[PKMN FULL] D E L I V E R A N C E ♢ (IC)

[Duck]

KUDZU WOOD ♢ Viridian Valley outskirts

Kudzu's eye twitched. This was spiraling out of control pretty fast. He should have denied this out of principle … and yet, he knew that if he didn't go along, the others would go without him and he wasn't about to lose his brother few friendly acquaintances if he could do anything about it.

Although it was the offhand comment of "Don't even look into the box" that made him even more nervous. So whatever they were carrying wasn't even above board, no wonder he didn't go for the knights.

Still, it was Savanna's comment that brought him out of his reverie. She wanted to take the shortcut. Kudzu's eye twitched again. He sighed.

"I'd advise against that … I suppose you wouldn't know but when my family came to the valley, we too took a path across the woods. I was the only survivor."

He walked closer to the map, staring at it, but not reading it. "And while I don't doubt Miss Ashtar or Abacus could fend for themselves out there, we'd be carrying a finicky Pokémon with us and I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly a fighter."

He traced the longer path with his finger. "On this path, the main problem is people like us," he then drew a line over the woods with his finger. "While on this path, we have to worry about wild Pokémon. I think the Pokémon are very much the worst option."

 

[Roni]

ABACUS ♢ Padra's Hut

"I agree," Abacus spoke without hesitation as soon as Kudzu finished. He wouldn't pass off a chance to back up his big brother figure.

"Kudzu and I have already lost so much in that forest, and if I'm not mistaken, Miss Ashtar here wasn't at all spick and span when she first arrived at the village either," Abacus eyed Qork, lightly bowing to signal his respect despite the comment.

"No matter how skilled I believe we are, I just wouldn't want to give history a chance to repeat itself." he continued, turning to Padra this time. Elian kept silent, still holding on to Abacus' leg, listening intently.

"Padra, it hurts me to know that you walk a different path from us, and I wish you nothing but the utmost safety," Abacus says as he puts his hand on Padra's shoulder, squeezing lightly before letting go to face the others, "But speaking of safety, I prefer to prioritize that over speed. Padra already said he believes nobody will be following us anyway, so the chance of things going smoothly is far better than the near certainty of wild Pokemon attacks through the woods." Abacus looks at the little Cyndaquil, his face starting to form a frown. Guarding this little one's life will be far easier if it isn't exposed to the horrors that the forest brings, he thought.

"So, my sincerest apologies Savanna," Abacus says after a deep sigh. "Padra believing in us isn't enough for me to go with your decision. The box and its contents are important, but I would like to deliver it with all of us in one piece..."

 

[moon]

QORK ♢ Padra's hut

Qork had waited for the others to weigh in, and when Abacus had spoken to her and Padra, she still chose her words wisely for a few moments more. She had misjudged the young man somewhat, having guessed that he would prefer the wild over the road. Similarly, the girl's eagerness had surprised Qork as well. Perhaps they would have even more unexpected things in store for Qork down the road. Hopefully mostly for the better.

"You really think the depths of nature are more dangerous than the open road and humans we might meet? When I arrived here, it was not from pokémon or animal I had been running," she said seriously but calmly, eyes fixed on Hemlocke.

But Padra spoke up at that. "Abacus is wise for his age, as always. I am sorry for pushing you. Of course it is most important that you will get there at all, and in one piece, of course. Plenty of travelers come through Viridian. You will likely not be noticed much if you take the regular eastern road north, rounding the forest. Yes. It will probably be fine."

Qork could tell he was not entirely satisfied, but also that he would not press further. Despite part of her resisting, she sighed and relented.

"If safety is prioritized over haste, we will take the road. It is decided," she said, arms crossed still. "Pack what you need, it will be several days travel to Pewter Peaks this way. Don't make a big deal out of leaving - we intend to return within weeks, and we don't want to draw attention. Right?"

"Right," Padra nodded and stroke his beard.

Then he entrusted the map to Kudzu; Qork was already in possession of the box now. And the old man bent down to give Cyndaquil one last affectionate pat.

"It will be alright," he told it. "I am sorry for what you have gone through. But it will be better from here on. Stick with these fine people. They are Abacus and Savanna, and they can be trusted. Everything is going to be alright."

