[PKMN FULL] TRAINERS (IC)

Groc · Feb 16, 2021

Vera Hill
Chapter 7 - Fight On!
Route 11; Sunday, May 27th

Faced with a Machop, Vera goes for Ebony's ball, but stops herself. Ginger had been able to touch Ebony last time they'd met, and Vera still doesn't know how. If a little rabbit could manhandle a Ghost if she wanted to, a skilled martial artist (and future posing champion) might be able to as well. It might not be smart to put all her chips on Ebony's intangibility.

Instead, she goes for one of the new kids on the belt. "Show me what you got, Squitch!" She pulls out her Pokédex as well, quickly refreshing herself on the Inkay's moves.

"You have quite the collection. I like your style." The punk girl gives Vera another look, nodding appreciatively. "How do you have so many with you?"

"Guess I'm just that good." Vera sweeps a lock of hair behind her ear, her comment earning her a bemused frown from the girl. "...Journeying Trainer's license, okay? I'm challenging Gyms."

"That's fair. We just got fuckin' pet licenses, we can't have more than two each, and we can't battle for stakes or nothin'!"

Vera tilts her head in confusion. "Wait, why would a bunch of street toughs like you be so adamant about the law? Aren't you guys all about 'rebelling against the system', or whatever?"

"Man, don't judge us! You don't know our lives!" One of the boys calls out. The punk girl nods at his words. "He's right, you don't know what we're about. We live in a society, and while we may disagree with the rules of it, if we don't stay within certain lines, they'd take our Pokémon away. You be grateful for that Journey license, college girl. You don't know how good you have it. In fact, let me show you what it's like to not have Pokémon!"

"Huh-huh, it's funny because she's gonna knock out your dudes!" One of the punk boys adds. The girl scowls over her shoulder at him. "Yes, thank you for explaining the joke, Ben. You're such an asset to the group."

Vera quietly instructs Squitch to use Reflect while her opponents are squabbling. The little squid happily puts up a barrier between herself and her opponents. Vera smirks, raising her voice in mock impatience. "Hey, we doing this or what?"

"Yeah, yeah! Machop, use Low Sweep!" Machop rushes in, hesitating for a minute as it watches Squitch floating a few inches off the ground. It throws an arm out, swiping at Squitch's tentacles and causing her to flip over in mid-air. The added momentum actually makes her faster, and at Vera's command fires a Psybeam at Machop, her head lights flashing as she emits a stream of multicolored rings from her mouth.

"What was your plan? Try to trip something that can float? She doesn't even have feet."

"I... shut up!" Vera's heckling makes the girl angry, and her boys start whispering to each other. "What're you saying back there?"

"Squitch, use Hypnosis!" Vera again takes advantage of their distraction. Squitch's lights pulse and flash, causing Machop to stagger and fall asleep.

"Wha- hey! No fair! I was talkin' to my boys!"

Vera frowns, tossing her hair and crossing her arms. "Not my problem. You started this, remember? You give up, or do I have to beat you guys up more?"

The punk girl looks at the others, and they all look at each other in confusion. Tired of them wasting her time, Vera tells Squitch to blast Machop with another Psybeam. The girl yelps as Machop is blasted back, quickly recalling it to its ball. "Okay, okay! You win already!"

Furret pops up beside Vera offering another high five, which she happily accepts. "Now, I think you all should just go home, and leave the Pokémon out here alone."

The punks look at each other, then step forward menacingly. "Five on one, you said." The girl growls through gritted teeth. "You might have beat our Pokémon, but we're tougher than you!"

Vera legitimately didn't expect this, instinctively stepping back from the intimidating teens. One of them tries to grab her, but Squitch wraps her two longer tentacles around his arm, making him flinch. Two more rush her at once, and Furret jumps to her defense, getting them both with Fury Swipes.

Vera tosses another ball, sending out Ebony. His eyes glow an angry red as he hovers protectively over Vera, and the punks fall back. "F-forget it, boys! She's not worth it!" The punks beat a hasty retreat, running forward along the road to Vermillion.

"Yeah, go ahead and run! And don't let me catch you out here again!" Vera yells after them, while Goblin cackles in delight. She waits a moment, then lets out her breath, slumping slightly as the adrenaline fades. Her hands are shaking, and Ebony immediately nuzzles up against her in concern.

"Way to go, kid! You really showed them!"

Vera jumps at the unfamiliar voice, turning to see a short man in khaki shorts and vest approaching her, holding his hat in place with one hand as he runs. He looks like a tourist, and based on the tour bus behind him, he probably is.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Vera takes a step back, distrustful of this man. Goblin and Ebony both hide behind her, peeking out over her shoulders, while Squitch just floats lazily to the side.

"Oh, sorry! Where are my manners? My name is Shane, and I saw your feat from the bus! Not many Trainers could take on five opponents in a row like that, but when I saw those ruffians come after you, I couldn't just sit idly and do nothing! But, it appears you didn't need my help."

He's quite energetic, and didn't stand still for a moment during his little speech. Vera looks at him warily, the way you'd look at a small dog that won't stop barking at you. "Right... I'm gonna keep walking, now..."

Shane moves in front of her, blocking her path. "Oh, but I haven't properly thanked you! Who knows what they would have done if you hadn't come by?"

Vera rolls her eyes, forcing herself not to get mad. "They were just dumb teens, they couldn't do much. It's not a big deal."

"Oh, but it is!" Shane wags his finger at Vera. "It's a very big deal to that Furret, and likely every other poor, innocent Pokémon they could have come across!"

Vera looks back at Furret, who is sitting just a few feet behind her, watching Shane nervously. It grins happily when it sees her looking at it.

Okay, that's cute... Vera smiles back, making her face look neutral as she turns back to Shane. "Okay, you have a point."

"Of course I do! I'm an excellent judge of character." He winks at Vera, which is kinda creepy. "I'm part of the Pokémon Fan Club, specifically the Vermillion chapter. We were the first chapter, and are still the best. You should come on the bus with us! Want to join the Pokémon Fan Club?"

"No, that sounds really stu- I mean... no thank you. I don't really like busses, I had a bad experience on one once. I'll just keep walking."

"Are you sure?" Shane seems sad, but perks right back up. "That's fine, but please take this as a token of my appreciation!" He fishes something out of his pocket, offering it to Vera.

She reluctantly accepts it, looking it over curiously. "Thank you... what is it?"

"Why, it's a Gold Star Voucher, my dear! It's a very good thing to have in Vermillion. With it, you can-"

A sudden gust of wind pulls the voucher from Vera's grip, sending it tumbling through the air and headed further into the grasslands. "Hey! Come back here!" Vera chases after it, her Pokémon following her. After a moment, Furret chases after her as well, leaving Shane alone by the side of the road.

"Come find me at the Fan Club later!" He calls after her, before making his way back to the bus.

QueenNothing · Feb 16, 2021

Gwen Alanis
May 26th, Sunday, Afternoon

It's unthinkable to her how someone could treat a Pokémon with such cruelty.

Sure, someone could see this as hypocrisy on Gwen's part for having eaten Pokémon meat when offered to her, but to her that's just an extension of the food chain- afterall, Pokémon eat other Pokémon in the wild. Why should she be different? Plus, the meat goes to good use anyways.

What Winston and Tucker did to that Sandile however, is a completely different story. They just threw rocks at it when they both have Pokémon, which Gwen considers unquestionably unethical, and hurting a Pokémon is the absolute worst thing anyone can do, according to Gwen.

Although… This does make an uncomfortable question impossible to avoid: is Pokemon battling unethical?

Her gut answer is a simple "No", and if someone asked, she'd laugh it off as a ludicrous question. But when actually thinking about it, she struggles to think of a meaningful difference between pelting a Pokemon with pebbles as opposed to pelting them with a Seel's Ice Shard. As she treks forward, this question continuously stumps her and takes up all her mental capacity, drowning out her surroundings- nothing new for Gwen, of course.

This thought leads her down several rabbit holes. Is it wrong to abduct Pokémon from their habits and keep them as trainers usually do? Is shoving a Rotom inside a Pokedex or phone immoral? Hell, the existence of Rotom and similar Pokémon is pretty weird- Porygon is a digital Pokémon created to work in cyberspace. What are the implications of that??? When taking a step back, the relationship between humans and Pokémon can seem really skewed in favor of humans.

A lot of trainers don't treat their Pokémon very well. Some trainers, such as Winston, see them as trophies, and there are people like Morgrem guy who do despicable things to and with them. She even remembers hearing from Jenny before she enrolled in Cape about how it's not uncommon that a new trainer will get upset with their disobedient Pokémon and treat them like shit, sometimes going as far to abandon them at a daycare or even worse, just straight-up releasing them… although as much as Gwen likes to act like she's above this, after this morning she can't act like she's completely exempt.

She's pushed her Pokémon to their limits pretty often, especially Tusk. Come to think of it, she's had a lot of problems specifically with Tusk: he's thrown fits for not getting his way and he's picked fights with Pokémon regardless of the likely outcome. Sure, she might be a little harsh on him sometimes, but who can blame him? He's arrogant, reckless, unprepared, inconsiderate, inattentive… and those all describe Gwen as well.

God fucking damnit, I hate it when I'm right.

She starts to make a connection in her mind. She really isn't super different from the dragon-type. Hell, that's basically one thing Doryu's training was trying to teach her. The way she treats her Pokémon when she gets mad starts to become reminiscent of how people treated her when she lived back in Unova- that alone is what makes her realize it's important she tries harder at understanding her Pokémon. If she can even draw that comparison it doesn't seem far off to say it could be a slippery slope to throwing pebbles at a lone wild Sandile.

