. So yeah.

 

[Phanima]

As she watched the showboating rhydon strutting it stuff after delivering an admittedly impressive display of raw power coupled with all the elegance a hind legged rhinoceros could muster, Seras couldn't help but cringe. Still, it was a good start nonetheless as the pokemon more or less reduced a good portion of the crags lining the embankment into rubble.

"T-That's a good spot," she started a little awestruck but had no intention of applauding the pokemon and its haphazard trainer, "the current's too strong to just throw them in, so we can only compact the sides. The sand's soft enough to dig a couple of rocks in for stability and the bigger the better too. We'll be using them to brace the bottom and sides of the bridge so it should be enough to keep it steady."

Then, as if on cue, the unmistakable crack of timber splintering resonated behind her, as the somewhat absurdly dressed and previously muted ranger, made known her capabilities in contributing to the cause. Jumping up in surprise as the first trunk fell, she watched on as the petite girl ordered her lapras and dragonair to assist in the deforestation. At this, the blonde had to admit that she was unexpectedly capable. In a matter of seconds she had already added a second log towards the bridge's construction, several more soon to follow as the winged serpent reared its head in preparation for another attack.

Moments following, Robert returned in a huff, a spinarak by his side as promised. His lucario had stayed behind and aided in the gathering of logs needed to build the bridge as well and so, as the redhead inquired as to how much String Shot would be sufficient in tying them all together, they had already gathered enough to finally start building the thing. Not only that but each of the logs were a good person's width across and long enough to reach the other side of the river, five being more than enough to ferry them across. All that was left to do was to tie them together and haul it over.

"Good work," nodding towards the dual steel and fighting type, the blonde then averted her eyes towards its trainer, "easiest way is to just rope each of the ends together, like an infinite loop. Go around one and then another and yeah, you get the picture. Honestly though, with logs these sizes, I don't think it'll hold for long," she added before returning attention to the rope in Taylor's hand, "but if you can tie them together with rope first, we can add the String Shot over it to help keep it from falling apart."

Making use of minimal resources to accomplish a task was in all honesty, a big pain, but it was also something rangers had to do every day, a notion she quickly found solace in.

In a freckle of red light, she recalled Setxaro and retreated several paces to eye the progress they had made with the bridge. It wasn't pretty by any means and there was a high chance that it could fall apart at any moment, but as far as collaborative efforts went, she was...impressed. Of course, some were more impressive than others but hey, it wasn't as bad as she first thought.

Only problem now, was how they were going to haul the whole thing from one side to the other without it getting swept away.

OOC: I took some artistic liberty in the details. Shoot me if unnecessary and I'll edit them. <3

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Robert grinned as the plan came together. Everything was in its place and the construction was going smoothly. Well, except for one detail.

They had a bridge. But the bridge was not in the water. This was a conundrum. True, Riley could lift the structure most likely, but it was rather large. A bigger Pokemon doing the lifting would run less risk of damaging it. Robert glanced at his Lucario and nodded to him. Riley understood, and the blue aura that had been gathered around him dissipated as he returned to his trainer's side, growling slightly as he groused about not being able to show off more. Robert couldn't help laughing, and affectionately cuffed him on the back of the head, earning himself a return smack. Shaking his head, he pointed to the bridge. "So... who here can lift that?"

The Lucario pointed to the sole member of the group who hadn't contributed anything to the battle plan so far, and smirked. Robert's face lit up. "You're right. She'd be perfect."

Robert slipped up behind Mika for a moment, coughed, and tapped her on the shoulder. "Excuse me, Miss? Something just occured to me. You see, we need to move this bridge into the river, and while Riley could probably handle it, it occured to me that you hadn't helped out yet. Of course, that might be because you don't have any Pokemon who could help, but... well... I couldn't help thinking that if I was the type to watch televised editions of championship Pokemon battles... and if, among those, was the tournament in which you became the champion of Kanto... and if, during that tournament, I happened to see you use some really big dragon Pokemon who could easily transport the bridge without breaking a sweat.... well... you know, I suppose you could help now. Of course, this is all pure conjecture."

Riley thwacked his trainer on the back of the head, causing him to wheel angrily. "You little so-and-so! What the hell was that for?"

Riley groaned and buried his face in the palm of his right hand. Robert understood. "Yes, I suppose I could have just asked... but where would the fun in that have been?"

Riley groaned again.

