Pokémon Heart & Soul

[KillehKiwi]

Gabby stared after the girl. A bit angry, and a bit sad. Eri seemed to be the type that pushed people away, and didn't want to rely on anyone, because of risk of showing weakness. Gabby shrugged it off and held her arm up to her Pidgey, who hopped onto it as a perch. Pyrix, the Ninetails, shot a look to her from over her shoulder, as if to apologized for her trainer's reaction and coldness.

"I don't think Im gonna give up on that girl." Gabby said to her Pokemon who chuckled in response. "I don't believe that she is just a cold person. After all, she was chosen to become a Pokemon trainer, she must have a kind, compassionate side." Gabby started to walk again, she wasn't gonna use the same path as Eri, in fear of being labeled as a stalker, which she wasn't. She chose the quicker route, less scenic than the one Eri was taking, but quicker.

Gabby set Wing back on her shoulder, and checked behind her for Alice, who was there, as loyal as always. Gabby began to walk to Violet City. All of a sudden, there was a rustling in the bushes. Gabby turned and found a small boy, a Pokemon trainer from the looks of it. He smiled at her and ran away, he probably reconized her as the Pokemon Champion of Hoenn, and knew he couldn't win in a battle against her. Gabby chuckled at the thought. She had an idea.

"Hmm, Alice, what do you think of this? What if I challenge Eri to a battle? She seems like a worthy opponent, I think that would be an interesting battle." Gabby asked her Poochyena, who barked in agreement. "She had two Fire-Types and a Flying type. With Rose on our side, I think we could pull it off."

They continued down the road, watching different types of Pokemon scuttle around, enjoying their freedom. Gabby didn't even think twice about catching any of them, they looked too peaceful for that. She saw a little band of Poochyena playing in a small clearing, Alice looked over anxiously, but said nothing. GAbby smiled.

"Go ahead, go play! We'll have lunch afterwards. We'll stop to rest. Just come when I call you, ok?" Alice nodded eagerly and bounded over to the other Poochyena, who welcomed her heartily. Gabby called out Rose.

"ROse, go play in the water!" Gabby gestured to the pond nearby. "Just come back when I call you, and don't get lost!" Rose nodded and ran over to the pond. A group of Politoad surfaced to greet her. She looked at Wing, and gestured to the trees, where other flying-types were playing and talking. gabby smiled and nodded. She repeated the same thing that she said to Alice and Rose, and Wing took off. Gabby sat in the shade, enjoying life. She watched her Pokemon have fun, and was content.

TO BE CONTINUED!!!

 

[Sola84]

The glass fronted double doors of the pokécentre burst open. Water dripped onto the already wet floor from a drenched, strawberry blonde man. His short hair clung to his face while he looked down at the floor and his clothes and backpack had seen drier days. The scruffy trainer hesitated for a moment, gathering back his breath, before looking up and allowing his arms to drop to his sides as he stepped into the warm room while the doors closed behind him.

Describing that the centre was packed would've been an understatement. In every corner was at least one trainer, all the seats were taken with the floor nearby them cluttered with gear. Pokémon was let out of their pokéballs to check up on them or to show off to their fellow trainers, which in turn created less space to move around in. The roar of the rain outside was nothing compared to din inside. Karl wringed the front of his t-shirt out, he figured the floor was wet enough that a little extra water wouldn't make much of a difference The desk unusually had only a few people standing in front of it, so Karl made his way there first making a squelching sound with every step he took.

The red-headed nurse shortly arrived and past some pokéballs back to their owner. "There you go, your pokémon are fully healed." She said with a smile.

The trainer turned around back to the others she was talking to and let out one of the pokémon. "This is the pokémon I was given by Professor Willow!" Karl overheard her boast before being addressed by Nurse Joy.

"Oh my, you were caught in the storm too?" Karl grinned sheepishly and replied in a positive that he had. "I'm afraid we're all out of – oh?" Chansey called to the nurse and pointed to a resister on the desk.

"Chansey." The round, pink pokémon said again as the nurse peered over her shoulder, and then she smiled.

"It seems we have someone booking out, would you like the room to stay in for tonight?"

"Oh yes please." The drenched trainer replied eagerly and after showing his trainer card was told that the room would be ready in 10 minutes. Karl moved some of his fringe out of his hazel eyes to look around the room with a plan to find a space or seat to sort through his gear. For his search, he was rewarded with a yet unoccupied seat next to a tall lad with a red, white and black fluffy pokémon that Karl recalled being a growlithe.

He approached with the loud squelching and a small pool of water following his lead. It was almost like an obstacle course with people, pokémon and gear to weave around, over and under as Karl found out, ducking as someone flung their arm around in deep conversation. Finally he dropped himself on the spare seat with a friendly smile then remembered his manners. "Oh, is this seat taken?"