Cyndaquil's squinted gaze seemed to linger on the old man for a moment, before it finally turned around and faced the teenagers, the Mankey and the Bellsprout. Its flames were not activated, but it was quite nervous, Qork could easily tell. She hoped it wouldn't run off out of the blue somewhere. But honestly... It sounded like the box was the important part of their quest, as the plan hadn't even been for the pokémon to come with them from the start. She knew her priorities here.

 

[Jazzy]

SAVANNA ♢ Viridian Valley

The group parted ways, after setting up a rendezvous point, which was up on a hill near the northern exit of town. Savanna marched home, following Bella and the Cyndaquil, who had seemed to insist on coming with her. When they arrived home, Savanna got to work packing. She stuffed a bag full of clothes, various cooking supplies, and anything she could think of. Soon, she was satisfied with her supplies.

Savanna headed out. The twins ran past her, playing and laughing. Savanna cleared her throat, and they turned to face her. Immediately, they each ran forward, intrigued by Cyndaquil. The fiery Pokemon retreated behind Savanna's leg. "Hey, hey, leave it alone. It's scared." The twins, disappointingly backed up. "Alright, we need to talk." Savanna sighed, trying to figure out how to say what she needed to. "I'm leaving today. But don't worry, I'll be back soon! I need you two to stay with the Sorensons while I'm gone. They'll take care of you."

The twins asked an influx of questions. "Why are you going?" "Where are you going?" "When are you coming back?" "What's that Pokemon?"

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you where I'm going," Savanna said. "But I'll be back in a couple of weeks. I promise."

The twins jumped forward, and hugged Savanna. She pulled them closer, squeezing them.

Soon, Savanna was trekking out of town, toward the meeting spot. She finally, and sat on a large rock. Cyndaquil stood by her feet, nuzzling her leg. Savanna began stroking Cyndaquil's cheek.

She'd been trying to avoid thinking all day, but now that she just sat here, with nothing to keep her busy, her thoughts came flooding in at once. She was both nervous, and excited to leave on this journey, but she couldn't help but feel worry. Something wasn't right. Why was Padra acting the way he was? And where was he going? Savanna also couldn't help but think of earlier. She'd taken a risk and suggested taking the shorter path, only for everyone else to disagree and shut her down. She hoped it wouldn't make the others think worse of her.

The sound of someone walking toward her broke her from her thoughts.

 

[Roni]

ABACUS ♢ Padra's Hut

Abacus and Elian leaves Padra's hut and makes a detour to the farms, to inform the workers that he won't be able to help today and will be gone for a while.

"Really? Abacus Hemlocke going out of the village? Never thought I'd see the day... Where to?" one of his farmer friends asks, engaging in some light banter. Abacus chuckles at the thought himself.

"Me neither, heh. It's top secret though, so I'm sorry, but I can't really tell you." Abacus replies, and another farmer raises his eyebrow.

"Top secret huh? You really trust that Padra fellow? Not trying to judge or anything, but he's sort of a loony ain't he? He could very well be leading you to a suicide mission or something," The fun expression on Abacus' face immediately disappears. The first farmer notices and shoves the second one.

"Hey back off alright? He and Padra are friends, and I think the guy's pretty alright," the first farmer says. The two start to go at it, but Abacus pulls them apart just in time.

"Enough. No point wasting your energy fighting when you could go back to work instead," he sternly says to diffuse the situation, and the two farmers back off. "Again, sorry I won't be able to help for a while, but I'll make sure to be back as soon as possible."

With that, he bids them farewell and heads back to his hut to prepare some things for the journey. Food, extra clothes, etc. It'll be a while, but he figures it's best to pack light.

While packing, he couldn't keep Qork's last words to him out of his head.

"You really think the depths of nature are more dangerous than the open road and humans we might meet? When I arrived here, it was not from pokémon or animal I had been running,"

'How could I be such an idiot to talk to Miss Ashtar like that? Especially when I didn't even know all the facts about her...' he berated himself, replaying the conversation in his head over and over. His mother taught him to respect authority, and she probably wouldn't be proud of what he did earlier, trauma-driven or not.