 

[Mika]

She'd crossed her arms and leaned against the tree and was much too happy leaning up against this particular tree to really do something about it and was much too happy to just stay out of it in general but the more Robert was seemly intent on invading the personal space, the more she began to wonder if getting involved was really such a bad idea. Sighing, she pushed down on her right leg which had conveniently propped itself up on the tree and pushed herself away from the tree, arms still firmly crossed across her chest as she stepped forward looking at it for a moment before she turned back towards the group. They couldn't move this by themselves? It was almost depressing. Her hands dropping to her sides, her right hand flicked up, twisting the strangely crystal like pokeball off her necklace and enlarged it in her hand, spinning it around softly in her palm. Laurel wouldn't be pleased... but it was getting late and she was getting tired of this useless drabble. She slipped her hands to the side in a soft arc like motion, her eyes closing, the air around her picking up slightly. If he was so far bent on having a show... he'd get one. She let out a sigh, allowing the sweet scent of the forest to fill her nose before she simply tossed the ball up into the air without a single word. The light shimmered, the ball falling into the sunlight as, within another second or two, it opened, releasing the pokemon inside in a cool light blue light. It released such a large cry, it startled the teams nearby still struggling to find a way to cross the rabid river, its wings unfolding, the remnants of light from its confinement falling around the group. Powerful wings flapping, it lowered itself to the ground, slipping infront of Mika, her hands reaching up, gently grasping the pokemon's face, stroking it softly before it simply pulled away from her hands and turned towards the makeshift bridge before it turned back to its mistress, tilting its head.

She nodded, mumbling slightly, "Yes... It's too much for you to do on you own. You. Boy." She tossed a look at the quite Champion in the corner who was busy trying not to look lost, "You've got a Dragonite, correct? Throw it out." After he had done so, she wandered over, standing in between the two of them for a moment before she nodded and stepped back, motioning with her hand for the two to move the bridge, their strong arms grasping each side before they lifted it simultaneously, the only sign they were being given any communication at all coming from the changing creases on her face. Once it was settled, she could estimate they had fifteen minutes, tops, before the water broke it up beyond crossing which means they had to go, and now. Stepping up onto the bridge, she walked over it, rather nonchalantly to hopefully give Robert the little spectacle he'd so kindly asked for and hopped down on the other side, waiting for the rest of the rabble to cross, the last one getting not one step off before the bridge began to crack. Both she and the boy withdrew their dragonites and she stepped forward, arms wrapped tightly around her torso, eyes closed, "Happy Robert? I do hope I put on a good enough show for you." Lowering her head a hair, she lead the little rabble onward and into the crowd of people at the first checkpoint, a much much smaller version of the ground festivities below.

After Wallace made some insignificant little speech that was obviously being played on repeat over the speakers about having the rest of the afternoon off and how they were to meet up with their groups at sunset etcetera, she stepped further into the crowd, quietly pushing her way through, ignoring the burning pain now starting to increase to the point she couldn't smother it for much longer when a pale hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her into the trees, out of site of most of the other rabble but not completely out of site if one happened to be in the most ideal of positions. She didn't need to look up to know who the hand, which was partially decorated with a set of silver bangles, belonged to and simply replied, "He wants to see me, doesn't he?" A nod was given in response and the wrist was dropped. The girl cradled an arm on up on her shoulder, the other awkwardly hanging onto her stomach in a nervous fashion as she followed the champion into the darkness of the forest, towards the administrative tent in the area.

Laurel wasn't going to be pleased.


[OoC] So I'm having surgery in um... I think like 8 hours? maybe a little longer than that. Needless to say, I'll be gone for a bit so we're going to be in this afternoon/evening phase til I can coherently string together the plot. :3 In the meantime, please, by all means feel free to do some good old fasioned character development, have a short little battle, make some friends, run into an old rival who knows your character's past, gush over an idol etc etc and what not but if you'd like to skip this and pass straight to go without collecting the 200 dollars in character depth, just have your character trot to the campfire and wait for the others. Before anyone panics, Feign did tell me he was going to be gone and gave me premission to do what I did with his dragonite so don't worry, I didn't break my own rules. :3 There'll be a meal once everyone [minus myself and Feign who's also on hiatus but not for the same reason lol] arrives at the campfire which will issue in some family bonding and I've already asked a few people to handle that so please treat eachother with respect while I'm away. ^^ It shouldn't be more than a week tops, hopefully I'll be back by the weekend and we can move onto the deliciously good second challenge. [/OoC]

 

[Phanima]