There's a word for what she needs to achieve this. It's a word she absolutely despised, but there's no getting around it: She needs to be patient.

Nobody said the life of a trainer would be easy.

Gwen's team

budube · Feb 16, 2021

Bruno Dillinger
May 25, Saturday

Chapter 6, Final: Heading to Route 11

Evening, Route 12

It was still early by the time Bruno finished his task at the swamp. By the time he reached the fisherman's house, he still had plenty of time to take a nap and hit the road once again at night or in the very early morning.

Without the sound of Wingull and fisherpeople yelling how their next Magikarp is a bigger one than the one before, the sound of the waves can be heard with much more clarity than in the early afternoon.

Bruno holds a pink, somewhat hairy Impidimp egg he got from the wild Grimmsnarl before leaving the swamp. That's not a gift he would have expected to receive, and now he doesn't know what to do with it. It's not as if he could just not accept it either, the Grimmsnarl wouldn't let him. Maybe it felt Bruno would take good care of it after Klink destroyed the device? That's probably it, yeah. He still finds it weird someone would hand over their child as a way to say thanks, but he won't discuss other species' way of thinking when he still can't fully understand his own.

…

Actually, he will.

It's not saying he won't question it and try to make sense out of it, just that he is still trying to figure out if he really did the right thing or not back there, that he can't really think about the egg. It's something that will bother him for the rest of the day, and tomorrow as well, most likely.

It's not that it matters much, either. Whatever conclusion he makes out of it won't change anything. The egg is his now. He was trusted with it. He can't just leave it on the ground and walk away.

But he was trusted with recovering the devices from the factories too and he failed with fulfilling that task.

… This is giving him a headache.

According to his map, Route 11 isn't too far away from where he was stopped at first. So in the end, he did cross the place in a day, which is exactly what he wanted to do, although he might have to stop at some point to sleep for good. A nap is not enough and he could get exhausted at any moment, that's something that he has made pretty clear to himself since this journey started.

Thankfully, he did eat already… Pokémon meat the fisherpeople offered him, that is. It's a rare thing for people in Kanto, and even though his mother has told him several times it's pretty common in Hoenn, he is still not used to it, the Pokémon products he's consumed before reduce themselves to Moo Moo Milk, after all.

His Pokémon didn't eat anything, though. Why would they? Bumblebee and Shir are herbivores, Gospel is gas, and Klink… he still doesn't know, Bruno doesn't even know if Klink even require to be fed since they pretty much act like machines. The closest thing to food they might require is electricity, maybe. The same one they use for their attacks. Something that would help them charge like a battery.

That could be a decent name… Coulomb. That's the unit for electric charge, if he remembers correctly. Maybe Volt, although that one is for electric potential and there's probably a thousand Pokémon called that by now.

"Do you like that name, Coulomb?" he asks to the Pokémon, which has been traveling by his side all along.

They spin at a high speed to both sides as an answer, while they repeatedly blink their two eyes. He isn't sure what it means. He'll say 'yes', just because that's what is convenient for him. He still has to learn to understand that language, though.

"I like it too." he takes another look at the map. Trying to point out exactly where he is with the help of his PokéGear as well. "We almost reach Route 11. It shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to get there. I don't think you can get exhausted from this, though, am I right?"

There's no answer from them, other than empty blinking. Maybe they can't even understand him.

"Let's keep moving, shall w-"

"Brunoooo!"

Bruno's Party:

Bruno art by Aquacorde

QueenNothing · Feb 18, 2021

Gwen Alanis
May 26th, Sunday, Afternoon

The grueling hunt for food in a Salandit's daily life isn't much worth bragging about. Right now is the time of day where the many males are ordered by the Salazzle that lead the congress to hunt for food, usually targeting easy prey such as Kriketot or Dedenne.

The crowd disperses, with smaller groups of Salandit going in seperate directions for their hunt- although one individual Salandit, a smaller one with a white body that clashes against the color of his peers, crawls across the ground without any company. This individual Salandit prefers to hunt by himself, even if that puts him at a disadvantage if he runs into herds of larger Pokémon, but he'd rather be stomped by a Bouffolant stampede than deal with the consequences of not returning any food- after all, Salazzle can be very cruel to their underlings.

He has a reason he likes being alone: his size and mismatching color make him a ripe target for others to pick on. This has been happening for as long as he can remember, and his constant timidness has made it all the more difficult to fight back. He wishes he could just run away, but it wouldn't be long before he's found, returned to the congress, and severely punished.

There really isn't much other choice than to live with the hand he's dealt. He tells himself it's not so bad, but he absolutely knows that's a lie. He despises the role he's forced into, and a lot of times he wishes he could grow up to become a Salazzle to lead a happier life… but that's impossible. He'll be lucky if he can even live to the age where female Salandit evolve, because the Salazzle horde so much food there isn't enough to go around for everyone, so surviving is a luxury for the species. It's unfortunate, but he's deluding himself if he thinks he can escape this life.

All of this is why it comes as no surprise when a few of them taunt him to get his attention. Even though they should be hunting for prey, they always waste this part of their day picking on the white Salandit, who freezes in place, knowing escaping is futile- three average-sized Salandit could easily catch-up to a single tiny one- and trembles while curling up to brace himself.

One of the three cackles before harshly swiping his claws across the white Salandit's back, and the other two join in without hesitation. It doesn't hurt that much at least- he's grown used to it. As the Salandit trio all take turns to deliver a blow, he just waits for it to be over with.

A loud roar is heard from behind the commotion. The trio turn their heads around, eyes widened at the three Salazzle quickly heading their way. They catch up in no time and just as swiftly slap the aggressor Salandit gang across their faces. This is usually when the white Salandit's misery ends, but there are some days where his patheticness is so infuriating for the Salazzle that they decide to join in- and this happens to be one of those days.

The tallest of the Salazzle extends her tongue out to use Fire Lash against Salandit's back. The burning slap of a flaming tongue is much harder to resist, leaving him more susceptible to a scratch, which is followed up with a Fire Lash from another Salazzle, and that's followed with a second scratch.

They continue to attack in that order and form a pattern, and all Salandit can hope for is that he'll be left with enough strength to gather food, as he's fully aware he'll face this again if he returns nothing. Soon enough, it'll all be over...

"HEY! What the fuck are you doing!?!?"

That's different.

Everyone's attention immediately shifts over to the source of the cry, seeing a human girl with a Pikachu and Misdreavus with her. An insurmountable amount of rage is visible from her eyes which are fixated on the ruckus as she stands firmly with her hands on her hips. "Leave that Pokémon alone!"

The Salazzle and Salandit maliciously cackle in unison, and the tall Salazzle spits an Ember her way. The girl's reflexes are fast enough to counter this, grabbing a Pokeball and sending out a Quagsire to take the hit. He doesn't seem to mind at all- at least that's what it looks like when he holds his blank expression.

"Marshall, use Water Gun on all of them except the white one!" Just as commanded, the Quagsire squirts pressurized water at the antagonistic Pokémon, being extra careful to avoid the fearful Salandit. The group of fire-types don't put up much of a fight, since the super effective attack causes them all to screech in pain and jump back. They do manage to shake it off though, hissing at the girl and her Pokémon to intimidate her.

"That's nothing! Rain Dance!" Quagsire jumps up and down, and the water that soaks the Salandit and Salazzles is lifted from their body and forms into a cloud that pours rain on the group. The downpour is too much for them to take, and they all decide it's best to flee.

"Hey! Get back here you cowards!" The girl shouts, shaking her fist. She looks as if she's about ready to start chasing after them, but her Misdreavus forcefully nudges her head downwards so she makes eye contact with the lone Salandit. "Oh, right! Sorry, I forgot about you, but what those other Pokémon did to you is unthinkable! It makes me so goddamn fucking mad! I swear, if I could just get my hands on them I'd make them pay for what they did!" She stops her rant when getting another glimpse at the Salandit who crawls forward from the rain cloud. "Oh, err, but I was about to say, the color of your body is really neat and rare, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me!"

The girl's enthusiasm is a beacon of light for the small Pokémon. All he'd know his entire life was cruelty from his entire congress, and even if this girl clearly has some flaws, the prospect of being in her care excites him to no end. He nods his head in a nervous frenzy, making eye contact with the grinning girl.

"Great! Now before I catch you, how about I give you a name! Your albino skin gives me some ideas, so how about I call you Albert!"

That prospect certainly isn't exciting. He shakes his head "No" in repulsion.

"Oh, uh, huh. I've never had a Pokémon reject a nickname like that before. How about something like uh... Allen!"

Salandit only shakes his head again. "Uhhh, okay what about Alec?" Once more, he gives a furious shake of disapproval.

"Whatever, we can figure that out later." She exhales. "For now though, welcome to the team!"

Being hit by a Pokeball is pretty alarming, but Salandit had gotten used to minor damage by now- plus, the fact that things can only go up from here gives him enough enthusiasm that overpowers any pain he could ever feel.

Gwen's team

moon · Feb 20, 2021

Ralph & Jordan
Sunday, May 26th, Morning
Route 12, Abandoned Office Complex

Jordan awoke to a shuffling noise next to him. He glanced over. The burning chair had, unsurprisingly, gone out overnight, and Tangles was huddled up beside him. He stifled a yawn. It wasn't the best sleep they'd ever had, but hey, they made it through the night.

As he stood up to pack away his sleeping bag, he looked over at Ralph's corner. She was still soundly sleeping, the tiniest of snores escaping her open mouth. He checked the time on his PokeGear and looked back up at the sleeping girl. Right. I'm not traveling with Casey anymore.

He tapped his foot on the ground, unsure of what to do. Should I wake her? Should I wait? Should I just leave a note and go?

