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Ari (Pick Up) - Scratch, Astonish, Sand-Attack, Bounce
Breathing a sigh of relief which he hadn't even realized he was holding in, Dominique began to walk over to the ball mindful enough to try and keep his bare foot from getting dirty. He had a good reason as well seeing as somewhere along the way it had started to rain, or maybe it was already raining and he had just noticed, and really he didn't want to get mud or some gunk stuck on his foot. Having a dirty foot was never a nice feeling. There was just so much that felt wrong about it which he didn't even want to go into detail about.
Well at least the rain felt nice, though if it continued he would have to change his clothes most likely. Perhaps he should have at least packed himself a swimsuit before he had left, but he hadn't actually thought that far ahead. Not that it mattered all that much now. If it started to rain harder he could worry about it later, but for now he had a dropped sandal and a pokeball to retrieve. Eventually after managing to not dirty up his bare foot, Dominique was able to retrieve the Aipom's pokeball and slip his sandal back on.
"Let's get you out of there for a moment," The blond had paused for a moment to think about this, but if he had the time to give his starter a nice, he needed to give each of his other pokemon nicknames too didn't he? Well he definitely didn't need to give the Aipom, but it was more like he wanted to give the Aipom a nickname. It just felt weird to call it the Aipom all the time. Using the time between his tossing the ball forwards and the Aipom's appearance, which granted wasn't long, Dominique tried to come up with a nickname. He didn't even know what his own pokemon's gender was of course, but it sort of felt like an Ari.
"How about we call you Ari?" The boy was unsure of whether or not the little monkey would even like the name, as he went to grab Aster and place him in his arms, but if all else failed he could always forgo the nickname bit. Scratching the back of his head at the excited monkey garble he received in return, the boy was just going to assume that she, another thing he was assuming, liked the name. It was less confusing than somehow trying to find a way to translate monkey language, or whatever that was, into english at least. Still she didn't seem bothered by the nickname as she climbed onto his shoulder. He had intended to return both of his pokemon to their pokeballs, but they had somehow found perches on his body, so he figured the least he could do was walk as close to underneath the most dense parts of the trees as he could.
Suddenly the chiming picked off as if blown by a strong gale, though he had never noticed the wind pick up speed. The chiming went from sounding rather mellow to ear grating, as he continued forwards. He tried to pass off the gradually increasing volume as the rain subsiding, but he couldn't really ignore it anymore when it went way past a decibel range of comfort. Sure it was still beautiful, but honestly he couldn't even hear himself think. Not long afterwards Dominique's vision had blurred and he reached for the nearest thing he could to keep himself from falling over. A rather bright blur, or perhaps an explosion, of colors filled his field of vision at that moment in time. Shadows appeared to be hidden within the colors, but he couldn't make out who or what the shapes were. It was just really eerie in a sense. He could have sworn he was being watched.
Coming to Dominique found himself leaning against the side of a tree as if he had passed out or something. Where was he anyways? It didn't really feel like he was still on the main path, but he could have been wrong. Well now was a good as time as any to get some shut eye if he was really tired enough to start hallucinating. Making sure to return his pokemon to their pokeballs before doing anything else, Dominique leaned his back against the base of said tree and shut his eyes. He had no clue what would really await him in the morning, but he was sure that it was at least going to resemble fun in some way or form.
"Why are we still on route 1?" Saiyuu asked puzzled. "We should have been in Dew town by now." Saiyuu said. "Oddi?" Ore cried. "Hold on a minute Ore." Saiyuu said, placing Ore on the ground and taking out her dads map. "Let's see.. We are.. Here. And dew town is there!" Saiyuu exclaimed. "Oddiii?" Ore cried. "Oh. We've been walking in circles." Saiyuu said. Saiyuu picked up Ore and began to walk.
"Alright Ore. I'm going to walk with the others as well. Return." Saiyuu said closing the ball. "Come on Togi." She said, releasing him and putting the ball back on her strap. Picking up the Togepi she continued to walk. "Alright. Let's go." Saiyuu said sprinting off. Togi growled. "What's wrong Togi?" Saiyuu asked. "Togiii..." He growled.
A Swablu swooped down from a nearby tree. "Oh, you want to battle?" Saiyuu asked. Togi jumped out of Saiyuu hands. "Alright, then! Surprise it with growl!" Saiyuu called as Togi jumped toward the tree. "Tooogii!" He growled. The Swablu turned and used peck. Togi dodged landing gracefully. "Nice Togi, now use Bite!" She called. The Swablu was going to use peck while flying toward Togi. "Sidestep Togi!" Saiyuu called. Togi sidesteped, turned and used Bite. "Now use Return while it's down!" Saiyuu called. Togi used return, lashing out at the Swablu fiercely. The Swablu should be weak enough, she thought, grabbing and tossing an empty PokèBall. "One.. Two.. Three.." Saiyuu counted until she heard a click. "Alright. Way to go Togi." She said, walking over to the pokèball and picking it up. Adding it to her strap Saiyuu rubbed Togi. "It's a girl." Saiyuu said looking at her dex. "How about Lucy. Yeah that's good. Your name is Lucy." She said.