'And Savanna, shooting her down when she was so excited... I truly hope I didn't strike a nerve or anything.'

With a heavy heart, and a not-so-heavy bag, Abacus started making his way to the northern edge of town, with Elian following beside him. He knows that he was the main factor for their decision on the path to take, thus he is responsible if something goes awry. He only hopes he made a smart decision.

 

[moon]

QORK ♢ Viridian Valley
Monday, August 1, late morning

Walking away from the hut and back into the village, Qorks hand is closed around the box. She has put it in one of her belt pouches, and it barely fits when she snaps the lid of the pouch shut. It still feels safer to keep it there rather than to put it into a bag that she might drop more easily. Padra trusts her, and she will do her best to deserve that. The Cyndaquil does not trust her yet, having eyed her rather frantically as Savanna took the small soul with her for now. No matter, really. Should the pokémon attempt to take the box back from Qork and Pei, it would find a greater challenge than it bargained for.

The home she was graciously given a few years back after first having been able to prove her worth and new loyalty to the town, isn't much to look at. It is small, situated closer to the village center than most other buildings, and looks tidy from the outside. But the inside is very spartan. Deep down, Qork knows it is because even after five years, she still has a problem with anchoring herself to this town. To admit that she is fully one of the people here now. Because she isn't sure she will ever be.

Kudzu Wood is. Even though he seems like he still feels like an outsider, and even though some villagers still call him things, he has grown up here. He is a man of the Valley, no matter where he originally came from. Qork doesn't exactly envy him, but... Well, maybe she does.

Pei floats down from where he has been chilling out near the ceiling as his mistress packs. He gently lands on her head, as if sensing that worries are spinning around in there. Or as if to ask: how is your head now?

"I'm better," Qork says and affectionately reaches up to pet the rubbery creature. "We have a goal. I can focus."

She suddenly stands up, swooping the rather large pokémon down into her arms and looking into its slimy button eyes intently. "Are you alright with this? Our quest."

Pei just blinks up at her.

"I know I don't usually ask you... Usually, I just assume you'll follow me into whichever new mission or task we get. But this is all strange, and it is not a very short trip. So... Are you alright with all this? Do you think we should go?"

A huge, blobby hand is put on each side of the woman's head, and Pei wiggles his ear-like appendages happily at her. Qork can't help but smiling in relief, and finally feels the last bit of headache simmer away.

She doesn't ask the village leaders for permission to go. They should be aware that she's helping them out on her own accord - grateful to receive the home and food in return, of course - but that she isn't indentured or bound to them. She does leave them a letter though. It says:

Out of town for the coming weeks. Intend to be back.
Please don't sell my house yet. Thank you for everything.
- Qork Ashtar​

 

[Jazzy]

QORK & SAVANNA ♢ Viridian Valley

As Qork approached the meeting spot, she saw that one of her new companions was already there. She seemed lost in thoughts, but noticed Qork as she came closer. The older woman put on a warm smile - there was no point in not being friendly.

"Hello, Savanna was it?" she started. "You may call me Qork, if you wish. Did everything go alright back at home?"

"Oh, hi… Qork. Yeah, everything went fine. A little hard leaving my siblings, but, well, we have a job to do." Savanna found herself slightly uncomfortable, talking to Qork. She tried her best to hide it.

Qork's brows furrowed with concern as she tried to use her political training to elucidate the feelings behind Savanna's words without downright asking her. "Younger siblings? Do they have someone to take care of them when you're gone?"

Savanna met Qork's eyes. "They do - one of our neighbors. I assured them it would be temporary," Savanna replied. She gazed over the hill, into the valley, picking out her house, and where her siblings were. "I miss them already." She shook her head. She was already much younger; Savanna didn't want to give her new comrades any more reasons to look down on her. "What about you? Leaving anyone in particular behind?"

For a fleeting moment, Qork's eyes seemed to unfocus in a pause, but then the calm smile was back. "No. Aside from the people I work for here. But they've known me to do strange things like leaving for a couple of weeks before. I think."

She put her pack down and stood next to Savanna's rock. "For what it's worth, by the way… I would have wanted us to take the forest path as well."