The tapping had awakened someone, but not Ralph. A gentle prod on his leg made Jordan look down. It was Ralph's Sandslash who had walked up to him. The egg was still carefully held in its arms. The Elekid had been sleeping near Jordan's own critters, surprisingly, but the icy Sandshrew had curled up close to her own trainer. Now, the Sandslash blinked up at Jordan curiously.

"Oh, h-hey, you." He reached down and awkwardly patted its head. The spiky creature was a little intimidating, but Jordan relaxed as he contentedly allowed the boy to pet him. "Don't suppose you know when she wakes up, hm?"

Sandsy turned towards the windows, where the early morning sun was peeking in between the dark trees. Looks like they were getting a small bit of nice weather… Before the looming storm clouds further out rolled back in. They probably should leave as fast as they could. The mouse shook its head towards Jordan.

Jordan sighed. "Well, I suppose we can wait." He looked around, trying to find something to do. The drab furnishings of the room weren't particularly inspiring, but he smiled as another idea crossed his mind. "Do you want to spar a little bit? We can move some of the furniture out of the way, and you and Tangles can…"

His voice trailed off as he found his Tangela sitting off to the side, still cradling the Egg. She shot him a look, indicating she did not want to battle.

"Okay, Mom," He grumbled under his breath. "Who else…?" As he scanned the room, Sage bounded towards them, jumping into Sandsy. "Um, sure. You can spar with Sage."

Sandsy was quiet for a second, and glanced between his own egg and his trainer. Then he turned around and squeaked at somebody else. Jolty looked surprised, but then shrugged and jogged forwards like a small sparkly boulder, throwing a calm grin in Sage's direction. He had clearly accepted the sparring suggestion in Sandsy's place, while the Sandslash contentedly wandered over to take a seat next to the other surrogate parent in the room.

Jordan grinned. "Smart, she taught you your Type advantages and disadvantages well. Alright, well, help me move these."

With the Elekid's aid, they cleared out just enough room for their makeshift battlefield. It was still a little cramped, but the furniture was up against the wall, at least, as was the still deeply sleeping Ralph. As soon as there was space, Sage darted towards Jolty playfully.

"Oh, we're starting? We're starting. Right." Jordan took a few steps backwards. He figured since Ralph wasn't up, he would not intervene as much to keep the playing field fair, letting the two train casually. As expected, with no commands, Sage defaulted to opening with Play Nice, prancing around the Elekid.

Jolty smiled at the goat as he followed it with his eyes; Play Nice as an opening move certainly solidified that this was light sparring for fun. So next he started winding his arms up, quickly and just enough to power the intended move, before he fired off a Thunder Wave towards the Skiddo.

Sage stumbled back lightly, momentarily stunned. Her movements stiffened, and she looked at her Trainer with an expression of bewilderment. Jordan decided to step in briefly, just to see if she was still capable of attacking. "It's okay, Sage. Try Razor Leaf."

Without Ralph there to guide him into some form of fast dodge or counter move, Jolty just took the attack head on, only shielding himself with his strong arms. The blades cut into them, making him cringe, but not yelp. So much for 'playing nice'! In retaliation, he fired off his own Swift attack as soon as the Razor Leaf ended.

The Paralysis seemed to have set in more rigidly at this point. Sage's body crackled with electricity, and even with Jordan's gentle encouragement, she could not muster up another attack or dodge the Swift. "It's okay," He repeated. "We'll just have to wait it out."

But Jolty wasn't a ruthless kid. Upon seeing that Sage was now in trouble and had sustained damage too, he stopped his assault and instead put on a smile again, before he suddenly almost vanished from sight. A gust of wind alerted Jordan and the others that the Elekid was now darting around the room. There he was, right next to Sage, grinning for a split second. Then he was suddenly on top of the nearest table, blowing raspberries to tease the goat. Catch me if you can!

The Skiddo's anxiety seemed to calm a bit as her playful demeanor returned. Jordan laughed as she stumbled clumsily after Jolty, occasionally stiffening up with a few static-y crackles. They continued their little game for a while, until Sage's movements were completely unhindered again. She shook off the last bit of electricity from one of her hooves, stomping lightly. Unprompted, she started throwing… something at the Elekid. Oh. Leech Seed. Of course. She was lobbing them gently at him, and they were easily avoidable.

The Elekid's Quick Attack had calmed down, but he was still able to jump away or duck under the seeds. Once, he stopped to once again blow raspberries at Sage, but that meant that he only barely had time to roll aside from the next volley of Leech Seed. Triumphantly, he got back up and grinned towards Sandsy and Tangles nearby, who had been watching the whole thing with mild interest (and arms or vines even more carefully folded around their treasures). But a shrill shriek made even them jump.

Jordan sharply turned towards the noise. Uh-oh. Probably should have told them to be more careful on that side. He didn't really have to look to know who it was, but he'd whipped his head around to see a wide eyed Ralph jumping up and down on top of her sleeping bag. She seemed to desperately be trying to rip away green tendrils that were still spreading, intermingling with her countless purple braids. The blue Sandshrew was helplessly flailing about next to her.

"Get off get off get off!"

"Oh. Oh, my," Jordan rushed over with Sage in tow, suppressing his urge to laugh at the scene, as he tried to pluck the seed from her head. The Skiddo tailed along curiously, seemingly unaware she had done a bad thing. She sniffed Ralph's bowed down head, tail wagging.

"Ouch, ouch," Ralph yittered but forced herself to stop clawing at her own hair and let the boy help, even as a weird, icy sensation tingled her scalp where a small vine had managed to touch her.

"Okay, I think it's stopped spreading- um, hold still," A lot of the smaller sprouts broke easily, but some were rooted pretty deeply and took a bit of dexterity to untangle and then pull loose.

"Mmh," Ralph sounded, strained but making an effort to stand still, not a big fan of the helpless feeling.

Finally, the bulb snapped free, and Jordan tossed it back at Sage, who snorted. "Alright, you're free." Jordan celebrated timidly before jumping up on his feet again, hoping that was enough to pacify the girl.

She stood up, grunted and pulled her own hands through her hair. "Ughh, I thought-"

But she stopped before she finished that, shaking her head to herself before looking up at the others and seeing Jordan's amused expression. Letting her hands fall, she also let out a breath and felt adrenaline simmer away. Standing there in front of him in the early light in just the shorts and sweatshirt she'd slept in didn't really make her embarrassed either.

"Okay, I can appreciate a wake-up prank," she said. "But jeez. Not the hair, okay?"

Jordan smiled with relief - maybe it was the early morning and she still wasn't fully awake yet, but her reaction was milder than he expected. "Right, we'll be more careful next time. Had some time to kill, so I just let them spar for a bit, hope that's okay." He gestured towards Sage and Jolty.

Ralph glanced at Jolty, who pretended to be very interested in Coldy's tail all of a sudden. The Alolan Sandshrew huffed and swapped him in the face with it.

"Heh. That's fine I guess, as long as you didn't go all out," the trainer said with a shrug, followed by a huge yawn. "Did I sleep in? Can't blame me though, yesterday was a mess. Oh, great, it's starting to rain again." She wrinkled her nose as she looked out the windows, and then went to shuffle through her backpack for clean clothes. "What time is it anyways?"

"Uh, it's almost 6 now," Jordan checked his PokeGear again. "We can move out whenever you're ready, I think Route 11 is that way. Not much left for us to do around here, I don't think."

Ralph froze and stared at him, unblinking, one hand deep in her backpack. He looked up from his PokeGear blankly when he heard the shuffling stop.

"Almost six? Almost six?"

She put the backpack down and walked back to her sleepingbag on the floor, shaking her head violently.

"Funny prank, funny," she muttered as she started to crawl back inside it. "You really got me there, Jordan."

"W- hey, no! Don't go back to sleep. 'The early worm gets the-' wait, no. I mean, 'the early bird-" Jordan began, but he went quiet as they heard voices faintly conversing from the outside. He moved towards a window. "You hear that? I think someone's coming this way. See, lotta people start their days around this time-"

"Great, maybe you and the other worms can play together until us humans wake up," Ralph said, her voice muffled through the sleeping bag she had pulled up above her head.

But Sandsy had gotten up on his feet now, as if he was smelling something interesting. He moved up to the window next to Jordan and peered out together with the boy.

"Seven!" Jordan heard a familiar voice, as he scanned the area outside the window.

He and the Sandslash watched quietly for a moment, until he felt a jab from Sandsy and glanced in the direction he was pointing. Jordan squinted. In the distance, he could make out three human figures, and a small party of Pokemon in tow. As they walked closer to a nearby factory, Sage trotted over to the window as well, pressing her nose up against the glass. One of the humans was unmistakably…

"Casey?" Jordan's heart jumped a little, slightly excited, but also a little anxious.

Behind him, Ralph briskly sat up at that.

"Sage, stop that, you're fogging up the glass." Jordan lifted his shirt a little to wipe away the condensation. The Skiddo complied, but her tail was wagging furiously at the sight of the other little, green goat in their party, who seemed to be randomly throwing out Razor Leaves.

"What, is he, uh, coming over to here?" Ralph asked, and suddenly felt very self-conscious in her wilderness morning mess.

"Uh, not really - looks like they're checking out another dead factory closeby," He was accompanied by two others, a lady with a Cinccino, and another classmate of theirs. "Huh, guess he ran into Gwen," Jordan commented. "Wonder if they're running errands for the Doc, too."

The dark haired girl looked a little… irritated, for some reason, but he didn't have much time to ponder that, as a jet of fire suddenly shot out from Pepper at the settling leaves, making the boy jump. They didn't appear to be fighting; must just be some new training thing.