A while later Saiyuu was listening to something. "We made it! It's Dew Town!" Saiyuu exclaimed taking off. Looking around Saiyuu noticed the Town was bigger than Croilis Town. There was a Trade Centre, a PokèMart and a Pokèmon Center. Naturally, Saiyuu headed to the Pokèmon Center first. After her Pokèmon were healed, she left the building to buy more Pokèballs. When she was done there, she went back to the Pokèmon Center to talk to her dad.
"I should be strong enough to challenge the first gym now. But before that I need to rest." Saiyuu told Togi. "Togii!" He cried happily. Saiyuu looked around. There were so many people and trainers. Saiyuu couldn't deside what to do. Looking at the map, Saiyuu decided to stay a while. "So, the first Gym leader is supposedly a bug-type trainer. Lucy's Peck should help, but I don't want to rely on just one Pokèmon." She said trying to make a plan.
Ari (Pick Up) - Scratch, Astonish, Sand-Attack, Bounce
Dominique really didn't know what was the worse feeling when compared to waking up to find your clothes are still damp or waking up because of a giant sneeze. Well at least he didn't have to choose between either sensation, because that was just the way he had woke up. Rubbing his nose, the boy slowly pushed himself off of the tree. The sun was shining brightly as a few scattered rays peeked through the canopy, and the rain seemed to have stopped sometime during the night. Well that was all and good, but that didn't stop the damage to his wardrobe any.
How far away from the next town was he now? Letting Aster out of his Pokeball so he had someone to walk with, the boy pondered on this as he kicked off of the tree and started running. A nice run in the morning with a worrywart Riolu was just what he needed to kickstart his day. Not only was it a rather nice way to start his day, but surely the air would eventually dry out his shorts and his shirt. He could almost feel the energy rush through his system when the first blast of cool early morning air hit his face.
Nothing like a good bout of exercise to start one's day after all. He wasn't too sure how Aster felt about chasing him around all the time, but the Riolu didn't appear to mind. Then again the fifteen year old wasn't the best judge as to what was going on in a pokemon's mind at any one moment in time. If only he was a psychic type or something and then he would be able to know. Wait that would mean he would be a pokemon himself, and he really didn't feel like knowing what the inside of a Pokeball felt like.
Suddenly a grumble filled his ears from somewhere. It took him awhile to realize that the source of the grumbling was his own stomach yearning for food. It was around time for breakfast wasn't it? Frowning a bit at the thought, the boy stopped running for a moment to look through his bag. Did he even actually pack anything worthwhile to eat? He might have had pokemon food and some veggies, but besides that he didn't really know. Well it's better than nothing. In truth it was, as he settled down to get things ready for him and his pokemon to eat.
Kilohertz (Swift Swim) - Bubblebeam, Supersonic, Rain Dance, Water Pulse
Mathilda (Sniper) - Leer, Growl, Peck, Aerial Ace
"Aip-Aipom!" the purple-furred glove tailed monkey pokémon rushed over Glyn's head. He twisted his neck to look at the branches above him, catching a glimpse of the blurs whizzing past him. Though they were hard to see in the blooms of sunlight ragging through the broad leaves. Was this thicket ever going to open up? As much as Glyn liked to be out in the wild, a change of scenery would be welcome. Maybe there'd be another leigh, or a brook, a bridge, some sort of landmark like that pond he christened the garden of Eden. It wasn't so much that he didn't appreciate what he got, but it was hard to keep track of all the memories if they were all the same. It was like trying to concentrate on somebody speaking a foreign language. If all you hear is static, you can't remember a thing of it in the next 5 minutes. Though as boring as the walk was, he began to deduce patterns automatically. Wind chime, wind chime, bell. Wind chime, wind chime, bell. Wind chime, bell. Hmm. That didn't work out quite well.
The path weaved on forever. Glyn wished it took a more direct route, so he could look into the distance if the trees curtained out, but no end came to his vision. He was truly lost in the middle of an endless irriguous forest. Either going back or continuing forward would have the same effect, so he might as well trudge on. After all, how far away could Diverg city be? When his mind wandered towards the trees again, he saw masses of silk strung themselves against the high branches. Glyn felt chilly looking at them. The broad leaves coiled inwards, because they were strung tight with silk strands. Swarms crossed his mind. Dustox and Beautifly. While not the scariest pokémon you could think of (the latter at least), the presence of their cocoon stages gave the place an eerie look, if only for the fact the silk looked strong enough to trap a medium-sized pokémon, or a human, into. Yeah, worrisome, indeed. The path was clear of the silk though, but the bells and chimes inside the trees were spun over.
Now let this just be the place where he found another human being. Just spinning around the corner, Glyn caught eye of a spectacled man who was going in the direction towards him for a second, stopped, spun to the side and examined the silcoon and cascoon in the trees. He definitely did not notice the grubby looking adolescent.
"Uh, excuse me?" Glyn asked. Now he did. The man hooked a finger around his greying hair, which did betray his actual elderliness a slight amount, and swept it back. He was surprised to meet another traveller so deep into Carillion forest. His eyes flicked up and down Glyn. "Been rolling in the mud or something?" he snickered. Glyn nodded his head. "Uhm, sorta, it's kind of a, uhm, long story. Who are you?" he enquired. "Professor Roland Knut. And you must have met my colleague, right?" the doctor cheekily replied. Glyn nodded again, "Yeah, uh...wait. How did you—" Knut gave him a cursory smile. "Trainers who actually come from your way through Carillion forest tend to be rookies. If they go the opposite direction, they're likely going home. First gym, right?" Glyn nodded. He admitted, he -was- witty. "Oh, what starter did you pick?" he asked. "Oh, I got a Tympole," Glyn replied, to which the professor grinned with delight.