"I- I see." Savanna almost felt relieved. "So.. You've got a really impressive Pokemon." Qork's Reuniclus floated next to her. "Do you have any tips for battling? I'll be honest I haven't done much of that." Savanna looked down, where Bella and Cyndaquil took turns spinning around. "Or perhaps for keeping this Cyndaquil safe?"

Qork and Pei gave each other a look, and many memories passed between them. "Best tip is to stay out of battling," she said. "But if we do run into anything, stay behind me. Pei assists me in battle. Your pokémon…" she leaned her head to the side as she observed the small plant like creature. "It should be able to keep enemies away from you using spores and vines, perhaps even acid. The philosophers and more serious trainers have dubbed such tactics Vine Whip and Powder moves of various kinds. Pokémon are clever spirits and if we ask them to associate certain powers with certain words, they're often enthusiastically commanded, even under stress."

Cyndaquil suddenly fell over onto its back in its little game and struggled for a brief moment to get back up.

"As for keeping the fire pokémon safe, well. Your Bellsprout seems to have made it calm down already. We just have to hope Cyndaquil wants to stick around, and doesn't go putting its big nose into trouble. I suppose we'll have an easier time keeping an eye on it on the main road, but… I still think the shortcut would have been fine. I didn't want to push Kudzu and Abacus though, as they seemed quite adamant on staying out of the forest. We'll be fine."

Savanna was impressed by Qork's knowledge. It made her even more glad that they were going together. "I see. Well, thank you." Before Savanna could say more, someone else trudged up the hill.

 

[Duck]

KUDZU WOOD & ABACUS ♢ Viridian Valley

Abacus trudges along the path to the meeting point, his trusted scruff ball of a partner staying right by his side. Head slightly cast down, he was so lost in thought that he wasn't paying attention to what or who was in front of him.

Bump

"Ach," Abacus reacts, pushed back slightly from the collision. "I'm so sorry, I-" He isn't able to finish his apology as he looks up, and sees that it's none other than Kudzu Wood.

"Kudzu… my sincerest apologies. I was distracted," Abacus manages, before continuing to speak. "Are you headed to the meeting point as well?"

"It's alright, don't sweat it." Kudzu replied without much thought into it, as he idly checked his bag to make sure that everything was still there.

"Yes, I'm going there as well," he said after completing his inspection. "I live alone and don't really have a lot. So packing was … easy enough to do." he said, a small tint of red coloring his checks.

"Either way, wrangling Oak was the harder part here, he's a bit grumpy after the Cyndaquil incident."

Abacus chuckles lightly at Kudzu's remark. He knows what it's like to have a rowdy partner, having grown up with a Mankey of all Pokemon. He's quite glad that it simmered down over the years, following a more calm approach to life.

Before he could continue digressing, Abacus stopped himself, turning back to Kudzu.

"Kudzu, back at Padra's, I couldn't help myself but to support your stance on taking the route around the forest, instead of directly through it. You and I both know what happened to us in the past," he pauses for a second, a slightly upset nose exhale escaping him, "but now that I think more about it, was it actually the right decision? I can't stop thinking about what Miss Ashtar said; all this time I thought wild animals and Pokemon were what attacked her in the past… I'm starting to believe the open road is more dangerous…"

"It's not that the open road is without danger, rather, the danger there is more manageable. If we do have problems over there, it's likely to be people. People can be dangerous and selfish but they ultimately think the same way as us - they can be bargained with or tricked and other travelers might come to our aid." Kudzu began to explain.

"With Pokémon there isn't that. The way they think is alien and opaque, especially when they haven't bonded with a human yet. I've been with Oak for what, some ten years now? And they still haven't realized that walls and physical barriers matter to humans."

Oak perked up and pulled on Kudzu's kimono's leg, at the mention of his name. "And of course, the shortcut is well known and the forest is dense. For all we know the same bandits we fear in the open road have a hideout in the forest and could catch us in the shortcut."

"That's a very sound argument. I never thought of it that way," Abacus replies, forehead slightly furrowed. It's no wonder he looks up to Kudzu; other than being a few years older, the man is so full of wisdom.