"Oh," Ralph said, and frowned. If the weird ghost girl was there, she didn't really have the energy to bother with them at this ridiculous hour. "Yeah, they probably got the same deal from the Doc as we did. I wonder if they'll actually get them the machines back…"

Jordan shrugged. "Hope not, if it's getting the same creepy devices to them. But maybe they'll find a way to do it without disturbing the residents."

Ralph sighed and stood back up, resigned to not getting any more sleep after all now.

"I'm sure we'll see them again, we're all taking the same route after all, right?" she said, hoping Jordan wouldn't insist on heading out to catch Casey, and went on to change the topic to further ensure that. "I'm not tired anymore, by the way. Wanna see if we have some scraps left for breakfast, Jordad?"

The boy turned around. "Huh, you don't want to say 'hi'...?"

Ralph grimaced, halfway through putting on some tight jeans but not caring to shy away just because her classmate turned around - unlike how he had acted when roles were reversed the day before. She ignored his reddening cheeks now, briskly finishing before she went on to try to put her purple braids up in a huge, messy bun while she spoke.

"Follow them back into another moldy ruin infested with pokémon who think we are the villains? No thanks. We'll just get in their way anyways; they have Pepper, and that Gwen girl is actually good at battling too. I saw it in Lavender."

Maybe that was for the best. Jordan preferred to catch him alone later so they could really talk. "Eh, you're right, plenty of time to catch up in Vermillion or something. Now, let's see about that breakf- what, what is it?"

He was interrupted by a frantic Tangles, still holding the Egg, but flailing her other vines at him to get his attention. "Is the Egg hatching already, what..?"

Ralph finished tying her bun and raised her eyebrows at them as she walked closer. She had never seen an egg hatch before.

The Tangela puffed up and down in what Jordan assumed was a deep exhale, before gently passing off her Egg to Sandsy. The mouse went wide-eyed and firmly stayed seated on the ground, looking like his now dual cargo was the weight of the world. Ralph could swear she saw some sweat start to appear in his face.

The grass type pokémon mimed out a series of actions, and to Ralph's amused surprise, her Trainer somehow strung together meaning from it.

"A baby... 'baby', but not the Egg. Tree. Baby tree. Baby plant. Oh. Well, can it wait after we eat? No?" Jordan sighed.

"She wants to grow a plant?" Ralph tried, confused.

"Tangles has a little potted plant she is… quite attached to. I think with everything that went down here, she'd misplaced it somewhere. Probably in this building." God, I hope. He privately added, not wanting to retrace their steps all the way back to Lavender. "I'm gonna check the office we were in earlier with her, maybe go back downstairs, sometimes she leaves it behind cover for safekeeping when she's in a battle. Hope the pot didn't get smashed during the fight… ow!" Tangles gave his ankle a swat as he said that. "I'm sure it's fine, and somewhere in here."

"Aha," Ralph said, nodding. "Sure hope it's nearby yeah. Um."

She looked around for a moment. Jordan was already fully dressed and looked ready to go. Crazy early worm. Herself, she could use a little bit more time to pack up and prepare. And her stomach was practically growling.

"I'm gonna just… get my stuff together. If you wanna wait. Or maybe while you're looking for baby plant. I mean," she continued, and suddenly realized she was rambling. Was she nervous? Why? "If you want to head out of here together, of course. We don't gotta." She shrugged and tried her best to look nonchalant, probably overdoing it. "We got here on our own, after all. We probably have our own plans."

"Hm? Yeah, I don't see why not - stick together, I mean," He added quickly, but clearly distracted by the distraught Tangela. "Tell you what, why don't you guys eat first, and we'll meet you back here when we find the plant. Or, like, along the route, if you wanna head off first. Honestly no idea how long this is gonna take, so don't wait up if it's taking too long." Jordan smiled.

He didn't say it out loud, but knowing Ralph, he might even return to find her fallen back asleep, but he'd also feel bad if she was sitting around waiting on him to get going.

"Okay. Sounds good," the girl said, a bright grin back on her features now. His response had put her at ease.

Meanwhile, Jolty and Coldy were standing next to a very strained Sandsy, who squeaked slightly and got his trainer's attention. She sighed and carefully grabbed Jordan's egg from him. Its texture was unlike anything she'd felt before. Sandsy let out a deep breath, and Jolty pet him on the back kindly.

"I'm not sure we dare to hold on to this for you. But we can if you wanna? Who knows if Psyduck changes its mind and tries to take it back if you go down there again," she added jokingly.

Before Jordan could respond, Tangles had already extended vines to accept it back on his behalf, cradling it close.

"Oh- I guess that settles that." He commented. "I don't know how she's gonna hold onto a plant and an Egg, but I guess she has enough limbs. Well, here's hoping we are still on good terms with the duck and its gang. Wish us luck!"

He picked up his backpack and awkwardly leaned in for a parting hug, but hovered his arm weirdly as Ralph's expression made it clear that she was not expecting that. Before he could think of retreating, however, she did take a step forward and hugged him briefly.

"Good luck," she said when parting, not looking directly at him. "See you later, then."

Jordan grinned. "Thanks. Later!" With a small wave, he turned towards the door and held it open for his Pokemon before disappearing through it himself.

Aquacorde · Feb 20, 2021

Casey Holt & Arianne Chandler

Sunday, May 26, 2019 // Afternoon, Day 7
Route 11 // North-Central

7-06. scrambled

Casey chats with Arianne as he walks- still hand-in-hand with Pepper- about this and that and whatever they think of. It's nice to have an actual conversation partner- he'd been mildly disappointed when Richard hadn't wanted to walk together, but it was nothing to fuss about. Just would've been nice. But now he's got Arianne and her idealistic worldview, and that's interesting too. Her fun quirks almost make up for her poor choices of Pokémon.

The two ungulates continue to frolic ahead of them, with the tag-along Phanpy looking alternately delighted and terrified at Parsley's sudden movements. Eventually, in the distance, Casey spots some sort of tour bus, which is something to angle toward. And as they get closer, shapes between them and the bus resolve themselves into humanoid figures.

"Hey, more people!" Casey exclaims. "Think they're from our class?"

"Hm… another one of those buses, uh?" Arianne tries to see better as well. "Last one was full of people I've never seen, but who knows. Let's get closer!"

As they approach, it becomes clear that these people aren't anyone Casey knows- and he knows everyone from school, so they must not be Cape students. They're older teens, he thinks, a little bit bored-looking and definitely not dressed for a real adventure. But that's not the main thing he fixates on- it's the small group of little fluffy Pokémon trying and repeatedly failing to walk away from the humans dragging them back.

Espurr are psychic types, he knows, weird little fuzzy things with unchanging expressions and unblinking eyes. Even through being pushed and tossed around, their fur being mussed and their big-headed bodies unbalanced over and over, their expressions don't change a bit. It's only their actions- the slow, determined beeline away from their tormentors every time they are set down- that clue Casey in on this being something they really don't want.

Arianne halts and Casey follows suit, glancing at her curiously. She's looking at the group of Espurr with a worried expression. She clenches her fist and throws a glance at Casey, then, without any warning-

"Excuse me, what do you think you're doing to those Pokémon?" Arianne yells, striding toward the group of teens and gesturing for Casey to follow her. Yeah, she's the type to do that, isn't she? he thinks. But he obliges, patting Parsley as he catches up to them and getting a pinch of static shock for his gesture.

"Stay together," he says, making sure the Blitzle can hear him too. "I'm for real serious, baby boy. Stick with us."

"What's it look like?" one of the antagonists sneers in reply to Arianne. "We're playing." He scoops up an Espurr before it gets too far away and tosses into the air. Little bursts of pink energy flood from its folded ears as they're turned up by the fall and stop as soon as the guy catches it again.

Huh. He hadn't thought about what the ears keeping a lid on their power would actually look like in practise, but it makes sense.

"Well, can't you play with actual toys instead of Espurr? They're clearly not enjoying it." Arianne's righteous anger does little to convince the trio.

"What do you think we are, babies?" One of the others mocks, giving a pair of Espurr a shove to see them topple. Little bursts of pink make an appearance again, quickly brought under control.

"Pokémon are dangerous," Casey says mildly. "And Psychic ones like these mess with your head." The teenagers finally look at him rather than Arianne. The one that's been quiet thus far ducks their head and averts their eyes, but the other two are more brazen.

"What are they going to do? Make us sneeze?" One of the Espurr sneezes, as if on cue, and they laugh.

"Well, Pokémon can do this!" Arianne throws her right arm in the air, showing off her Honedge's mark. "Who knows, they may control you and drain your energy without you noticing!" She lets out a chuckle, which Casey thinks is absolutely insane.

"Why do you keep that thing, it's not funny-" Casey hisses, but his opinions are drowned out by the teen's reply.

"That's just myth," they shrug. "And these little lumps can't do that anyway." They pick one up and dangle it by the arm and it goes limp, as each Espurr does every time, resigned to whatever it will be put through next. "See? Just a doll."

"Sorry Casey, really… I had to try that out. But it's not as bad as I just put it." Arianne whispers. Casey rolls his eyes. Delusional, really. No respect for Pokémon's abilities from her, either. "Anyway, what do we do?"

Two of them, his three Pokémon, a wild Phanpy and Blitzle, three teenagers, seven Espurr in various states of dizziness. The Espurr in the hands of the teenager makes unblinking eye contact with him for a long moment.

It's disquieting.

The Espurr is flung high into the air, and Casey's not the type to make plans. He just does.

"Parsley, catch it!"