 

[silvanarrow]

OOC: Gonna attempt a revival post, because this RP is too good to just die off like this.

A twinge of guilt nagged at Eri's chest as she walked away from Gabby. She could feel the younger girl's eyes boring into her back and didn't look back, lest she hesitate, until she had crested the hill and was out of sight. Pyrix walked quietly at Eri's side, respectfully giving her trainer some time to sort through her jumbled thoughts. Arashi, being new to the group, was still adjusting to Eri's behavior and mannerisms and so didn't know what to do or say that would help the situation.

The tension lifted once Eri had made it back into the forest, and the peaceful solitude set her mind at ease. "This looks like a good place to train while we travel to Violet City. What do you say?"

"Nine!" Pyrix replied.

"Pidg!" Arashi added, glad to see that Eri was feeling better.

Later that afternoon…

"Go, Arashi! Use Quick Attack!"

"Pidg!" Arashi flew low to the ground to pick up speed and slammed headlong into the wild Rattata. The Pokemon let out a cry of pain and slumped to the ground defeated. The Rattata picked itself up and scampered back into the bushes.

"Nice one, Arashi," Eri complimented. "You've been doing well today." She and Arashi had spent most of the afternoon battling against the wild Pokemon in the forest while Pyrix watched from the sidelines. The Pokemon here were low-level, so they made ideal opponents for Arashi to gain some experience. Eri held out her arm like a falconer, and Arashi flew back and perched on her upper arm. "All right, let's keep moving."

Just as she turned to continue along the path, an unfamiliar voice sounded from behind her. "Hey!" Eri turned around, one eyebrow raised quizzically, to see a blond-haired boy of about eleven or twelve standing at the other end of the clearing. The Pokeballs attached to his belt indicated that he was also a trainer. "My name's Timmy! You seem to be pretty good. Want to battle?"

Eri glanced down at Pyrix, who gave her an encouraging look. "Eh, sure. Why not?" she replied with a shrug. "Want to make it two on two?"

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Timmy replied with excitement. He took a couple of steps forward and unclipped a Pokeball from his belt. "Go, Beedrill!" He tossed the Pokeball, and the Beedrill materialized in a flash of white light, buzzing lightly as he hovered in front of his trainer.

"Hmmm…interesting," Eri mused aloud with a slight smirk. "Arashi, why don't you take a rest and watch?" The Pidgey hopped up onto Eri's shoulder so she would have both hands free and trained his gaze to the makeshift battlefield. "Let's go, Arod!" She tossed Arod's Pokeball, and the Ponyta appeared and pawed the ground with his front hoof in anticipation. "After you, kid," Eri said, gesturing to Timmy.

"Beedrill, use Twinneedle!" Timmy exclaimed.

"Bee!" Beedrill flew straight for Arod with his stingers held out in an attack position.

"Dodge and use Tackle!" Eri countered. Arod galloped forward, jumping to the side to avoid Beedrill's stringers, and slammed sideways into the other Pokemon. Beedrill somersaulted backwards before straightening out.

"Use String Shot to slow it down!" Timmy commanded. Beedrill released a thick, sticky fluid from his mouth – a move he had apparently learned as a Kakuna – and aimed it at Arod's hooves. This time, Beedrill's aim was true, and Arod whinnied in surprise as his front hooves were stuck to the ground, sending him crashing to his knees. "Now use Twinneedle again!" Beedrill charged again, and Arod neighed in distress, as he couldn't move out of the way.

"Burn that stuff off with Ember!" Eri shouted. Arod calmed down and spewed tiny fireballs from his mouth that incinerated the sticky silk binding his hooves. He flung himself to the side just in time to avoid Beedrill's venomous stingers. "Now torch that Beedrill with Ember!" Arod spun around and fired off another powerful Ember attack, and it connected for full damage.

"Beeeee!!!" Beedrill fell the ground unconscious.

"Oh no! Beedrill!" Timmy cried.

"Looks like I win the first round," Eri remarked, crossing her arms over her chest and smirking.

Timmy recalled Beedrill and turned his gaze back to Eri. "Your Ponyta is really strong, but I'm not done yet! Go, Raticate!" He flung his second Pokeball, and this time a two-foot tall rat with massive front teeth appeared.

"You good to keep going, Arod?" Eri asked. Arod snorted and nodded. "Glad to hear it."

"Raticate, use Quick Attack!" Timmy shouted.

"Raticate!!!!" The Pokemon dashed forward too quickly for Arod to dodge and slammed into the Ponyta's chest, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Arod, you okay?" Eri called anxiously. Arod struggled to his hooves and neighed weakly. 'That Raticate is stronger than I anticipated. I've got to end this quickly.' She called, "Use Ember at full power!" Arod spewed wave after wave of tiny fireballs, but Raticate was too fast and dodged the onslaught.