His words calmed Abacus' worries down somewhat, and after what seemed to be a pregnant pause, he spoke up, "Thank you Kudzu. So, shall we go together to the meetup point? There's a chance Savanna and Miss Ashtar are already there."

At the mention of their names, Abacus couldn't help but wince mentally. He was still regretful for being disrespectful to the diplomat, and for shooting down the excited girl. 'I can only hope they don't hate me…' he thought, waiting for Kudzu's answer.

"Yes, yes." Kudzu smiled warmly at Abacus. He had his doubts of course, but only time would tell if his thinking was correct, and he'd rather be conservative with his actions than lose yet another loved one.

And so they walked to the meeting point, seeing the figures of Qork and Savanna as they drew closer. It seemed as if they were having their own chat as well, which was stopped as soon as they heard their footsteps.

 

[moon]

The Party ♢ Viridian Trail, towards Pewter
Monday, August 1, noon

The landscape east of Viridian Valley was pretty, to say the least. Farmlands and fields, with animals grazing and the occasional pokémon accompanying them. The party of four humans and five pokémon walked mostly in silence for the morning, each one of them lost in thoughts about their quest and about their other companions, or perhaps of the people they left behind.

Just after noon, they decided it was time to stop for lunch. They had fresh food for this first day and didn't need to make a fire, although Cyndaquil could likely have easily helped them with that if it had been necessary. The weather was relatively sunny and fresh, not too cold or too hot - they really were lucky for now.

Qork was studying the map as they ate, commenting that they had to travel a little ways longer before they reached the eastern edge of the Dark Forest and could turn northwards. She glanced to the north of their camp, where not too far away the dense lushness of the ancient forest began.

​

As the group was eating, they saw other travelers further east on the road. About the time the Viridian party were packing up and getting ready to leave again, the strangers had reached them, and it seemed they were approaching, veering off the main road towards their little camp just to the northern side.

They were both people and pokémon. Two men and one woman. The first man had long flowing brown hair and a smile that somehow didn't quite reach his eyes, Qork felt. A quadruped Nidorino was tailing him. The other man had black, curly hair and dark skin and looked more serious, with an Aipom on his shoulder that by contrast wore a much bigger grin than the first man. The woman, at last, looked quite neutral, black hair tied up in a knot similar to Qork's own, but her intense green eyes looking at the Viridian party as if she thought she could learn things about them just by glaring. Maybe she could. A Nidorina walked side by side with her, on two legs.

What do you do?

((OOC: you are free to control the strangers' pokémon, but leave the interactions of the humans to me for now. It's allowed to lightly "bunny" the humans too though, like saying that they make certain expressions or simple movements or comments, but nothing major for now.))


Movesets:

Leer / Scratch / Double Kick /Horn Attack

Growl / Scratch / Double Kick / Bite

Scratch / Astonish / Sand Attack / Tickle / Swift

 

[Roni]

ABACUS ♢ Viridian Trail, towards Pewter

Abacus was packing the remnants of his meal when the strangers approached. He raised an eyebrow, as his heart rate started to increase. 'Threats? Already?' He immediately thought, but he stopped himself from judging them right away. He did not want to assume the worst out of these folk, although he couldn't stop himself from instinctively grabbing the handle of his tanto.

Elian suddently leapt forward, hairs raised and ready to take action. The Nidorino squared up as well, locking eyes with the little scruff ball. Abacus remembered just now that he forgot to pack medicinal supplies...

"Elian, get back here! Stop it now," Abacus commanded his partner. Elian grunted, but eventually backed away slowly, still locking eyes with the Nidorino, who this time was sporting an evil looking grin. Abacus looked to his companions, with a puzzled yet worried expression.

"Does anyone know these guys?" he asked quietly.

 

[Jazzy]

SAVANNA ♢ Viridian Trail, towards Pewter

Almost like an instinctive reaction, Savanna picked up Cyndaquil, who seemed to be slightly scared.

Savanna was scared too. Strangers with Pokemon had shown up - and so soon into their journey as well. Would they have to battle the strangers? Savanna hoped not. She didn't know how well her and Bella would do. Despite that, Bella seemed determined, and almost ready to fight.

"Does anyone know these guys?" Abacus asked the party.