A vine shoots out, wrangling the falling Espurr by a foot. It swings upside-down, fluffy ears flopping over and-

Pink energy flashes over the area, dropping everyone to the ground as they clutch their heads, brains swimming through dizzying fog. Casey forces his eyes open against the onslaught- when did he fall?- and sees Parsley's vine go limp and the Espurr right itself. The energy dissipates but the ringing in his ears persists and his limbs feel like jelly as he struggles to pull himself into a seated position. Pepper wiggles beside him, obviously struggling as well and not achieving much but rolling further away, and Ginger falls from her place on his collar and bounces to the ground as her grip weakens.

"Baby boy?" he mumbles, tongue thick in his mouth. Parsley snorts, and the Phanpy and Blitzle snuffle in return. Blitzle... "Arianne?"

"M-me? ...Oh, Casey?"

Arianne is there for sure, off to his left, and her voice is just as unsteady as his. She doesn't even try to get up, and just stares at the sky mindlessly. "W-what was that…?"

"Espurr. Their ears keep their power in check, right?" His tongue feels better as he starts talking, but the dizziness is overpowering. He closes his eyes. "All that power scrambled us. Told y'all psychic types rough you up!" A groan from the direction of the teenagers is all he gets in response.

Casey clicks his tongue. The sensation of vertigo persists, but he can still listen. The bus in the distance is chugging closer. The gentle shuffling must be the Espurr, because his own Pokémon don't sound like that. Pepper, somewhere to his right, grumbles and thumps his tail into the ground. Parsley's hooves kick at the dusty ground as he tries to get them underneath himself. And Ginger grabs at his pants unsteadily, rapid little inhales letting him know she's sniffing at something. At him? No, her head is angled to his right…

Casey's eyes snap open as he inhales, head swiveling to the right despite the wave of dizzy nausea that sends him reeling, barely catching himself from crashing sideways into the ground. "Pepper!"

Dark smoke streams into the sky as the brush around Pepper catches further aflame, crackling and popping and jumping from shrub to shrub, racing through dry grasses. "Phanpy, do the thing!" he frantically demands, but the prone elephant just whines and flails its empty trunk. "Damn it- Arianne! There's a fire, give the Phanpy a Chesto Berry-"

"There's what?" The girl finally tries to get up, and her eyes finally become more focused, as if they snapped into place. "Oh! Eric!" She scrambles to reach her Wartortle's PokéBall, finally calling him out before pulling out the Chesto Berry from her back, just a few seconds after. "Here it is!" She exclaims proudly, as Eric fires off some quick Water Pulses. The Phanpy reaches for Arianne's berry and marches determinedly towards the fire- slowly, unsteadily, until it trips once more and lays on the ground.

"It's fine, do it from there-" Casey can hardly move his own body, struggling to drag himself toward Pepper, cowering from the water in the middle of his own flames, but the Phanpy releases the berry's energy and the cold splash of water spiraling out from its trunk gets him moving enough to shield the Charmeleon from the brunt of it. "C'mere, c'mere," he gasps, smoke stinging his throat, and Pepper scrambles into his arms. Casey staggers to his feet. If he can keep Pepper's tail out of the grasses, then-

But it's too little, too late. The fire is spreading too fast for them to control on their own, and the cowering teenagers are no help. Nor are the Espurr, flames flickering in their large, reflective eyes as they are forcibly crowded together with their former tormentors.

Casey hates this helplessness; all he can do is have Ginger get into his backpack and funnel the few remaining Chesto berries to Phanpy. It and Eric can only do so much, and Arianne can only boost the supply chain to Phanpy. There's nothing else they can-

A flash of light from beyond the wall of smoke barely precedes a localized rain, and bursting bubbles quench any flame they come in contact with. Eric benefits from the rain as well, and his attacks grow in power as Arianne looks delighted, seeing the fire finally getting quenched. "All good, Casey?" She yelps, still failing to stand up properly. As the flames sputter, the tour bus comes into focus through the steam and a Politoed waddles towards them, followed closely by a middle-aged woman dressed in a very stereotypical safari outfit.

"Yeah, yeah." He sits back down as the adrenaline wears off and the vertigo surfaces once more, Pepper still in his arms. He's getting rescued again, isn't he? What's up with this?

"Now, what happened here?" The woman's voice is firm as she places hands on her hips and definitely spears Pepper with an accusatory stare. The Charmeleon whimpers quietly and buries his head in Casey's collar.

Arianne's stare just jumps between the other two people. "Uhh… my head…" she complains, trying to collect herself but still suffering from the psychic blast. "There w-were some… Espurr, right? They did this to us and then P-pepp… whatever that is…"

The Espurr milling about stare unblinking at Arianne. One of them points a tiny paw at the sluggish group of older teens.

"We were tryna help," Casey says through gritted teeth. "They were pushin' the Espurr around."

"And so you started a fire?" The woman arches an eyebrow. "Way to go."

"No, I- that was an accident, we've been good, we've been smart-"

"Not smart enough," she snaps, and Casey splutters indignantly. "If you don't have any way to control a fire, you shouldn't have a fire-type out here. Put it away."

Casey clutches Pepper close. "But he-!"

"Put it away."

Casey reluctantly pulls Pepper's PokéBall out of his pocket, the Charmeleon whining frantically as he does. "It's okay, it's okay, I love you," he whispers as Pepper turns to light. The lack of weight in his lap briefly unbalances him- that psychic energy is not dissipating very quickly. Casey shakes his head, but that doesn't do him any good, and he turns a frown on the tour guide. "They were still beatin' up defenseless wild Espurr. What're you gonna do about that?"

"Oh… yeah, right!" Arianne seems to momentarily snap out of her state of confusion. "They… they were totally barbaric!" Casey nods vehemently, making himself dizzier- he really has to stop that. The teenagers, clumsily dragging themselves upright, only make token protests. The tour guide clearly doesn't believe their whining, especially as the Espurr meticulously and resolutely walk away from them, and their case isn't helped by a tall elderly woman who taps the tour guide on her shoulder.

"I had my binoculars pointed this way at just the right time, I believe. This group," her soft, deep voice is punctuated by a grand, sweeping gesture in the direction of the antagonistic teens, "was indeed torturing the poor dears. The other two did their best, but it was the Espurr themselves that ultimately caused most of the trouble. I wouldn't be too harsh on the boy."

The woman hobbles over to Casey and Arianne. "Up, children. These knees don't bend well anymore." Not without some struggle, Arianne is finally able to get herself up, dusting her clothes off. Casey scrambles to his feet, pushing past the dizziness with sheer determination and a hand on Parsley's back. Even though her body has clearly bent with age, the stately woman's brown eyes are still level with his. "Thank you for your efforts. I know you did your best, both to procure justice for these Espurr and to control the fire. That does not mean you should allow your Charmeleon to roam free-" Casey flushes, casting his eyes at the ground. "-but your hearts are in the right place. The only thing with which I can gift you are these vouchers- they may be useful to you in the future."

A ticket proclaiming itself to be a "Gold Star Voucher" nudges its way into his line of sight. "Uh, thanks!"

"Thank you!" Arianne also grabs her own voucher with a nervous smile.

The woman nods and slowly makes her way back to her seat while the tour guide ushers the sullen teens into the back of the bus. "We were heading back soon anyway; we can take you three in for a scolding while we're at it." She gives Casey one last hard stare as she climbs into the driver's seat. "Keep that Charmeleon put away."

"Fine," he huffs, but the bus is already kicking up dust as it motors back toward Vermilion.

"Ugh, after what you said about keeping Pokémon out of their PokéBalls, this is the worst thing that could've happened…" the girl remarks, trying to give Casey a reassuring look. As if he needs reassurance. He knows he's right to do what he does. He just… hadn't been able to respond well. Arianne continues before he can say anything, though. "But I can see how that can be helpful at times! Although… speaking of Pokémon outside their PokéBalls- where did Blitzle go? It was supposed to be here with us and yet… it's gone!"

"It's helpful all the time," Casey insists, far more preoccupied with his own problems than Arianne's. "Pepper's havin' a bad day. He's got- things're happening. It was fine up 'til this, the Phanpy fixed it earlier, and-"

"Okay okay but…" Arianne interrupts. "Gotta find Blitzle before it gets too far!" She tries to look around the area, taking a couple steps in each direction before finally picking one and starting to run. "There it is! I'm going after it!" she yelps, as she puts more distance between herself and Casey. Parsley makes an attempt to bound after her, but Casey catches him.

"Good luck!" he calls out to Arianne.

He's going to have to figure some things out.

Eleanor · Feb 23, 2021

art by Aquacorde

Arianne Chandler
Route 11
Sunday, May 26^th, afternoon

The Route 11 Showdown!

Apparently, Casey isn't coming with her. He probably has some good reasons not to, but the girl still can't help but wish he'd be here, just in case things go wrong. And possibly, to understand more about how he's feeling about her.

But they can still meet again, hopefully. They're still on the same graduation journey, going through the same cities and all. Blitzle, obviously, is not, and finding it again once it loses contact with Arianne is out of the question, too. She has to catch up to it while she still sees it running, making her way through the dry grass until it finally stops.

Why? Because in front of it, there's an Espurr, facing the Blitzle head on. Still with that unchangeable expression, or lack thereof, and those eyes wide open. Some other Espurr seem to run away, while some others have their creepy gaze fixed on their friend and the Blitzle.

It looks like a proper fight, and Arianne can't help but step aside and spectate.

Why is Blitzle even doing that? Maybe it was angry at the Espurr for nearly knocking it out with their psychic energy. Maybe it chased after them to get some revenge or something - which sounds quite heroic, but also not very smart. Arianne would have probably done the same though if she was a Pokémon, so she can't argue with that.