"What are you doing out here?" Glyn decided it was his turn to ask questions now. "Me? Well, you've noticed all these bells and chimes hung around the forest, right?" Knut pointed to a large bell, not unlike the large bell thatched to the support beam he had found in the garden of Eden. The silk was glued all over it, and Glyn assumed that rendered it useless. "Those things? Didn't catch my eye until now," he replied to give the professor a taste of his own medicine in wit. "Well, they're all over the forest. Literally. At least one in every 5 trees," Knut continued unfazed. "The most elaborate prank ever," Glyn added. Knut shook his head, "Far better. I think these chimes and bells were placed here as a homage to a very elusive pokémon, a legendary pokémon. We don't know much about this creature, but that's why I am here." It turned out Roland Knut was out on field duty, plain clothes research. Lab coats belong in the labs. His approach or his style didn't reflect 'academia' pretty well, but given Glyn's experience with seeing his father run onto a ship in a turtleneck, baggy jeans, and trainers, he was aware of the misconceptions of scientists. He pondered what the professor said. He wondered if he could explain what his hallucinations meant. Though, when he recalled it, he also remembered there was a Murkrow he apparently offended when he knocked off a wind chime. Some kind of attack sprung to his mind.
"Uhm, now that you mention it," Glyn spoke carefully, "I remember last evening, the chimes and bells span by themselves, and my whole vision got blurry and I saw these strange shapes. Another trainer I was with got the same thing. I couldn't find him anywhere when I came to." The professor looked at Glyn, bearing an intrigued, but also concerned, expression. "Is that true?" he asked. Glyn nodded. "There was this Murkrow, actually. I saw it a few times, like it was following me. Maybe it did that to me." Knut hummed thoughtfully. Glyn blinked and waited if the professor was gonna say something helpful. "That worries me," he finally said, "I mean, that it's been so active, especially around youngsters like you. Kids get themselves into way too much trouble if mysterious pokémon pester them..." He shortly paused, "But you may be on to something. My guess is that the pokémon that live in this forest can hint at the identity of the legendary pokémon that inhabits Carillion forest." "A shapeshifter?" Glyn prodded further. Knut shrugged, "Possibly. I don't think a normal Murkrow knows any attacks that causes those hallucinations. That's psychic we're talking about, and Murkrow is—" "Dark flying, right?" Glyn finished the professor's sentence. "Very good. You did your homework," Knut grinned. Glyn flushed. If your father is a biologist, and your brother participated in the Johto league, the know how trickles down on you somewhat.
"How far is it until Diverg city, by the way?" Glyn asked the professor. "You probably won't make it there before sunset, but if it cheers you up, you're about halfway," Knut replied. Yeah, that'd be right. Glyn sighed. "Any landmarks ahead?" he asked out of curiosity. "Oh, if you keep going that way," Knut pointed further down the dirt track, "you'll find a fork in the road. If you take the left, you might spot a pair of Simisage and their youngsters if you look carefully through the trees. If that cheers you up any," the professor suggested. Well, Glyn wouldn't mind doing a bit of wildlife watching, and he wouldn't want to miss seeing a cute family of plant monkeys. He thanked the professor for that suggestion and continued his way.
Saiyuu was still chasing it. "Come back!" Saiyuu called. The Aipom ignored her and continued to run away. "Alrighty, then." She murmured. "Lucy use sing!" She called covering her ears. "Luuu♪ luuu♪" Sung lucy. Saiyuu uncovered her ears a few seconds later, when the Aipom had fallen asleep. "Alright Lucy, use peck!" Saiyuu called. Lucy flew up and dropped lower with peck. The Aipom was knocked back but still asleep. "Try Arial Ace!" Saiyuu called. Lucy flew up again, and using her beak, she swooped down and slashed repeatedly at the Aipom, who awoke with a furious scratch, slashing at Lucy. The Aipom then used take down, knocking Lucy up. "Sky dive with peck Lucy!" Saiyuu called from below.
Lucy dived down from the sky with peck blowing back the Aipom, who could now barely stand. "Pokèball time!" Saiyuu said throwing an empty at Aipom. After the clicking sound Saiyuu ran to the Pokèball. "Cool, it's an Aipom. And it's female." Saiyuu said, registering her dex. "Now for the name. How about... Prim! I like the ring to it." Saiyuu said. "Your new name is Prim okay?" Saiyuu said to the Pokèball.
Saiyuu went straight to the Pokèmon center. After healling, she headed toward route 1. When she found an area not to far from town, she set up a picnic blanket and released everyone. "Dinner time!" She called, handing a poffin to everyone. Everyone was having a good time except Prim who sat by herself. "Here. They taste really good." Saiyuu said handing Prim a poffin.
Prim sniffed the poffin, turning it in her paws. Finally, she took a smal nibble. "Poom♪" She cried happily, continuing to nibble at the poffin. "I told you so. I made them myself. Ore's obsession over these are high." Saiyuu said laughing. When everyone had finished they returned to their balls and rested. Saiyuu kept Prim out to walk with as she headed back to town.