Anticlimactic was how she would describe the conclusion of the tournament's first challenge. Here they had spent a good deal of time in building the bridge and then, in a mere matter of seconds, the girl known as Mika had swiped away command and swiftly led the team to their goal as if the whole ordeal was nothing but a walk in the park, a thought clearly evident in her nonchalant stride across the rattling overpass. And although irked by the brashness of the girl's actions, the blonde champion was never one to ignore another's prowess, even if they were some cocky, showboating princess with emerald highlights. But, to be able to tame and command a pokemon such as hers and at her age was in all honesty, a little frightening, but what really compounded her impressions was that she wasn't the only one. The previously costumed kid had been coerced into releasing his own dragonite to aid in the bridge's placement. She realised then that she shouldn't have been surprised by the two, considering their titles as champions and all, but as they got to work in setting the heap of logs intertwined with coarse braided rope and String Shot, she couldn't help but watch on impressed. Of course, she'd be hard pressed if she'd ever show it.

Her flat eyes swept over the two dragons as they effortlessly packed the bridge into Laurel's makeshift brace of boulders before being immediately recalled by their respective trainers, the whole spectacle lasting no longer than a minute. They had succeeded, at least for the moment. Mika had already made her way across the raging river, although they weren't yet victorious until each and every one of them had done the same. Deciding it best not to dawdle in case other groups had achieved the same result, Seras promptly gathered her belongings before following in the older girl's stride. Suffice to say, while the bridge tended to shift through the soft sand on the opposing bank as the icy waves licked its sides, it remained firm in form and long enough to support her weight as she traversed its length.

"Hey! Hurry up!" raising her voice over her shoulder did little to overwhelm the coursing current below but she remained resolute in her irritation regardless, her hopeful calls barely reaching the other shore, "It won't hold forever!"

Gripping the sandy end of the last log digging its way into the riverbank, the champion hoisted herself off the construct before firmly landing back on solid ground, turning on heel as she did so. In seeing the build from the opposing side, the reason behind the bridge's wavering trajectory immediately became clear. The brace Laurel's rhydon had built had shifted under its weight and was beginning to crumble under the enveloping waves that ravaged the shallow bank. As she saw it, the other members would only be spoiled for a few minutes before the rocks gave way and the whole thing collapsed. What's more was that while she was preparing to somehow steady the sliding end of the bridge, she glanced back in order to get their self-appointed leader to help out, only to then see her suddenly disappear into the thicket surrounding the crowd of teams that had already passed like she did.

"Damn it..." cursing under her breath, she quickly probed the next ball on her belt in hope of assistance, "Sebel, Stone Edge!"

The green bodied soil eater erupted from its capsule before quickly heeding its trainer's command by raising a cluster of rocks against the bridge's side. It wasn't much or enough to keep it completely still, but it was all she could do until everyone had made it over.

 

[Lynnx]

Rhea had to fight hard to keep a wide grin from spreading over her face. She had actually done something right,for once, and Robert had even praised her. And considering the skeptical yet undoubtedly accepting look the blond girl had shot her, she obviously felt at least a fraction of the same way. Maybe she wasn't so stuck-up after all.

The bridge was completed quickly after that, cobbled hastily together with a mix of rope and gummy String Shot. Only one problem had remained: actually getting their creation onto the river so the group could cross. Robert's Lucario had grudgingly admitted his inability to move the whole thing without destroying it or himself in the process, and Seras looked as close to stumped as her stern face could possibly manage.

Of course, there were always the other members of their group to take into consideration. The green-haired girl - Mika - after a quick conversation with Robert, had effortlessly lifted the bridge across the river with her own Dragonite, along with another Dragonite of some younger boy whom Rhea really hadn't noticed all that much. Watching her, Rhea had to stop her jaw from dropping - the Dratini line was infamous for being strong-willed and hard to control (heck, she should know, considering her own volatile Dragonair) but this girl, not much older than she was, had given two high-level Dragon Pokemon perfect instructions without saying a word. And they had obeyed her without question, easing their load onto the jumble of rocks the Rhydon had oh-so-conveniently smashed out of the riverbank. Who is she, anyways?

Mika had already crossed the bridge by the time Rhea finished staring and got a hold of herself. Judging by the way it was swaying as the others crossed, it wouldn't hold for more than five to ten minutes, maximum. It was also when she realized that she was the last one left on the opposite bank, climbed up as fast as she could with her long skirt in the way, and did her best to hurry across with the constant rocking of the current.