Savanna didn't. She stayed silent.

 

[moon]

QORK ♢ Viridian Trail, towards Pewter

"Does anyone know these guys?" Abacus asked quietly, as Savanna picked up the nervous Cyndaquil but their Mankey and Bellsprout seemed to become hostile when the approaching Nidorino leered at them.

"No, I have never seen these individuals," Qork said, and got up as well.

Not seeing Kudzu take action, she decided to be the one to break the ice as soon as the strangers came close enough.

"Hello there," she simply said, a polite smile in their direction.

All three of them stopped, and the man in the front with the Nidorino met her smile. "Hello! We are but weary travelers wondering if you come from Viridian?"

"We do, yes," Qork said. "Is that your destination?"

As she spoke, the Aipom who had been sitting on the shoulder of the darker man jumped off and skip-hopped nonchalantly towards the Viridian party. After a nod from his trainer, Qork's Reuniclus started following it, hovering just above its head with his arms outstretched and ready.

"It is but a step on the way! I have heard it is lovely though. Tell us, will we be able to find comfortable lodgings in the Viridian Valley?" the man with the Nidorino continued.

"It is a humble town, but surely there are some accommodations that will satisfy your needs, should they not be too unreasonable," Qork continued, but couldn't help but glance at the Aipom from the corner of her eye.

The monkey was strutting into their camp now, Cyndaquil squirming in Savanna's grasp and the other pokémon all on edge in case the purple creature would start something up.

"Oh, don't you worry about our little partner!" the light man commented. "He's simply curious, is all! Can't keep him away from anything that fancies his eye. He's very young, still, see."

Qork nodded slowly and trusted Pei and the others with the Aipom as she turned back towards the strangers. "Well, if that was all...?"

"We don't mind a good conversation! Are the rest of you from Viridian as well?" the man said, trying to get the attention of the other party members now.

"Your companions don't seem too chatty," Qork commented before her three human companions could say anything. "I don't see why mine should talk if yours won't."

The darker man and the woman did seem to tense up at that, Qork noticed, and her own focus couldn't help but draw closer to her thick spear that was currently leaning against a big rock nearby.

 

[Duck]

KUDZU WOOD ♢ Viridian Trail

At first, Kudzu hadn't paid much attention to the other travelers. He trusted Qork to deal with the situation much better than he could, being much more experienced than him both in diplomacy and combat.

Plus, should the worst happen, having their stuff in one place meant less chance of losing supplies. So he had continued tidying up the things while Qork took the initiative.

And then things got tenser, because of course they did. Kudzu stood up to his full height and moved to stand between Qork and the children. He wasn't exactly the most intimidating man in the world, but hopefully the message was clear: he was there to back Qork up and protect the children.

The fact that it happened to also put him in front of Cyndaquil and whatever was on that cursed box was just gravy.

 

[moon]

QORK ♢ Viridian Trail, towards Pewter

Pei suddenly gave out a bubbly yelp, and Qork recognized it to be a noise he usually used to alert her to things. She spun around to see him having grabbed the Aipom, which was now squirming and holding some things in between its digit-free hands. Some food, Qork realized after a few seconds that it looked like. She relaxed a bit.

"Pei, let it go, it's fine."

The man behind her laughed as the Aipom ran back to its still quiet master, looking scared. But as it jumped up to his shoulder, Qork could have sworn that she saw something in Aipom's tail. The tail that had very amble digits, in contrast to its hands...

"Hold up," she said, more seriously now. "Your pokémon took something more."

"No," the dark man simply said.

"Little Violet was just hungry!" the first man laughed again. "Oh well. Maybe we should be off after all."

Qork didn't waste any more time. She lunged for her spear and pointed it at the man closest to her in a split second. Unfortunately, his Nidorino had been quick too, and countered her spear with its horn, causing a chinggg noise to ring out between them.

"There's no need for that! We'll leave now, don't worry," the man said and started to back away.

"You're not leaving until you give us back whatever 'little Violet' took. And the food."

The Aipom on the dark man's shoulder giggled and stuffed the piece of bread it had stolen into its mouth demonstratively.