Saiyuu headed to th Pokèmon Center to call her dad. After the conversation was over, she headed toward the PokèMart for more PokèBalls. When she was done she played hide-and-seek with all her pokemon, and the switched to Yuki to walk with. "There was so much to do today." Saiyuu said to Yuki. "Yuuuu." Yuki replied. "Alright, route 2 here we come." Saiyuu said sprinting off.
Ari (Pick Up) - Scratch, Astonish, Sand-Attack, Bounce
Munching absentmindedly on a carrot, Dominique watched his pokemon as they ate their food. Granted it wasn't much seeing as he hadn't packed much before he left, but it wasn't his fault that clothes took up so much space was it? Well it was his fault for packing so many pieces of clothing, but he hadn't expected that his clothes would take up so much space. He could totally blame his clothes for his not packing more food. Well he never did guarantee that his actions ever made the most sense in the world. Well even blaming inanimate objects felt like a little bit too much for his tastes.
Blanching at the taste of the carrot he had been eating, Dominique had to wonder why he brought vegetables of all things. He didn't even like vegetables, so why in the world did he bring them. I bet mom did this. It was totally possible to blame one's parents even if they weren't there right? Nodding his head yes at the thought, Dominique went to finish the carrot so he wouldn't need to stay much longer. Knowing his mother she had snuck in more healthy food then the snacks he had originally intended to bring with him.
Well there was no need to dwell on it at least. Pushing himself up to his feet with a start, Dominique went to put the bowls up in his bag seeing as they were done eating. Just as a precaution he had placed all of the bowls in a ziploc bag inside his bag. He didn't want his clothes to get dirtied up by pokemon food and vegetables after all. If pokemon could talk, Dominique sure that Aster would tell him that he needed better priorities, but that didn't really matter to him. One couldn't very well go and have fun if all of their clothes were dirty after all.
"Let's see if we can find people," What he just said was rather vague sure, but perhaps they could find helpful people. He could hear cheerful monkey noises coming from Ari's direction which he assumed meant that she agreed with him. Dominique didn't particular hear any noise from Aster's direction, but the Riolu still followed behind him when the boy started to dash ahead. Ahead he could see a kid with a caterpie and sewaddle. Suddenly the boy felt up for a battle. A battle wasn't going to help him any with getting to the next city, but it was surely going to be fun.
Prim played around Saiyuu's shoulders and on her head. "Poom" She cried, nibbling on something. "What are you eating Prim?" Saiyuu said looking up to find a nibbled oran berry in Prims paws. "Pom♪" She cried. "Prim, where did you get that?" Saiyuu frowned. "Pom.." She cried pointing to Saiyuu's open berry pouch. "Prim. You should ask for things." Saiyuu scolded lightly. Prim nodded and closed the pouch. "Time to switch. Prim, return." Saiyuu said switching to Togi's PokèBall.
Togi twirled around a d then jumped into Saiyuu's arms. "Alright!" Saiyuu cried playfully. Saiyuu stepped in front of route 2. "Do you think we're ready Togi?" Saiyuu asked, looking down at the pokèmon in her arms. "To togi" He responded. "Alright. If you think so." Saiyuu turned back to town and went to route 1. A Spearow was pecking at it's feathers near a tree.
"Alright Togi, use growl!" Saiyuu said letting Togi jump down and charge. When Togi was close he growled with all his might. "Tooogiii!" He growled, startling the spearow who recovered with sand attack. Togi was showing the obvious. He couldn't see the Spearow. Something was moving swiftly through the dust toward Togi. "Togi, jump!" Saiyuu called. Togi obeyed, but the spearow simply flew upwards and used peck. Togi was knocked back down, but he quickly recovered. The spearow was coming down again. "Now Togi, use bite!" Saiyuu said. Togi jumped on the Spearow, who tried to throw him off. Togi clung to the Spearow amd used bite. The Spearow was damaged but continued to try to buck Togi off.
"Alright, use bite again!" Saiyuu called. Togi bit the Spearow, who begun to lose altitude. Togi jumped off as the spearow continued to fall. The spearow got up and used gust on Togi who flew back on a tree. "To.. Togi.." Togi rose but he was wobbling.
"Hang in there Togi! Use return!" Saiyuu called. This is it. If Togi misses or Spearow dodges, Togi's going to faint, Saiyuu thought. Togi surged for the spearow, striking out wildly at it. When Saiyuu looked up it was over. The Spearow had fainted. Getting up again, the spearow flew off. "Togi, breat job!" Saiyuu said running over. "You did great so get a good rest." She said returning him to his ball.
Saiyuu healed at the Pokèmon Center. She thanked the nurse and left the building. Saiyuu had chosen to walk with Ore again. "We're almost ready. I can't wait!" Saiyuu exclaimed. Ore cried out happily. "So many more adventures after I beat the first gym." She said. Saiyuu spun around with Ore. I'll beat them all. Every last Gym badge will be mine, she thought. "Saiyuu sat on the steps of a tall building, thinking about her next move.
"Seriously though, why are you here? You looking for something?" This girl has some attitude doesn't she... Abel looked Darner who had managed to stifle his laughter and had strode over to Abel, the trapinch seemed to like the crazy girl. Abel then realised something, he had completely forgotten why he was there. Oops...
"Uh... no particular reason. I'm heading to Diverg City and I jsut got sidetracked and decided to look over here. What are you guys here for, I'm not interrupting a date or anything am I?"