She was only about ten yards from the end when the whole structure swayed suddenly, and an ominous crumbling noise echoed from the other side. Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the jerking stopped with a grinding crunch. She skidded the last slippery thirty feet and jumped off the end, her boots sinking into the soft riverbank.

It was only when she turned to see if anyone else was left that she noticed Seras and her Larvitar, the small green Pokemon struggling to support a Stone Edge that was just barely holding up the crumbling rock supports of the bridge. It was obvious that the Pokemon was responsible for stopping the rocking that would have certainly sent her into the water if she had hesitated any longer.

What to do ... what to do?

She stepped cautiously up to the other Trainer, trying to stop her voice from quavering. "Um ... thanks. For supporting the bridge, and all. Erm ..." Rhea fumbled for something, anything to say in thanks. "Uh ... I think you'd make a great Ranger."

She backed away quickly and headed up the path to the second square. There - mission completed. Now she could focus on making it to the second task.

 

[Phanima]

She'd make a good ranger?

Before she could even entertain the notion, the person whose lips from which such praise had been spout was already trotting away towards the company of the assembling mass of trainers that was Team Seven.

"Wait a minute!" taken aback by the girl's sudden commendation, the blonde champion felt her own submissive feelings return to her flushed cheeks, as her attempt to call back the petite ranger proceeded to no avail, "W-What the heck is she saying?"

It wasn't that she wasn't happy about being praised—heck, that was the sole reason why she joined the tournament in the first place—it was just that she didn't really feel like she deserved it. Becoming a ranger was going to be a lot more difficult than just building a bridge in order to cross a river and she couldn't help but feel conflicted as she reminded herself of that fact. The ones adorning styluses had been through all sorts of trials to become the rangers they were, so it was a little off-putting being complimented for something as insignificant as this.

Of course, comparing herself to others was something she was always taught not to do. There was no use in moping over another's prowess. If she had the time to do that, she may as well spend it training—those being the wise words of her less than compassionate grandpa. So for now, she'd take it. After all, she suspected the girl had only been trying to break the rather stubborn ice between them anyway.

As the last rock from her pokemon's attack crumbled under the river's current, she quickly recalled the larvitar and watched as the bridge shattered as it struggled to fight the waves while being dragged downstream.

 

[Mika]

With everyone safely across the bridge, there was no real place for them to go except forward and after just a short period of time, the groups would come across the first checkpoint, which to be honest was nothing more than a few scattered camping units for a supposed safe sleeping environment that night and as the path to getting in to this little campsite was packed in similar ways to Tauros being led in from the fields, it would take groups awhile to get through the chaos and reorganize themselves. It wasn't as though they didn't have a place set up for them, there was a giant map quite visibile once a person got into the camp itself that pointed certain teams to certain campsites. The one for this particular rabble was over by the small lake and was slightly smaller than the other camps because of its larger little area in general. It wasn't all that great, just a standard tent for some of the members to sleep in, a fire pit and they were closest to the little pond/lake nearby. It was enough to get them through the night, if nothing else.

So she was starting the fire.

Her outfit had changed slightly since disappearing on her group for a short time and the only visible maker was the black hooded trenchcoat over her figure that zipped down, stopping just shy of her waist. The hood rested against her back, knees digging into the dirt as she settled the pieces of a dry log into a tinder pile before pulling out a match and striking it against the box, leaned it against the tiny little teepee. Sure, it might've been much simpler to just use a pokemon with a fire attack and call it good but the elusive one match fire was something she enjoyed doing by hand on occasion and at the moment, she needed something to distract herself. She knew she looked a hair feverish and exausted and would probably be shooed away from the fire maitenance once she'd gotten it started, but she would start it.

And start it she did.

By the time the people in her little group started wandering over, she'd managed to get the fire into a modest little flame and simply staked up a few more delicious smelling logs to coax it just a little higher up.

Bititng on her lip, she turned towards her group, "I'm...not a good cook or anything but I started the fire, hope you all don't mind." Brushing herself off, she stood up from it, admired what she'd done for a moment and moved to sit across from it, her arms tucking up under her skirt, "....is everyone alright from the challange?"


[YES MIKA IS BACK. o3o sorry for the delay.]

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Robert nodded his head in response to Mika's question. "We're all a little tired, I suppose, but otherwise we're okay." He nodded at the fire. "As for cooking..." a smile played across his lips as he looped a hand over Riley's shoulders. "I wouldn't worry. I can handle that. Now if you'll excuse me for just a few minutes, I'll be back with dinner. Trust me, you'll love this."