As soon as Blitzle tries to lunge forward, surrounding itself in little embers, Espurr stops it in its tracks with a quick Fake Out. It's hard to even expect those things from Espurr, because its expression doesn't change - it just jumps forward and skittles backwards without any sign of hesitation. And it keeps the same weird gaze even as it fires off a Psybeam towards the Electric type, which hits right on target.

Blitzle changes strategy, attacking from a distance with Shock wave, but the sparkles are dimmed out by the Light Screen that Espurr has just set up. The small Cat Pokémon's eyes pierce right through its opponent, only making it more upset. And so…

Blitzle now goes back to the original plan: Flame Charge. But it runs around the place, gaining speed as it draws circles around the Psychic type instead of attacking it right away. This should give the Espurr more time to react and prepare another attack… but all it does is stare mindlessly in one direction - in this case, where Arianne is. Its eyes and her eyes meet for a brief moment…

and then, a high pitched cry brings her back to reality. Espurr attempts a Disarming Voice attack to stop Blitzle as it is coming close, but that only slightly dampens its charge. The Psychic type is sent flying, and readies up a Psybeam to retaliate. Blitzle shakes off the attack, as its mane starts to sparkle. It waits for a few moments, charging up its next attack, and hits a powerful Shock Wave. Espurr is clearly hurt by that, even with its Light Screen still up.

The two Pokémon continue to exchange more attacks in this fashion, as the small crowd of spectators eventually thins out. Blitzle is now way faster than Espurr, and has even managed to paralyze it with a Thunder Wave, but it can still use attacks such as Confusion and Disarming Voice, which have no need to be aimed.

There's just one thing that doesn't add up, though. Now that Arianne thinks about it… Espurr has never let out its full extent of its Psychic energy, unlike back when those guys tried to 'play' with it. A quick search on her Pokédex also tells her that it's the ears that seal off Espurr's powers and… as a matter of fact, the little Psychic type has kept them folded this whole time. Not too reassuring though…

It could let it loose at any moment, without warning… again.

Then again, it's true that Espurr was determined to fight Blitzle head on, without using that power. Another attitude that was worthy of merit in Arianne's book! So much so that, in fact, another thought came up in her mind, gaining more and more strength.

Blitzle and Espurr made it very easy too, by just fighting against each other until they were both tired and gasping for air. And taking that into account, wouldn't it be nice to be the one person that would make them get along and blossom as Pokémon?

Arianne eventually grabbed two Pokéballs from her bag - two empty ones.

"Sorry Casey… I appreciate your insights, but I got plenty of time to put them into practice. With this opportunity in front of me, I'm sure they can wait until tomorrow!"

TEAM:

Eric, lv. 28 •

Mulan, lv. 15 →

Espurr, lv. ???

Mizar, lv. 17 •

Alice, lv. 11 →

Blitzle, lv. ???

Lulu, lv. 23 •

Honedge, lv. 16

Aquacorde · Feb 24, 2021

Casey Holt

Sunday, May 26, 2019 // Late Afternoon, Day 7
Route 11 // Central

7-07. pepper bomb

Casey's narrowed hazel eyes rest on the PokéBall in his hand as he walks, Parsley at his side and Ginger on his collar. The PokéDex has assured him once again that nothing is physically wrong with Pepper. On one hand, cool. There's not a problem. On the other hand, there actually is a problem. Just not one easily solvable. His theory still stands- that Pepper got too strong, too hot, too quickly and he can't keep it controlled. But that says nothing about the Charmeleon's mental state, and the image of Pepper cowering in the midst of his own fires stabs at his heart every time it flashes in his mind's eye. The fear in his eyes when he'd first unleashed Flamethrower against Pix, the panic when calling Casey's attention to the first fire he'd started, the unwillingness to train Flamethrower, the need for constant reassurance...

He's afraid of his own power.

Casey spins the PokéBall and watches it gleam in the afternoon sunlight. That's not good, is it? Being afraid of yourself. Because of it, Pepper's gone from an energetic Charmander, happy to explore and battle, to a subdued Charmeleon begging to be held and afraid to train. That's really not good.

It'd be easy to say this is the result of this morning's sudden unlock of Flamethrower. But that's not all there is to it, is it? He'd spent most of Thursday in his PokéBall, lethargic and whiny when brought out. Friday had been better, but he'd been frustrated at his new body and gotten just as irritated as Casey had at Beaumont's bullshit. Saturday he'd been quiet, hadn't he, after getting knocked out first thing in the morning? And since most of the day was rainy, he hadn't been out for Casey to observe. Only a fight against Marshall he'd looked miserable during, and a lazy tussle against Luna.

Since evolution, then, he's been different.

He can't just chalk this up to being a Charmeleon, though. Pepper's been getting used to it, getting better with time. Today had started well for him, happily training with Parsley and exploring the route and factory. It was only later that things took a turn for the worse. And Casey can't even begin to try to make today better, not when he can't bring him out at all anymore.

And not when his heart jumps into his throat as the PokéBall is snatched from his hand by a gray blur bounding ahead of him, prize held firmly in its mouth.

"No!"

Parsley's after the thief in a flash, always game to chase but slowed by the Phanpy's weight on his back. Ginger hunkers down against Casey's neck as he starts running, too, desperation pounding in his ears to the beat of his frantic heart. It can't take Pepper, I can't lose him-!

The chase brings them north again, into the sinking, slippery sand. Parsley and Casey both struggle, and Casey frantically shucks his backpack and dashes ahead without that extra weight, Parsley catching up quickly after he drops the Phanpy. Casey's breath comes ragged in his throat and sweat drips into his beard- he's no sprinter, not a runner at all- but he pushes forward, anxious speed the only thing keeping him falling through the shifting sands. But they're still falling behind- the light, swift Poochyena is used to this terrain, used to outrunning pursuers, and Casey doesn't have time to tap into his own species' skills- there's no way he's leaving Pepper for the time it would take to persistence hunt this thing down, he can't leave him!

But heart sinks further even as he struggles on. It's no use, even Parsley's leaves can't reach it when he finally thinks of trying that. There's nothing he can do but keep pushing, keep running, even though he knows he'll never catch up, even though he knows his energy's draining fast- he can't leave Pepper, he can't give up, he won't stop until his body can't move at all because it's Pepper and he won't leave him-

His eyes widen as the Poochyena crests a dune and suddenly scrambles backwards- a chance!

"Pursuit!" he bellows, and Parsley shrouds himself with the dark energy and speeds past him. Casey staggers, falling to one knee as he sees a Silicobra rear its head, spitting sand into the Poochyena's face to drive it back down the dune. "Catch!"

Parsley's vines wrap firmly around the Poochyena's hind legs and he drags it back toward them, sinking and stumbling in the sand as Pursuit's boost fades and he stops his chase. Casey pulls himself to his feet, heart pumping and breath coming harsh. We did it- we got him-

The spitting Silicobra burrows away somewhere into the dune, but Casey's focused entirely on the Poochyena Parsley dangles at his eye level. It growls at him as he approaches, teeth still gripping Pepper's PokéBall.

"Drop it," Casey growls back, holding his hand under the Poochyena's mouth. The Poochyena glares defiantly. "Drop. It."

It hesitates a split second more, but Casey will not back down, not when Pepper's on the line. And the Poochyena must sense it, because it finally drops the PokéBall into his hand and takes off running when Parsley drops it in turn.

Casey cups Pepper's PokéBall in both shaking hands and breathes out his tension, racing heart falling back to its regular rate as he presses his forehead to the smooth metal and wishes desperately that he could hug his Charmeleon, could reassure his emotional brain that Pepper is safe though his logical brain knows that to be true. Parsley pushes into him and Casey pulls him close. Ginger, even, pats Casey's head in some sort of vaguely comforting gesture.

Allegedly, Pokémon are safer in their PokéBalls. They can't be affected by the environment, or things like Espurr's psychic scrambling. They gradually recover health in their stasis state, faster than if they were out and about. But PokéBalls are susceptible to being lost or stolen, occupied or not. Or even broken- he's heard horror stories about damaged PokéBalls and what effect it could have on the Pokémon inside. How true they are, he's unsure, but he still thinks- even though you never know what's going to happen, it's better to be able to react than not.

He'd much rather his Pokémon be able to defend themselves.

Aquacorde · Mar 1, 2021

Casey Holt

Sunday, May 26, 2019 // Evening, Day 7
Route 11 // Central

7-08. keep you warm and dry til dawn

Spoiler: navigate - barenaked ladies

Casey watches Vivillon flutter in the distance as the afternoon wears into evening. It's good- for him, at least- that they're cautious about approaching humans. He can see the scale dust shimmering from their stained-glass wings and being picked up by warm breezes, and that's something he absolutely does not trust. Without Pepper to burn it up, without any water to tamp it down, without any wings to blow it away- he makes a point to angle himself and his party out from downwind of the dust.

Which is why it comes as such a surprise when a winged creature decides to make a beeline for him, crashing its full weight into his face and screeching angrily. Casey flails and yells, but that only results in him getting a mouthful of something soft before a sharp crackle next to his ear sends sparks through his assailant as Ginger drives it into the ground. Casey hacks out feathers as the scuffle continues.

Feathers?

It's not a Vivillon at all- it's a Rufflet! Another one? No, the same one- the brown one he'd left hidden after it had attacked them the first time. Ginger's keeping it pinned with icy feet spreading cold along its stubby wings as it rages at her, oversized feet scuffing at the dry dirt below.

If it's the same one, that means it woke up and followed them all the way over here just to attack him. Just to get revenge. But if it's done it once, it'll do it again, and- "We can't knock it out again," Casey concludes, and Ginger whips her head around in shock. "Pay attention-!"