If the latter was the case Abel would indeed feel quite guilty, if he could get over how disgusted the Kanto girls choice of meal was. It did make sense that she was eating it if she was born in a more developed region, but that did little to make Abel feel any less revolted. Even more so because after his stupid blunder the poor fish had died in vain.
Chapter Four - The Real Adventure Begins - Diverg City
You have now exited the mysterious Carillion Forest and have arrived in the first city you will come across in the Novia region as well as the only city on the island of Arcania.
Diverg City isn't particularly large as cities go and was once only a small town like the others of this part of Novia. It is partially bordered by the foliage of Carillion Forest and its offshoots, and is situated almost on top of the ruins of an ancient town inhabited by one of the first civilisations found in Novia. This city is also the location of the regions first gym.
Mandatory Event - Before you can move on from the chapter you must have defeated, or otherwise earned a badge, from Diverg City's gym. The gym is located near the centre of the city not far from a pokemon centre and is a bug type specialist gym. Stepping from into the gym is almost like returning to the forest as the floor is grass and the building is inhabited by numerous trees native to the region – during the day sunlight flows through the windows set in the roof of the gym. The battlefield appears to be a small clearing in a forest with an official battlefield painted on the ground. In the Diverg gym only the challenger may make substitutions.
Spoiler:
Diverg Gym - Xavier
Xavier is an expert on bug-types knowing an enormous amount about their strengths and weaknesses, being one of the best bug type specialists in the world this isn't surprising. This success despite his young age of seventeen has given him a slight tinge of arrogance but he still tends to be a fairly gracious person. He is a descendent of the island's indigenous population and knows a great deal about his ancestors legends.
In battle Xavier will use three of these pokemon and as such it is required that the challenger select a team of three also. If you defeat him, or he feels you have earned it, he will give you the Chrysalis Badge.
Optional Event - This is a limited time event that will be available the next IC day after at least three people have reached the city and will not occur again at a later date. A tournament for a healthy sum of money, as well as a mystery box prize, is being held during a festival held within the city. The festival celebrates a legend of the island's native people – a spiritual entity that guards Carillion Forest. There will be several round in the tournament and the GM will determine if and when a match between two player characters occurs (and what the prize is).
The Ruins - The ruins are all that is left of a small town that was once inhabited by the regions natives. Now all that inhabit the stone structures of the ruins are a few wild pokemon. The walls of the ruins are dotted with carvings in the "Unown Alphabet" that speak of the tribes legends (including the one mentioned above) and history.
*Note - As only one person can challenge the gym at a time this chapter will take several IC days.
Saiyuu and Lucy were in route 2. Saiyuu needed to get to Diverg City. Her first Gym battle was there. Saiyuu hadn't noticed until Lucy looked straight down. "What the.." Saiyuu said, looking down. The grass was burnt. Saiyuu continued up the path until the grass got greener. Saiyuu was curious about what had happened. She returned Lucy and sent out Prim, just as a Vulpix jumped out of nowhere. "Did you do this?" Saiyuu asked. "Vuuul.." It growled. "I think I'll catch you. Prim, fury swipes!" Saiyuu called. Prim scratched wildly at the Vulpix, who slid back a bit. The Vulpix retaliated with ember. Prim tried to dodge but got blown back. Prim stood again and nodded.
"Okay. Prim, hidden power!" Saiyuu said. Prim lashed at the Vulpix, who came back with will-o-wisp. Prim's fur was charred. She had a burn. "Prim!" Saiyuu cried. Prim stood shakily, and detemined. "Alright then. Use scratch!" Saiyuu called. Prim ran to the Vulpix, who dodged and used ember. Prim had fainted. "Return." Saiyuu said switching pokèballs. "C'mon Togi, use bite!" She called afterreleasing him. Togi surgec toward the Vulpix and used bite. The Vulpix could barely stand now but managed to stand.
"Alright." Saiyuu said, grabbing an empty pokèball and throwing it. It only shook twice before the Vulpix reappeared and used ember. Togi flew back, but jumped to his feet quickly. The Vulpix was tough. Barely standing, it still forced it's way out. "One more time." Saiyuu said, throwing another. This time it clicked. "Alright. And I already have a name." Saiyuu cheered, picking up the ball. Now I have a full team. I should be more than ready for the Gym, she thought.
Kilohertz (Swift Swim) - Bubblebeam, Supersonic, Rain Dance, Water Pulse
Mathilda (Sniper) - Leer, Growl, Peck, Aerial Ace
Water bottle in one hand and a firm grip on the shoulder strap in the other, Glyn marched on. The silcoon and cascoon were gone now and the broad leaves of the foliage were free from any silk at this point. He guessed it was a dense but only small congregation of bug pokémon. Nevertheless, the forest itself looked a lot sunnier and more vibrant without everything being packed in pale silk, and he admitted he kinda missed the tussling of the bells and chimes to acompany him with background noises. He sipped from his water, and noticed he was running low. This was his second last one, but if professor Knut was right, and he was, he'd make it around the end of the day. There was still enough daytime left for him to make some extra miles, and the motivation of doing some pokémon tracking made him take faster, more bounceful steps over the wide then thin then wide again forest track.
It meandred and traversed into two separate directions at this point. Having memorised the directions Knut gave Glyn, he knew had to go left to watch the family of Simisage and their youngster Pansage. In the middle of the fork was a withered signpost, the letters of which were difficult to read so he made his approach. Diverg city was posted on the wooden sign and the arrow pointed left. The other path had its sign removed, and Glyn assumed it led to a dead end. Maybe there used to be something of interest there that was abandoned. In any way, it was none of his concern, and he followed the left trail.