Riley had no time to protest before his trainer had grabbed him by the shoulders and led him away from the group at an accelerated pace. A forced march, really. He could have broken free easily, but Robert was too smart to give him that option, and their positions in relation to each other were close enough that Riley couldn't break free without seriously hurting him. And much as the Lucario was annoyed, he didn't want to do that. Finally, the two stopped in front of a nearby pond. The water was blue, and at the bottom Riley could see several fair-sized fish swimming. He noted the hungry look in Robert's eyes.... and groaned. Not a good sign, that. He remembered several times before Robert had used this tactic, and it was never to get him to do something he would have chosen to do otherwise. He looked the trainer in the eyes and growled, but Robert simply smiled. "I think you can figure out why I brought you here." He smiled magnanimously and pointed to the pond. "You know, some of those fish would make a great dinner. I think three or four good-sized ones are all that we'll need."

Riley HATED swimming. He turned away from Robert and stuck up his head defiantly, growling.

Robert simply grinned again, same completely peaceful expression on his face. "You realize, of course, that if you DON'T go down there'll be nothing for you to eat either."

Riley's ears pricked up at that. Dammit, Robert had him there. With a growl, the Lucario tensed and leaped into the water, Robert's condescending "Thought you'd see it my way" ringing in his ears.

The pond's water was relatively clear, which was a good thing. It made it very easy to spot the fish- though Riley didn't need eyesight to do that. Simply closing his eyes and focusing on their aura paths would do the trick. A flash of silver shot by him- or would have, had he not snatched it. Even underwater, Riley's speed was impressive, as it well should be with the amount of battle experience he had under his belt. Quickly he sped back to the surface and tossed the flailing silver body to Robert, who grinned and snatched it in mid-air before nodding, the signal to "Keep going". Riley dived again, this time bringing back another wriggling body... and another, and another. By the time he had brought back the fourth fish, Riley was frustrated, wet, and starting to get tired of his whole business. Robert motioned for him to come out of the pond, and the moment he did so he grabbed one of the fishes and slapped Robert across the face with it.

Robert looked stunned for a moment, but then he nodded. "Suppose I deserved that."

When the two rejoined the group, a grinning Robert was holding a brace of four freshwater fish. "So, who wants dinner?" he called and grinned. "It'll take me a few minutes to clean 'em up and cook 'em, but I think these guys will make a good supper, right?

 

[Alter Ego]

Quite contrary to her usual attitude, Laurel maintained a quiet and withdrawn air about her, a concerned expression on her face as she trailed the group. Rex had been withdrawn so as to not over-exert the bridge, and as the sunlight began to wane, so was Cheri, leaving the coordinator without pokémon accompaniment by the time they had gotten their campsite up. As Mika abruptly reappeared and turned to attend to the fire, however, she immediately snapped to attention.

"That's what I should be asking you."

Fully indifferent to the fact that everyone was watching, Laurel allowed her face to shift over to a concerned frown. She might not have been able to call her out on her little shenanigans before right now, but there was another issue that would certainly not be allowed to lie.

"Don't even try that 'I'm so tough and unbothered' act with me, young lady. You slipped away just there and now you're a complete mess. If anyone overdid it today, it was you."

Without offering any chance for protest, she reached into her bag, procuring a handmade blanket with a Pikachu motif, old but still well-cared for, carefully wrapping it around the girl, "What were you thinking, straying off on your own like that? You could have slipped down into the river or something and then what would we have done? Oh no, don't even start with any excuses. You're staying put right there for the rest of the night and that's final."

Heaving a small sigh, "There's nothing wrong with trying your hardest, but you should know your limits. And that goes for the rest of you too." she turned her glance to the other children on the team in turn, "I'm not trying to undersell anyone's ability here, but at your age, it's no good if you push yourselves too hard. I don't want any injuries." the matter thus addressed, she moved on, "Oh, I can do cooking. If someone would be so kind as to help me gather some herbs and mushrooms from the forest, I'll have a warm soup prepared for us in no time at all. Any volunteers? That is," she shot a scolding glare in Robert's direction, "...unless you have no issues whatsoever with murdering those poor, helpless animals."

 

[Phanima]

Contrary to her looks, Mika could actually build a fire and without assistance from a pokemon either. It was surprising to say the least but not as much as when the motherly Laurel interjected the girl's rather obvious attempt to draw attention away from her fatigued expression, the remedy; an admittedly adorable pikachu cover blanket. It seemed the two shared a parent-child relationship and if she didn't know any better, Robert could have filled in for the father figure with how the coordinator addressed him upon returning with 'dinner'.