But it's too late; the Rufflet drags itself out from under her and launches into a flurry of Pecks. Ginger trips backwards and falls, charging electricity as best she can, but she's saved before she can retaliate- by the Phanpy, of all Pokémon, jumping from Parsley's back with extreme precision to sit directly on the screeching Rufflet.

"Huh. Good job, good use of your weight." Casey says vaguely. The Rufflet continues to screech. Ginger dusts herself off and aims an icy kick at it. The Phanpy flinches back, but doesn't move off the bird. "Hey, be nice to your teammate. Phanpy don't like ice."

Ginger huffs. Casey contemplates. Parsley noses at the Rufflet and gets a peck on the nose for his troubles.

"Hey, what if we do like the Trapinch? Use Leech Seed to bind it." The Trapinch died because it couldn't fight. He presses his lips together. "We tie it up and keep an eye on it. Take it with us. Then it can't attack us outta nowhere, but it's still safe."

Ginger rolls her eyes, and he's fairly sure she'd leave it for dead given the choice. She's not particularly compassionate. The Phanpy looks delighted, though- it was the one who cajoled him into reviving the Rufflet the first time, wasn't it? It's a soft-hearted little thing. "Parsley, opinions? It'll be ridin' on you."

The Skiddo makes a motion that Casey has pinned down as some sort of shrug. "Alright, uh- then wrap a Leech Seed 'round its legs first."

With some maneuvering, the Rufflet is bound up to Casey's satisfaction and placed atop Parsley's horns. It glares balefully at them and immediately pecks at the Skiddo, who complains. "Hey, stop."

Casey's words don't seem to mean much to the Rufflet, but Ginger's crackling ears communicate what he needs. The sullen bird shuffles a bit and settles into a grudgingly relaxed stance. Casey nods. "Right."

They trek on.

Casey's well aware that once you notice the sun's setting, it takes no time at all for darkness to roll on in. And he's noticed, therefore he should find a place to set up camp.

It would have been easy enough to get all the way to Vermilion by nightfall if he'd gone straight through, but he'd been in no rush. He's on a journey, an adventure! He's going to leisurely explore all these new places, not run straight to gyms in an attempt to get the journey over with. That's something he expects more from Vera. She didn't even start out with camping gear, for god's sake! What kind of person goes on an adventure without camping gear?

He's forgotten some important things, sure, but that stuff's kind of a necessity.

Vera probably hadn't been happy in the rain on Route 12, and he can't imagine she's loving the sweltering heat of the current area. She really doesn't seem like an outdoorsy person, though she'd gotten through Rock Tunnel without much complaint. He likes to think it was his enthusiasm that kept her frustrations at bay, or perhaps Jordan's more stable, thoughtful mediation.

He wonders where they are. A while ago, he'd thought he'd seen a tall person with white hair on one of the main paths, but they'd been too far to make out details. And he'd seen a redhead, but they were short and part of a tour group. Definitely not his best friend.

He wonders what he would have done if it was.

Casey misses Jordan. He misses getting up every day to find Jordan lounging around in the quiet mornings. He misses Vera, missed the way she slotted right into their dynamic. The way they all bounced off each other so easily, so seamlessly. But
his friends had gone and caught Ghost-types, and he still doesn't know if he can deal with that.

He's making progress, isn't he? Battling Gospel, gritting his teeth and accepting that Bead was with Gwen, commanding wild Mimikyu in a fit of desperation, battling against Bead, putting up with tales of Ari's Honedge. Is that enough?

Before he really thinks about what he's doing, he's hitting call on his phone. Again, the line rings only once before Sorley answers. Thankfully, there's less background noise this time.

"Hi, hi! What's up today? Where are you, what are you doing?"

"No preamble, huh?" he laughs, and Sorley blows a raspberry down the line.

"No point in that, no point! Tell me the interesting stuff!"

"There's a lot of interesting stuff! 'M on Route 11 now, gonna set up camp when I find a good spot." He'll probably have to drop the call when he actually finds one, lest he have to set up his tent in the dark. "Wandered around, watched some Pokémin, ran into a few classmates. Saw some Ghosts earlier."

He says it casually, as is his habit, but Sorley's perceptive. Not that he's trying very hard to bury the lede. It's just difficult to admit that he wants to talk about it. He's spent so long trying his very best to ignore, to conceal- so to actually deal with it? That's something he's not used to nor comfortable with.

"Ooh, which Ghosts? Mimikyu? You said you were gonna see them, you said yesterday."

"Yeah, they, uh. I helped some out. That's good, right? That's progress?"

"Yes, yes! And no fainting?"

"Nah, none o' that. I decided not to."

Sorley pffts out a laugh. "What- what do you mean you decided not to?"

Casey shrugs through the mild undercurrent of self-consciousness. "Just decided not to. I'm not gonna do that anymore. Gotta keep better control."

"Can you do that?"

"Don't see why not!" That sounds forced, even to himself. He sighs. "Fear's still there, right? But I can react better. I can keep tellin' myself it's fine. 'Cause it actually is, it's fine, there's no reason I should be scared!"

Sorley makes vague thoughtful noises on the other end of the line. "Maybe, maybe this is progress? Is it helping?"

"Uh…" Casey ponders on both the question and the small clearing he's inspecting. "'S hard to tell. Haven't seen a Ghost since then. Just heard Arianne talk about hers."

"I miss my friends!" he bursts out, dam finally breaking and frustration, loneliness, tears leaking out. "I miss my best friend, I miss my Jordan, we've seen each other almost every day for two years and now he has a Ghost and he's gonna have two and, and I can't-! I can't be with him, I can't be with Vera- I miss botherin' Vera! An' I wanna hang out with Bruno and Arianne and Ralph and Gwen! I wanna hang out with you, in person, 'cause you're cool and nice and I'm better at being in person! But you have Ghosts, you all've got Ghosts, and it's hard, and I can't-"

His monologue breaks with a gasping inhale and sharp sniffle. Parsley pushes into his side, trying to offer whatever comfort he can despite also trying to balance two other Pokémon, and the Phanpy curls its trunk around his elbow as Ginger pats him on the head hesitantly. Casey shoves his free hand into his cheek, rubbing away tears. It doesn't really matter, as fresh ones take their place immediately. He can't believe he's crying to someone- someone he barely knows, really- over the phone, about such a silly thing as missing people he's only been separated from for a day. But there's all kinds of things tied up in this one frustrating issue and it sucks and he's struggling and he doesn't know the way out of it-

And doesn't realize he's been saying these things out loud, either, not until Sorley's affirmations break through.

"Sorry- sorry, I didn't want- I don't like-" Casey chokes out, but Sorley just shushes him.

"Hey, hey, no, it's okay! It's okay to cry."

"I know that," Casey snuffles miserably. "Just don't like people to see it."

Sorley hums into the phone. "Well, you can't be upbeat all the time, can you?"

"I can try," he huffs.

He can hear the sad smile in Sorley's reply, but he lets them talk anyway.

Groc · Mar 1, 2021

Vera Hill
Chapter 7 - Double Trouble
Route 11; Sunday, May 27th

"Gotcha!" Vera snatches the Voucher from the air, finally getting a chance to catch her breath. She's not used to running, especially running after a piece of paper subject to the whims and sudden shifts of the wind. The road isn't far, but during the chase she'd gotten turned around a bit.

Before she can figure out where to go next, Furret winds itself around her legs, nearly tripping her. "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

Furret hops away from her feet, grinning at her. It turns and runs a few feet forward, stopping to look back at her. It turns and runs again, then stops and looks at her.

Vera is more preoccupied with her own Pokémon. Squitch is watching the clouds overhead, while Ebony tries to keep her moving toward their Trainer. Vera recalls them both, while Goblin clings tightly to her shoulder so he doesn't fall.

Furret rushes back over, standing on its back legs and leaning against Vera. Like this, it can rest its front paws on her stomach, looking up into her eyes.

"Whoa! You're still here. Uh… hi?" Vera glances between Goblin and Furret, unsure of how to react. She slowly reaches for Furret's head. Maybe it wants scritches or something?

Furret snatches the voucher from her other hand, bounding away again. "Hey!" It stops at her shout, looking back at her. When she starts moving closer, it runs again, stopping occasionally to make sure she's still following.

Furret leads Vera on a merry chase across the field, finally stopping near a lone tree. It hops in place until she catches up, offering her the Voucher when she reaches the tree. Vera doubles over, trying to catch her breath again. Goblin hops down, snatching the Voucher from Furret.

"Okay!" Vera gasps. "I followed you! Why? What's out here?" She looks up at the tree, glad for the reprieve from the sun. She notices several Berries growing in the branches, some of them even ripe. "Wait, hang on… those are Pecha Berries, right?"

Furret makes a happy sound, hopping around in circles around the tree. "I can use one to cure Bonnie! Thanks, Furret! Guess this makes us even, huh?"

Furret stands up in front of Vera, paw out for a high five. Vera smiles, holding her hand out. Furret high fives her happily.

"Unless you want to come with me? My team's kinda full, but if you want…"

Furret shakes its head, smiling sadly. It picks up a small rock, cradling it close and rocking it gently.

"You can bring your rock if you want. I mean, Tangles has that…" She stops herself there, not wanting to think about Tangles and Jordan right now.

Furret tilts its head in confusion, tossing the rock aside. It curls up as tightly as it can, trying to look small. Then it jumps up, taking a defensive stance over where it was curled up.

"What are you… something small? That you care about, and need to protect? Oh! A baby?"

Furret nods, grinning happily. Vera brushes her hair out of her face. She'd be embarrassed that it took her so long to figure out, but it's not like she can understand Pokémon speech.