He peered from one direction to the other, unsure of what side of the track the monkeys might be hidden. He had his ears perked for the pans and simis he might hear above the screeches of Aipom right above him. There really were a lot of monkeys around, but the Pansage and Simisage had to be even harder to spot, given that their fur blended in so well with their environment. A blue-furred creature whizzed past him. The blue monkey turned out to be a Panpour, and it landed from one of the overhead branches onto the path in front of Glyn, turning around and glancing at the human. "Pan!" it yawped and whizzed off into the bushes, darting up the trunk of one of the trees at a near vertical pace, and then it disappeared into the foliage. Interesting.
The more Glyn walked, the more vibrant this part of the forest became. Mostly various types of elemental monkeys and some aipom that made a stir of the forest. Ristling leaves, nuts and leaves being thrown about as they playfought one another. Glyn flicked his sunblonded hairs to the side, and just grinned. The monkeys didn't seem to mind any of the wind chimes and bells placed in the trees and the shrubs. They just played around it, sometimes swept their tails by them and caused them to sound off in an arboreal orchestra. Amidst all of the playful pokémon Glyn spotted the pokémon Knut told him about. They were cosied away behind a couple trees, but from Glyn's position, they trees made an almost portraitary frame for him to look through. There were 2 Simisage, and a spill of youngsters amidst them, most of them clinging to their mother. That amused Glyn. The Simisage took note of the prying eyes on the track and sounded a warning call for Glyn to keep his distance. He obliged, and took a step back, to show he meant no harm.
Some of the Pansage were much more curious about Glyn, and they walked into his direction. Glyn took another step back to not anger the parents, but they had to concede to their children's curiosity somehow. The mother seemed in argument with the father, and they jumped into the trees, keeping a close watch on their kids as they came near to Glyn.
There were three of the Pansage, Glyn could count. They danced around and flicked their long green tails, which split into two separate leaf-shaped tips, that trailed after them. They cackled and jumped onto Glyn's shoes. He gave a glance down and carefully he stretched out his hand. His eyes were more focused on the branches above him, because the Simisage must have still been around, and they would probably lash out at him if he did something wrong. He wanted to show them he was harmless though. At least the Pansage believe him, because they were already climbing up his legs like he was a very small tree himself. Glyn chuckled. The Pansage were kinda cute as they clamped their lithe bodies around him. They even used their tails as an ingenious safety cord, and one of them jumped up to his shoulder. Glyn twisted his head and looked it into its playful eyes. Glyn deemed him the leader of the three, given how he was the first to get so close to him. The others just kind of followed suit, grabbing either of his legs and staring at their big brother. "Pan?" the older brother raised, and he tilted his head. If anything, the eldest Pansage reminded him of Cornelius. He jumped off and looked in the pockets of his trousers now, the cheeky little bugger. "Those are pokéballs," Glyn explained when the Pansage took one of the capsules out and raised it towards Glyn. It was an empty one. The pansage stuffed it back into his pocket and jumped off of him.
Glyn stayed still like this for an extra 5 minutes. The pansage took turns in climbing up his shoulder while the other two ran circled around him. Suddenly, a kind of whistly or screechy noise wailed from the forest. The Simisage parents jumped down from the trees and gave Glyn a huff. Did that mean they respected him? In any case, they called the Pansage back. Maybe it was time for them to continue. They jumped off him, and ran after their parents. The eldest one, the cheekiest, looked back at Glyn for a second. He was the only one who waved him goodbye before he disappeared into the bushes with his parents and siblings. As quick as the encounter was. He was alone again. He could still hear the faint vocalisations of the elemental monkeys in the distance. Maybe they were going to get themselves food or something. Glyn put a step into his pace again, and continued his journey to Diverg city.
Sid immediately blurted the water he was drinking after hearing Abel's comment, obviously shocked and even more embarrassed. June was on the same boat as Sid; both the duo were red-faced, with June forcing an awkward laugh before speaking.
"Ahahahaha... me? And that guy? DATING? Oh please, we're only travelling together for now. We're still looking for an exit out of this damn forest, and I dunno what Sid is gonna do but I'm going to Diverg City to battle for my first gym badge. What about you eh, clumsy-head? Where you off to?"
I guess I touched a nerve there Abel thought to himself trying to contain his laughter at the pairs reaction. Darner, on the other hand, whilst probably not getting the context of their reaction was finding it impossible not fall into hysterics.
"Come on, it's not that funny" Abel said to his trapinch, even though he was still stifling laughter himself, before answering the rude Kanto girl (with disgusting eating habits) "Like I said, I'm heading to Diverg too - for the same reason actually. There's a lot of people heading towards the gym from Coriolis actually, an unusually large group of trainers has started their journey this year."
Glancing up at the sky dreamily Abel couldn't help but think of the large numbers of trainers from Coriolis he had seen back in Dew town - not to mention Glyn who was possibly still lost in the forest. Snapping back to reality upon noticing it was already nearing afternoon Abel turned to the pair in front of him and said
"Well, I think I have interrupted you guys long enough. I'm going to get back onto the main path and go on to Diverg. If you guys leave soon you'll manage to get there before it's late and all the rooms at the pokemon centre are filled."