While Laurel's tempered shot at the ranger's choice for their nightly provisions seemed justified, Seras didn't find it all that odd that he had brought back four freshwater remoraid. Some people ate pokemon, some people didn't. As for her, she was strictly vegetarian and found the coordinator's proposal for gathering vegetation much more appealing. Of course, as she was the last to arrive on site, she had little say on the matter and simply took the chance to return to her usual musings.

Although she had been impressed with the others in her group's prowess that day, she still hadn't gotten used to working with them cooperatively. And in all honesty, the only reason she took the initiative with the first challenge was so that she could quickly advance further through the tournament with the hopes of reaching another challenge where she could break away from such company. That said, her outlook had changed slightly since then and even though they didn't mean much, Rhea's words had raised her spirits. It might not be as bad as she thought to work with these people.

She was tired and she always had trouble hiding it, so finding a spot by the pond's edge, the warmth from the campfire barely reaching the tips of her hairs, the blonde champion flopped onto the thick grassy bank and took the time to regain her composure.

 

[Lynnx]

Rhea had to admit that Mika was more competent than she looked when it came to basic, down-and-dirty survival skills. Of course, this didn't really qualify as survival - heck, they even had a tent - but she had done a good job picking a campsite and lighting a fire. It was strange, though, how she had gone from the sassily confident champion to the quiet, almost meek girl sitting by the fire.

She really didn't feel like talking to any of them. It wasn't their fault, just the feeling that she had exhausted her supply of words for the day. Robert and his Lucario, on the other hand, seemed to have a boundless supply of energy, enough to go fishing in the lake that they were camped next to and return to practically shove four fat Remoraid in all their faces.

What scared her the most, though, was Laurel producing a worn yellow blanket and actually wrapping Mika in it. Rhea had half-expected the green-haired girl to eat the coordinator alive, but there was no immediate reaction from her. And judging by the words of admonishment Laurel was spouting, they obviously knew each other, even going so far as to have an - Arceus help them all - unnaturally close relationship.

The insistant rumbling in her stomach pulled her attention away from their little group drama, which reminded her that yes, she was hungry, and yes, it probably would do them all some good if she went to get the aforementioned mushrooms Laurel had offhandedly mentioned. Still embarassed from all the uncharacteristic blurting she had given Seras earlier in the day, Rhea tiptoed around the other girl and ducked into the forest.

In every Ranger handbook, there were at least six pages dedicated to drawings and explanations of edible plants. Unfortunately, she hadn't paid them much attention at all after passing her exams, but she still remembered enough to hunt down the closest patch of mushrooms and nearly fall into the pond trying to yank out a particularly persistant root.

Rhea was about ready to re-enter the clearing before she remembered that, of all people, Laurel was in charge of the cooking.

For a split second, she considered throwing the hard-earned fruits of her labor into the clearing, sprinting like mad around the lake, and coming back around the other side looking like nothing had happened.

Instead, she took a deep breath, ducked back into the campsite, and hesistantly stepped up to the coordinator.

"Um ... I was thinking you could ... erm ... cook these, if you want them."

She mentally smacked herself. Of course she would want them - she had been the one who had asked for them in the first place, after all. Wonderful.

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Robert sighed as Laurel attempted a diss over his choice to eat the Remoraid. Like he hadn't heard that before. "No double standards here, ma'am," he replied before closing his eyes. "The primary duty of a ranger is to prevent large-scale disturbances that could destroy the ecosystem or pose serious dangers to humans or Pokemon of an area. Taking just enough Remoraid from a pond with a thriving population is not a violation of that duty. And besides..."

Robert grinned and punched Riley in the shoulder. "He eats these things and has absolutely no problem with it, why should I?"

Riley smirked and grabbed a fish from the brace, as if to emphasize Robert's point, which earned him a glare from Robert "...Just because you're agreeing with me doesn't mean you get to eat that whole thing yourself, you know."

The Lucario swiftly reversed the fish and smacked Robert across the face with it.

"Right," Robert said, wiping away the slime and muck that had been clinging to the Remoraid from his face. "I'm going to go over there and start my own fire and cook these, since Riley went through the trouble of catching them. Anyone who wants fish to go with the soup can come and get it." With that, he trudged off to look for firewood.