"Finish it with Hyper Fang!"

"Caaaate!" Raticate sank his incisors into Arod's shoulders, and he squealed in pain as he collapsed, too weak to continue.

"Tch…Arod, return!" Eri recalled her Pokemon and turned to Pyrix. "Pyrix, I need your help."

"Nine!" Pyrix barked as she leaped forward, landing in a crouch with her tails outspread.

"Raticate, use Quick Attack again!" Timmy commanded.

"Dodge it, Pyrix!" This time, Pyrix was faster and avoided the flow nimbly. "Use Flamethrower!" Eri commanded.

"Nine!" Pyrix unleashed a powerful stream of fire from her mouth. Raticate leaped up to try and dodge it, but he couldn't attain enough height to jump over it.

"Rat-i-cate!!!!" he cried as the flames struck him squarely on the chest. That one blow was all it took, and he fell back to the ground unconscious.

"Oh no! Raticate!" Timmy exclaimed. He recalled his Pokemon and looked back at Eri. "Wow, your Ninetales is really strong. That was a great battle!" He walked forward and held out his hand. Eri hesitated at the outward show of friendliness but shook his hand nonetheless. "See ya around!" Timmy waved with a grin and ran off into the forest.

Just like that, Eri was once again alone in the clearing with her Pokemon. She glanced up through the trees and noticed that the sun was starting to set. "Might as well set up camp here." Arashi flew off Eri's shoulder and perched on a nearby branch while Eri shrugged off her backpack and jacket and unpacked her camping supplies. She dug a fire pit, set up the wood, and had Pyrix set it ablaze with her Flamethrower. Once she had dinner cooking over the fire, she unclipped Arod's Pokeball from her belt. "Now to take care of Arod." She released the Ponyta, and he materialized on the ground with his legs folded underneath his body. His eyes were scrunched shut in pain from the wound on his shoulder, and his body trembled.

Armed with a Super Potion in one hand and a roll of bandages in the other, Eri approached Arod and knelt down next to him. She spoke softly, "Easy there, I'm going to take care of that." She examined the bite wound on Arod's shoulder and was relieved to see that it didn't look too deep. She held the Super Potion over the wound. "This will sting, but it'll clean the wound so it can heal." Arod whimpered as Eri sprayed the medicine into the wound and cleaned it, but he relaxed visibly as the pain eased and Eri wrapped his shoulder in soft bandages to protect it from infection.

Eri finally rocked back on her heels and surveyed her work. "All done. How does that feel?" Arod nickered softly and nuzzled Eri's hand gratefully before laying his head down and falling asleep. Eri spared a small smile upon seeing her Pokemon sleeping contentedly and stood up to check on dinner. She set out bowls of Pokemon food for Pyrix, Arashi, and Arod (just in case he woke up and was hungry) before sitting back to eat. By the time she had finished dinner and cleaned up, the ebony tapestry of night dotted with countless stars dominated the sky. Arod was still asleep, so Eri laid out her sleeping back on the other side of the fire pit so she wouldn't disturb his much-needed rest. Pyrix lay down next the sleeping bag, just as she did every night, while Eri turned to Arashi. "Do you want to sleep out here or in your Pokeball?"

"Pidg." Arashi shifted perches so he was sitting on a low-hanging branch above Eri's sleeping bag and tucked his beak under his wing.

"Guess that answers that question," Eri remarked with a shrug. She crawled into her sleeping bag and lay on her back. Pyrix snuggled closer and laid her head on Eri's chest to share her warmth with her trainer. Wrapping an arm around Pyrix's neck, Eri cast a glance at Arod and Arashi before letting her eyes drift shut.

Sometime during the middle of the night, Arod woke up and glanced around the clearing, momentarily disoriented. He noticed the bowl of food next to him and devoured it hungrily. He then noticed Eri sleeping on the other side of the burnt-out fire pit. A chilly breeze blew through the clearing, and Eri shivered in her sleep, despite having Pyrix sleeping next to her. Arod stood up, albeit at bit shakily, and made his way to where the others were sleeping. He folded his legs neatly underneath his body and lay down on Eri's other side in hopes that the added heat radiating from his body would stave off the chilly night air.

The soft sound of footsteps and rustling leaves roused Eri out of sleep. She felt glanced to the side that Pyrix wasn't sleeping on, and her eyes widened in surprise to see Arod looking back at her. He nickered softly and shifted closer to her to share his warmth.

"Thank you…" Eri whispered, giving a full, genuine smile. Pyrix opened one eye to see the touching scene, while Arashi fluttered down from his perch and settled on Arod's back, tucking his beak back under his wing. "Good night, everyone." Surrounded by her Pokemon, she drifted back to sleep, feeling happy and content for the first time since she had set out on this journey.

OOC: I certainly hope everyone else is still up to continue this RP!