"No," the dark man said again, and behind him, the woman and the Nidorina started to tense up visibly.

The smile on the brown haired man had weakened somewhat, and an almost disappointed expression took its place.

"Fine, the hard way it is. King, Horn Attack!"

"Nida, Double Kick!" the woman shouted out almost at the same time, but she was pointing at Kudzu and the teenagers.


((OOC: you are now allowed to control both the pokémon and the actions and words of the attacking humans as you please. Don't hesitate to take action and provoke reactions! If you prefer, of course, I can still control the attackers and we can back-and-forth the fight here. Just ping me on Discord when it's my turn, if so!))

 

[Duck]

KUDZU WOOD ♢ Viridian Trail

Well fuck.

Kudzu gritted his teeth as he heard the commands. In a snap decision, he shouted "Oak, upfront and use a Will-O-Wisp!"

For once, Oak understood the severity of the situation and got there. The kick went right through him, curbing a lot of Nidorina's momentum, but not completely stopping it.

Kudzu grabbed the kids and jumped to side while Oak launched blue balls of ghost fire at the nearby blue dinosaur.

 

[Roni]

ABACUS ♢ Viridian Trail, towards Pewter

'I knew it!' Abacus thought, confirming his initial suspicions that these people were indeed threats. The Nidorino was headed straight for them, so he had to act fast.

"Elian! Grab its horn!" he shouted to his friend, and in a nanosecond, Elian reacted to the purple dinosaur's charge. All its daily training wasn't for nought after all. It side-stepped just as Nidorino reached it, then quickly latched on to the horn and lifted the creature up in the air. As if communicating mentally with each other, Elian was already aware of what Abacus' plan was. Just as Kudzu grabbed Abacus and Savanna, the former was already shouting for a Seismic Toss, and Elian complied with confidence.

The little furball jumped and grabbed Nidorino while high off the ground, then gathered it in a tight lock as they dove head first to the ground. BLAM!

The resulting impact made the surroundings tremor, and left a huge cracked indent on the hard soil below. Elian emerged from the rubble and wobbled to try and help Oak with the Nidorina, but it suddenly collapsed on the ground, convulsing. Abacus noticed, and broke out of Kudzu's hold to rush to its aid. The smoke cleared and Nidorino shook off the dirt, wounded yet standing tall. The brown-haired man couldn't help but snicker.

'Looks like this little bastard didn't take Poison Point into account,' the man thought to himself.

 

[moon]

NIDORINA ♢ angery

Nidorina had a few very surprising, rapid moments. First, all of a sudden there was a pokémon in her path instead of a tall human villager. That was fine though, she would just hit the pokémon instead. As she had already begun leaping, she just let the kick keep carrying through... Wait, through?

An unpleasant sensation washed over her as she passed through the Phantump's spooky body, something like jumping into a lukewarm puddle that somebody had told you very distinctly that you weren't allowed into. It passed quickly, but it also led to her kick hitting the grassy ground in front of her previously intended target rather than reach it - it being the male human. Possibly also because he had just jumped aside quickly enough.

Nidorina growled and quickly recovered, only to be hit from behind by burning orbs of blue fire. They circled around her for a moment, way too close, scorching her ears and a paw she held up to try to avert them, and when they finally subsided, she had burns on both an ear and a paw and was practically fuming with rage to boot.

Glancing aside, she saw her mate on the ground groaning, having been easily swooped aside apparently. Well, even though he seemed to get back up already, she wouldn't let that slide. Her trainer called something out, but she honestly didn't care. She could do this on her own.

The blue dinosaur spun around furiously and quickly and attempted to use Bite on the small ghost.

 

[moon]

QORK ♢ focus, focus

The Nidorino had jumped away and gone for Qork's companions at his trainer's order, rather than attempt to break through her defense. She had been a bit too focused on the Aipom and the dark man to react in time, but thankfully the others weren't born yesterday and managed to avert the initial Nido-assaults. Deciding that they could take care of themselves, Qork instead dashed past the lighter man, spear at the ready and Pei following at her side.

She lunged for the dark man, who stood still, only to be blocked by two shortswords. It was the woman, and she grunted harshly at Qork before raising a boot to kick the Viridian villager away. Qork could barely sidestep it.