 

[Mika]

Mika really couldn't say anything, not even in her own defense. Laurel obviously hadn't put the pieces together, not that it matter as she was certain even if Laurel figured it out, Mika wouldn't be able to explain it. The girl chose the easier route and simply lowered her head and let Laurel fuss. It wasn't done without kind consideration and it wasn't like she did it to just to be cruel. She must look worse than she thought.

As far as the food debate went, Robert apparently didn't realize he was going to lose and if he wanted to keep certain things intact after this particular loss, he was going to need to shut his mouth, preferably soon. The way Laurel was pacing, it was quite obvious, especially with just how nervous the poor girl delivering mushrooms seemed to be at just speaking to laurel, the woman was agitated and there was no distinction by most people that the phrase 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' would fight quite well in this set of circumstances. Mika had grown up with Laurel's cooking and was used to the vegan based foliage and, while she enjoyed her meat, knew better than to push the vegan on food matters in a public venue or rather at all. ...It's as tho he's asking for a fight. Does this imbecile realize there's no way to win such an argument with her?

Knowing she'd more than likely get yelled at, she kept the blanket in place around her shoulders with her right hand and, while it was becoming obvious even to her how shaky she was, wandered over towards Robert, her gaze piercing into his, "...She's a bit off. I know. But just... Internal strife isn't going to help anyone. Can we stay with one campsite? I'm sure she'll let you cook one fish, as long as you don't mind her calling you a wicked human being who doesn't deserve to call himself a ranger, and then you can go train or something." Her head lowered and the girl turned before plopping back down behind Laurel where she would be probably be sequestered for the rest of the evening.

"Rhea... right? You know your shrooms quite well, but it's to be expected because of your class, right?" She blinked, looking over at the girl, "Do you like it? being a Ranger I mean." It was rather awkwardly started, to be generically honest, but she didn't need Laurel finding another thing wrong with her behaviour tonight so she'd force herself to be a hair social

 

[Alter Ego]

Laurel offered the old ranger an icy glance, "If you have neither heart nor conscience, good sir, then no, I suppose there really is nothing stopping you. But make no mistake...you were the one who brought up the rangers' creed, not I, and though you may follow the letter of the rules, it sounds to me that even you have realized you don't follow the spirit in which they were written. Rather sad for a ranger of such high standing, I should think."

She sighed and shook her head as Mika rushed over to smooth things out. Still in that habit, the precious girl, though her interference was rather misguided in this case. This...Robert was obviously throwing a temper tantrum; it was for his own good to just let him stew in it alone until he got tired.

"Um ... I was thinking you could ... erm ... cook these, if you want them."

Laurel snapped out of her musings, just in time to catch sight of the adorable little ranger from before...the cute one, holding out a collection of berries, roots and herbs for her. And without her even formally agreeing to the task to begin with. A sunny smile immediately spread across the coordinator's face. Such a nice, considerate girl she was.

"Oh, thank you, these will do excellently." it took considerable restraint for her not to catch her in another embrace, but eventually she managed to negotiate it down with herself to a small headpat, "I'm so glad we have such a reliable ranger with us-"

She paused for the briefest of seconds, an ever so slight tremble from her pocket interrupting her. She had specifically told all of her contacts not to call her during the contest, all except...

"Ah, I should go get some water for the kettle then." she smiled, hastily pulling out a travel-size kettle from her bag and holding it up demonstratively as she rose up, "If the heartless murderer wishes to feast on his latest kill, he can use the fire for precisely as long as I'm gone and not a second more. Oh, and one more thing. Orestes, if you please."

At a casual glance, it could have been mistaken for a massive bearskin rug, were it not for the fact that it was vaguely animate, standing upright and growling all too convincingly, its eyes scanning the crowd with a calm yet intense glare.

"Now, now, no need to be so tense, Orestes." the woman chuckled, patting the massive beast on the head, "These are all companions...some better than others. I'd just like you to look after Mik-Mik while I pop out for a minute, alright?"

The bear allowed its glance to travel to its trainer, then to Mika, a low, rumbling grunt of acknowledgment escaping its throat as it lumbered over, curling up around the girl like a bizarre imitation of a household cat, seemingly at rest, but its eyes still keeping watch over the others around the campfire.

"Well, I'll be back in a while then." Laurel called cheerfully, striding in amidst the trees and fumbling for her pokegear the moment she got out of immediate sight and earshot. Sure enough, the caller ID was no surprise. Biting her lip, she lifted the phone to her ear, "Yes, papa? What is it?"