Abel, with Darner trailing behind him, then returned to the path and began to head onwards towards Diverg city glad to be out of the awkward situation he had just found himself in. As the hour wore on bot trainer and trapinch soon found themselves taking a right turn at a pronounced fork in the path and not long after that emerging from the thick forest into Diverg city.
The sun had begun to set at this point and the sky was painted in shades of vivid pinks and oranges. Abel stared at the amazing sunset for nearly an hour until his legs had begun to ache from the stillness and Darner had been tugging at his pants for several minutes before he headed towards the pokemon centre to have his pokemon healed and to find himself a room for the duration of his stay.
June tried waving goodbye to Abel as a meaning of good gesture, but the shaggy-haired trainer was long gone before she could do anything. Sid brushed himself off after a huge gulp of water before joining June on her side.
"Well, that conversation was certainly... interesting? Anyway, we should probably head off soon ourselves. I think we might have overslept and we need to make up some ground if we are to reach a Pokemon Centre in time."
"Overslept? Excuse me sir, if I'm correct I'm not the one who overslept here? Seeing as I was the one who brought the food for the both of us?" "You killed a Magikarp and chopped the poor thing into little pieces-"
"And it was a good Magikarp, too! God, why can't people appreciate good food?"
"Bu- but it was a freaking Magikarp?!"
"So?!"
The argument didn't stop there; Sid and June continued to bicker all afternoon, ranging from serious topics like if humans can eat Pokemon to mindless teasing. The battle of wits went on and on until on the corner of his eye Sid noticed a flicker of movement on the bushes surrounding him and June. June kept going on about something before realizing Sid's reaction, in when she looked around herself too.
"What is that? I-is that crazy thing with all the bells happening again?!" cried Sid, instinctively clutching onto Rocky's minimized Pokeball on his belt.
June was a lot more calm. "It's probably nothing, just a Pokemon playing around with us. HEY, IF YOU'RE A POKEMON, THEN JUST COME OUT ALREADY SO I CAN BEAT YO ASS, ALRIGHT?!"
"J-June! Stop shouting! I've got this!"
Sid crouched down slowly. He picked up a small pebble, before tossing it at the direction of the movement. The shaking stopped. After a tense few seconds, a small red figure jumped out, it's hand holding it's small head. The expression on it's face was one of anger.
June aww'ed at the cuteness. Sid raised an eyebrow for some reason.
Both were roasted by an unexpected flame from the unexpected Pansear.
Kilohertz (Swift Swim) - Bubblebeam, Supersonic, Rain Dance, Water Pulse
Mathilda (Sniper) - Leer, Growl, Peck, Aerial Ace
Just a few more hours of sunlight left, Glyn thought. The forest was shrouded in a golden glow as the subdued yellow colours passed through the foliage at more and more acute angles. The approaching dusk was also to be felt in the colder air. The cool breeze was a warm welcome to Glyn, since he still had a way to go. Knut said he'd have to take at least the whole day to reach Diverg city. Maybe a few more miles, at worst.
Glyn knew Diverg city somewhat. The suburbs were pretty much directly adjacent to the forest. He's been there twice because his father attended conferences there and insisted to take the family with him. It was all part of his job, travelling. That was also why they left Johto in the first place, to research the marine ecosystems within Novia. It was a boring place. Not as big as, say, Violet, but what grudged Glyn the most was that it was still growing. And with new neighbourhoods sprouting up and pushing against the pale of the forest all the time, it always got him the suggestion the place was unfinished. It was just the mood to the place.
A change of scenery would not be unappreciated, really, though, despite his uneasiness about visiting Diverg. Glyn had seen enough trees by now to have gotten absolutely sick of the rainforests. Moreover, the aipom that cackled above his head started to turn from a delightful sight to a downright nuisance. However, one specific monkey caught his attention: green-furred, slightly leaf-like even. A pansage? But–
Glyn's face went from annoyed to astounded. The pansage recognised him, and he recognised the pansage just as well. Surely, his parents didn't just let him track him down, right? The pair of simisage jumped branch to branch to get closer to their unruly son, who swang upside down with the aid of his prehensile leafen tail, then, in a backwards somersault landed on the track before Glyn. The creature's graceful landing was accompanied by a determined smirk striking over his face. Glyn, not wanting to be involved with the parents, took an innocent step backwards. The simisage jumped down, and struck an argument with their son. Whatever the two were saying was lost to Glyn's ears, yet the Pansage seemed to glow with confidence, gesturing at the human and retorting without a twinge of hestitation towards the simisage. His rationale left him confused, especially when the two parents backed away, leaving Glyn face to face with the grass monkey.
"Paan!" the small monkey growled. Apparently, this was what he wanted: a battle, maybe he wanted to test Glyn. Some pokémon had the remarkable tendency to examine the worthiness of a trainer before they wanted to be captured. Glyn saw the furour in the pansage's eyes. He saw the same in a handful of the kids in JV, and it meant there's a winner inside of them, or they were cocky bastards who'd end up being the worst to captain, either way, really. A second, more impatient "Pan!"snapped him out of his train. Glyn made his decision to battle the grass pokémon with Mathilda. A water type like Kilohertz would have been a horrible choice, obviously, and Mathilda, with her flight, might be more advantageous.