I'm rusty. This won't do. I can't afford to be rusty now.

She glanced to the side at the Aipom and its trainer, who seemed to begin to retreat.

"The Aipom! Get back whatever it stole!" she called to her companions, although she knew that they were already occupied with the Nidos.

The bandit woman took advantage of her distraction and slashed with her swords at Qork. They would have hit her face... If it wasn't for a strangely shimmering, yellowish barrier that suddenly appeared in mid-air. It made the bandit's movements sluggish as the blades hit the barrier, stopping their momentum enough to let Qork duck.

"Thanks, Pei!" she called upwards, where her trusty partner now showed that he wasn't rusty at least, having provided the Reflect in the nick of time. "Let's teach her a lesson, my friend. Thunder Wave!"

The Reuniclus waved his arms and produced a narrow lightning-like shockwave in the bandit's direction as Qork quickly stepped back and shielded her eyes with a hand. The bandit groaned as she was struck, but didn't back down. She lunged again, trying in vain to get around Pei's floating Reflect and hit her enemy harder. But she didn't seem like the very most skilled fighter. Qork easily parried her slowed down strikes and eventually was the one to kick her in the stomach instead.

 

[Jazzy]

SAVANNA ♢ Viridian Trail

Savanna watched as the action unfolded; Pokemon clashing, and her comrades all fighting. She knew she needed to do something, but what…

"The Aipom! Get back whatever it stole!" Qork had called out.

Savanna decided this was her mission. Still clutching Cyndaquil - and adamant to not let it go - Savanna pursued the Aipom, which was frantically jumping around, behind the other party.

Savanna was lucky enough to not be noticed by the other travelers, as they were all too focused on the commotion. She snuck behind them.

She turned to Bella, who had followed her, and was still eager to help. "Bella, take out that Pokemon!" She pointed at Aipom.

…

Okay, maybe Bella didn't understand. Qork had told Savanna that her Pokemon would use vines, and spores as attacks. Savanna cleared her throat. "Okay, Bella, use your vine attack!"

Bella stared blanky. Her leaf arms flowed as they always did.

"Aipom! Aipom!" The Pokemon chanted. It hopped up and down, before charging Savanna.

Cyndaquil jumped out of Savanna's arms just before the impact. Savanna was hit right in the chest, and got knocked back several feet, into a large bush.

It took Savanna several seconds to regain focus. Was that..? The smell of vanilla and lemon. Savanna broke off a piece of the bush, and smelled it clearer. It was the Dream Ilane Plant. Savanna recognized it clearly. It was a plant that Padra had taught her of. It grew on the outskirts of the village. Dream Ilane was a powerful herb; it could almost immediately knock someone out. Savanna occasionally used it in tea, for nights when she couldn't fall asleep.

She only needed Aipom to smell the plant. But how?

 

[moon]

AIPOM ♢ oops

The purple monkey was satisfied with his tackle of the human and giggled, still clutching something half hidden in his tail-hand. Unfortunately, the Cyndaquil had avoided the attack, and it was not exactly looking happy with the assault on its friend.

Flame Wheel / Quick Attack / Ember / Smokescreen / ? / ?

It suddenly charged Aipom in retaliation, rolling with flames bursting. Aipom wasn't an extremely well trained pokémon. He took the hit head-on and was burned and thrown back, as Cyndaquil bounced back itself and landed on its feet with a feisty glare. Aipom didn't feel so feisty anymore, but he still stuck out his tongue to the mouse - after making sure that what he was holding in his tail-hand was intact. Then, he launced a Swift attack towards both Cyndaquil and Bella, who was too close for comfort.

((OOC: Cyndaquil is also yours to control, as players, should you want.))




NIDORINO ♢ this will be easy

That had hurt! But when Nidorino looked up, he saw that his opponent, the nasty little pig ape, had been struck by his poison. Haha. Sucker! That, and seeing his female partner charge in again, gave him new motivation to stand up.

"Keep going, King. Scratch them up!" his trainer called out, and he sounded smug.

That made the Nidorino feel smug too. He charged at the boy and the Mankey, poisoned claws at the ready.