 

[Mika]

He was absolutely infuriated. He'd been pacing up and down the halls of the Rocket Base for the last hour after his first several attempts at calling this particular person fell through only to finally hear the little click of a pick up. It would do him no good to yell, it would do him no good to explode at her for not picking up sooner, she more than likely couldn't do a thing about it. He inhaled once, his body coiling up into a proper posture position for a few seconds before he exhaled, "...You've been rather difficult to reach and as you didn't report in for any concern... I can only conclude you either don't know what I'm about to tell you or you were just doing your job to the point you probably should've called me but didn't have the time frame to do so." The man paused, staring for a moment to clench and unclench the greatball in his hands before his eyes caught over to the monitor and the figure on it, "...so would you like to explain to me why the pet's at limiter levels as high as after the Alarayne incident? She didn't do something stupid? Perhaps blatantly use her gifts and you restricted her continually?" He sighed, rubbing his forehead inbetween his finger and his thumb, "I guess what I'm trying to say Leaf, is that your darling little Mik-Mik has her limiter so high I'm surprised she hasn't called me begging for mercy on the matter, she shouldn't even be conscious right now."

He could tell, however, from the tone of her voice, that she'd had nothing to do with it and he let out an agitaited groan, "Damnit. That leaves... Acerus.... Leaf. Be careful. I've got no clue what they're planning but if they're doing that now... Well I needn't spell it out for you. I doubt you'll be able to release it, they're probably overriding the codex as it is. Just keep an eye on her and make sure she sleeps or she could start displaying-" His voice trailed off. It wasn't something the two of them really enjoyed talking about and he thought, for just the slightest of moments, if there was any potential way to get out of saying it. Gently setting the pokeball back down on his deck, he forcibly yawned once, "I don't need to spell it out for you, do I Laurel? No... I don't think I need to. Leaf. Leaf be careful. Something isn't right here, make sure your group stays together tommorow." With that, the phone call was terminated after the exchanging of obligatory goodbyes and the male wandered over to the large bay window to the right of his desk, staring out at the waters below for a moment, his hands behind his back, resting against the white of his labcoat, "...Just what are you planning Lance?" He mumbled, shaking his head, "What are you going to do with them, those children?"

 

[Lynnx]

It was, to be honest, the last question she had ever expected to hear from the mouth of the last person she had ever expected to be asked by. Mika didn't look any more comfortable with the situation than Rhea felt, but she had been asked something, so she at least owed her a response, albeit the utterly humiliating bogus she was sure to start spouting in two second's time.

"I - I - erm - um, yeah, I guess. I mean, it's not all that glamorous or anything, because I'm not really into battling or coordinating or anything like that, but, erm, yeah, I like it. Well, maybe it's because I sorta think that Pokemon aren't for show or display, and that if we're going to make friends with them and essentially use them as companions, that, um, we should maybe try to help each other. I - I don't mean that battlers or coordinators are bad or anything, I just ... uh ... wanted to be useful, I guess. Um, yeah."

On that incredibly lame note she cut herself off before she stammered herself into oblivion and turned away hurriedly, feeling like every single fiber of her being screaming "PATHETIC" in great huge big neon letters. Rhea could practically feel Mika's gaze - surely exasperated - burning into her back as she made her way away from the little corner, only to run into Laurel, who was probably looking for her after she had shoved the bundle of wild plants into her hands and made her escape.

The head-pat only served to make her feel even smaller, even though she was pretty short in the first place - it was her mother's bad genes, dangit - but her second offhand comment caught her attention instantly. Reliable wasn't a word she really associated with herself, more along the lines of incompetent, stuttering, and moronic, but, she had to admit, it sounded pretty good. Now, if only she could get the woman to quit treating her like an oversized teddy bear, she might even begin to like Laurel.

Speaking of teddy bears ... Rhea shot a glance at the Ursaring which had curled itself protectively around Mika, Laurel having suddenly made some strangled excuse about getting some water. The energetic woman obviously had other ideas, considering the way her eyes were darting cautiously toward Mika, and the suspicious way her hand was creeping toward her pocket.

For a second, she almost considered following the coordinator into the forest, but decided against it a second later. Whatever those two were involved in, it had absolutely nothing to do with her, and sticking her nose into their business would only get her in deeper trouble than she was already embroiled in. With a tired sigh, she made her way over to a nice dark spot and sank down gratefully, determined to get some rest before the tournament directors threw them another difficulty in the form of challenge number two.