Even if the two Simisage permitted the Pansage to battle, he couldn't help fear that at any moment he'd hurt the pansage they'd come jumping out of the bushes again and beat him senseless. He tossed the pokéball out nonetheless, and in an array of flashes and sparks, the Spearow appeared, flapping her pale red wings and staying afloat in the air. She cawwed intimidatingly at the Pansage. He shifted the balance of his feet, widening his base stance.
"Right, give him your best leer, Mathilda," Glyn said. The battle was as much psychological as it was physical. Neither opponent has even made a move to strike the other, but just gave one another dark looks to measure their worth, and intimidate each other. The pansage imitated the cruel expression in the Spearow's eyes. Their eyes shimmered in the ragged sunlight. The warmup was over now. Time to make the first move.
"Mathilda! Use peck!" The spearow darted forward to the Pansage. He broke his stare and widened his stance even more. With precise calculations he jumped in the air. The spearow shot straight underneath him. The Pansage had planned his jump to be more than a dodge though. His left foot had left the ground earlier and with higher velocity, which sent him into a clockwise spin. With his claws brandished, he swept at Mathilda's back. The bird lost her balance, and felt a warm sharp pain streaking over her lithe body. She was forced to roll, and clipped her wing on the ground. Before long, she left a trail of dust. Her pride took the most damage though. She rolled up and shook the dirt off of her hooked beak.
The pansage landed in a graceful manner, though a scintilla of cheekishness marked its face almost permanently. He craned his neck. Mathilda, without any order, stormed towards the pansage like a freight train. Her wings flapped faster, and her sharp talons dusted over the trail, then like a spear, she slammed her beak against the grass pokémon. The pansage winced, and got knocked back a few. That's it. Any moment now, Glyn expected the simisage to jump down and beat both Mathilda, and himself, up. Since Mathilda seemed to do just fine battling without his orders – why would that stubborn bird even want to listen to him anyway? – Glyn looked through at the canopy. Sure it was like looking for Waldo in one of those horrible pictures where stripes are all of a sudden in fashion again, but nothing raised his suspicion that a Simisage would jump down and reconstruct his face. That was...good, he guessed? Or maybe creepy, since it meant they might still hang around like ninjas. He would have liked it if he could at least see where those damn apes went.
And maybe he should have kept his eyes on the battle. That pansage was strong as hell. Glyn got hit square in the chest by Mathilda. The pansage launched a barrage of swipes against the bird. Mathilda didn't look like she did well. Her feathers were in a total mess, and they fell off, forming a ring around her body. How did she even manage to stand up? Glyn rubbed the back of his head. He just about had it with slamming body-and-everything into the dirt by now. One aerial ace. That was all he needed, and Mathilda had just the right idea too. She had to get up to speed though, that was the problem, and if the Pansage latched onto her back again, it was game over. Like an airplane going down the runway, the spearow shot over the trail, adrenaline rushing, forgetting the pain, forgetting the concerns of a mistake. She could do this, and she wanted to. Glyn normally wouldn't encourage anyone to draw all their power from complete rage, but for Mathilda there was hardly another option. Maybe work on that later? He'd have to think about that later. Focus.
Mathilda had too little space to make speed, in flat dimensions. Needless the say, a flight above the canopy was just what she needed. Her profile sloped steadier and steadier. She disappeared into the evening sun, above the green umbrella hanging over the forest. The pansage set the chase in motion, jumping up from branch to branch, with the same ease as a human on level ground. The spearow corkscrewed and looped just above the top canopy. She descended fast, wings practically glowing. With calculated precision she aimed at the exact bisection between her path and the pansage's. The broad leaves slammed out of the way like drapes for the flying type pokémon, and she snatched the grass monkey right off the branch like a ragdoll. The pokémon slammed against the trunk of the tree and tumbled down branches and leaves, making a soft landing on the mossy floor. The spearow broke her flight and landed on a branch that shadowed over the grass monkey. Her wings outstretched and she cawwed victoriously. A weak "Pan..." escaped the pansage's lips. His leafen tail dangled behind his body, curling down, and showing a sign of defeat. Glyn knew enough. That battle was tougher than nail. The pansage rolled over, and respired, his gait limp and yet a smirk on his face. He found the right man, and his final test was the pokéball. Hand towards his pocket, Glyn fished out a small unoccupied pokéball, and rolled it at the pansage. At contact, the pansage turned into a red energy and entered the capturing device. It rolled left and right on the track. Glyn knew the Simisage watched on too. Just the problem was, he couldn't find them.
Having successfully secured a room in Diverg City's pokemon centre Abel found himself wandering the streets of the city admiring the architecture around him and enjoying the company of Darner who was walking gleefully at his feet. It seemed to Abel that his trapinch had never seen a city before, then again apart from the television he'd never left Coriolis Town and the nearby beaches and fields.
"To think this is only one of the small cities... it's huge compared to home." Abel said to his companion as he looked in awe at the tall buildings that merged almost seamlessly with the nearby forest. It was a rare sight, harmony between technology and nature.
"Trap!" Darner exclaimed excitably, seemingly agreeing with Abel that city was a marvellous place.
Upon entering the large city only smaller buildings and residential dwellings could be found but where Abel had found himself, near the heart of the city, the tall buildings of businesses dominated. Abel stood in awe of the structures for several minutes before turning back in the direction he had come. It was getting late and he would have plenty of time to explore the city during the next day.