"Well, you go take care of your baby. Thank you for leading me to this tree. And try to stay away from any more punk kids, alright?" She offers one more high five.

Furrer nuzzles against her hand, then gives her a high five in farewell. It scurries off, leaving Vera under the tree.

"Now, how can I get those Berries?" Vera looks back to the tree. She tries shaking it, but the trunk is more sturdy than she thought. She remembers something from class about knocking Pokémon out of trees with Headbutt, but there's no way she's hitting her head against a tree. One concussion was enough for her. So instead, she kicks it as hard as she can, which just results in her hurting her foot.

With them out of her reach, she'll need to use a Pokémon. "Goblin, you can climb, right? Can you go get me some Berries?"

The little imp climbs inside her backpack without a word.

"I'll take that as a 'no'." She checks her other Poké Balls, thinking it over. Sapphire might be able, but is probably unwilling. Bonnie can't climb, even if she wasn't poisoned. Squitch or Ebony could just float up there, but could they recover any Berries with their tentacles or hair?

"Trixie, come on out!" She calls out her Mimikyu, who looks around curiously and sniffs at the air. "How good are you at climbing? Think you can get up there and recover some Berries?"

Trixie nods, sinking into the shadow of the tree. A small patch of darkness slinks up the trunk, and Trixie emerges in the branches. Her shadowy claw snakes out from under her disguise, knocking some ripe Pecha Berries to the ground.

Vera quickly gathers them up, tucking the extras into her pack. "Always good to have some of these on hand. Good work, Trixie!"

A surprised shriek rings out as Trixie knocks something else out of the tree. It's not a Berry, but a Pokémon! A lone Misdreavus tumbles to the ground, dazed from the hit. Trixie jumps out of the tree, landing lightly on Vera's shoulder.

"Bead! Are you okay!?" A girl about the same age as Vera with a Pikachu resting on her head waltzes out from the other side of the tree to attend to the fallen Misdreavus. It seems alright at least- it's quickly able to levitate in the air again, and it stays afloat by the girl.

Knowing her Pokémon is alright, she exhales with relief only to immediately point a nasty glare towards Vera. "Hey, what's the big idea!? You could have hurt Bead you kno-" Her rant is suddenly halted when her pupils fixate on Trixie, her expression now one of admiration. "OH MY GOD, IS THAT A MIMIKYU!?!?!?" Contrary to how estatic the trainer is, Misdreavus rather harshly sneers at Trixie, unbeknownst to the girl.

"It was probably an accid-" Vera starts to reply, but is cut off by the girl's ecstatic exclamation. Vera instinctively takes a step back before steeling her nerves. The girl seems harmless, just energetic. "...yes. She's a Mimikyu. Say hello, Trixie."

Trixie scoots over to rest on Vera's head, just like the Pikachu the other girl has. She wags her "tail" in what is probably a friendly gesture, her eyes shining yellow as she glances between Misdr- Bead - and Pikachu.

"That's such a cool Po-" The girl pauses and goes silent after getting a good look at Vera, going from enthused, to deeply contemplative for a moment, only to flip back to a slightly less excited look. "Uh… a-as I was sa-saying, ghost-types are really cool, like my buddy Bead here. I uhh… really like them!" She nervously scratches the back of her head while Bead shoots her a quizzical expression.

"Oh, you like Ghost types?" Vera grabs Ebony's ball, sending the shy Misdreavus out. "I agree, they're pretty special. That's why I have two. Say hello to Ebony." Ebony peeks out from behind her, nervously waving hello with a lock of hair.

"WOW, YOU HAVE A MISDREAVUS TOO!?!? THAT'S SUPER GODDAMN COOL, OH MY GOD I DON'T BELIEVE IT…" Bead examines the other Misdreavus as his trainer gushes, giving Ebony an even harsher stare than he had Trixie.

The girl coughs to clear her throat. "Uh… I'm Gwen, by the way!" She says, sheepishly grinning after her late introduction. "Like, uh… wh-what's your name?"

Vera nonchalantly tosses her hair, preening a bit under the attention. "I'm Vera. I'm a traveling trainer, challenging the Gym Leaders. Might even make it to the League Championship." It's not entirely true, as she isn't earning any badges, but no need to tell Gwen that.

"Woah, really!? Me too! You've probably heard of Jenni- uh, I mean, I have a big sister who is a really good trainer, and I'm gonna make it to the top, just like her!" Gwen bounces with excitement, pumping her fists into the air in rapid succession.

Jenny? Why does that sound familiar? Vera looks at Gwen a little closer. The more she's exposed to it, the more this girl's energy feels familiar. And does she know that voice? "Have we met somewhere? I'm getting the strangest sense of deja vu…"

Gwen looks at Vera and presses her index finger and thumb into her chin, presumably trying hard to remember where they might have met, while her Pikachu tilts its head. "I've literally never seen you before in my life." She shrugs.

"Oh!" Vera snaps her fingers in sudden recollection. "The campsite on Route 9! You fought that Galarian girl with your Vulpix! You went to Cape College, right?"

Gwen's eyes widen. "Oh, uh, yeah actually, I did! And that was me on Route 9! Although I still don't remember you at all from that… eh, whatever. What other Pokémon do you have?" The sparkles in her eyes show no sign of dying down.

Vera forces herself to smile. Gwen not remembering her bruises her pride a little, but the girl still seems interested in learning about her. "Well, besides these two, I also have an Impidimp, Inkay, Alolan Meowth, and my starter, a Cubone. Also a Rockruff, but he's more of a pet than a battler."

"That's…" Gwen uses her fingers to count the Pokémon Vera lists off. "Seven Pokémon! How are you gonna balance them out like tha- wait a second, that's less than I have!" Abruptly, she sits down while making another thinking gesture. "Damnit, how did I not realize this until now?"

"Realize what?" Vera casually leans against the tree rather than sit down. "Not to brag, but I'm a great Trainer. Maybe I can help you with your problem?"

"I didn't realize until now that I have nine Pokémon, and that means I'm gonna need to constantly be switching them around… will they all get enough attention or training that way? And if you are a great trainer, although probably not as great as me, I wanna hear your advice." Gwen flashes a cocky smirk while crossing her arms tightly.

Vera can't even fake a smile, frowning in annoyance at Gwen. "You want my advice? Having more Pokémon means doing more work. You're worried about giving them attention and training? Good. That means you're thinking about it. Being a Pokémon Trainer isn't easy, it takes dedication and effort. Sure, it's simpler with fewer Pokémon, but having more is worth the extra effort. It gives you a wider selection of skills, you figure out more about your team and yourself, and people respect Trainers who show how much effort they put in." At some point, she'd stepped away from the tree, pacing back and forth as she got more heated.

"Oh, uh… y-yeah, I guess you're right. I already have two water-types and two poison-types, so I can switch them out sometimes… yeah, that's a good idea!" Her eyes light up, and she looks more like she's talking to herself than Vera at this point. "Marshall has gotten a lot of training lately, so when I'm at the Pokémon Center I can switch him out for King! I just need to get to Vermillion first…"

"Yeah, you can do that. And if you think you have too many to handle, you don't have to have them all out at once. Have a little one on one bonding time, switch it up periodically. Get to know them."

Gwen nods along with Vera's words. "Yeah, you're totally right! Bead just stays out because he wants to, but when I get my Pokémon back from Professor Palm I can have them out!" She chuckles, fixating again on Trixie. "But seeing more ghosts really energizes me! It's so refreshing, I had to keep Bead in his Pokeball a lot yesterday and this morning. Casey doesn't like-" She stops herself, suddenly looking embarrassed "Uhh right, sorry, you probably don't even know who that is. He's basically just someone who's scared of ghosts."

Vera stops pacing and Ebony hides under her hair at the mention of that name. "Casey? You saw him this… why can't I get away from him?"

"Oh, you do know Casey? I actually think that's the first time someone knew who I was talking about." She snickers. "But yeah, Bead didn't like staying in his ball." Her Misdreavus aggressively nods in agreement.

Vera scowls at Gwen's laugh. This girl is starting to annoy her. She'd probably go crazy if she was ever stuck in a room with her for very long. "Yeah, I know him. He's…" A friend? "He's why Ebony is so nervous around people. He has issues and won't compromise, too stuck in his own head to think about other people's feelings." She huffs in annoyance, Ebony snuggling in closer to her.

Gwen shows a bit of hesitance before speaking up. "Y'know, you make a good point. He's what kept Bead in his ball and he puts vegetables in eggs! Who does that? Although…" Her hesitance returns, and her face turns a little pink before she shakes her head.

"Can we just drop it, please?" Vera's scowl turns into a cold glare. Gwen, shuddering, fearfully backs away, shielding herself with her arms. Bead quickly checks to see if she's okay only to then shoots a judgmental expression towards the white haired girl.

"I'm not gonna hit you!" Vera rolls her eyes at Gwen, meeting Bead's eyes with a frown. "You got a problem, Tiny? Good thing you're here to save the princess from the scary lady, huh?"

"Mis!" Bead barks while Gwen starts to lower her arms, furrowing her eyebrows. "H-hey, don't talk to him that way!"

Vera gasps in obviously fake distress. "Oh, no! Will I hurt his feelings if I do? He's the one giving me the evil eye. Not much else though. He's probably harmless. Aren't you, little guy?"

"Shut up!" Gwen raises her voice, pointing towards Vera while slowly inching forward. "Nobody talks to my Pokémon that way!" The girl's Pikachu starts whimpering as it covers its eyes.

"No, you're right. I shouldn't say stuff like that. But I'm in a bad mood. I don't think words are enough anymore. Ebony! Get ready to fight. We'll show them what a real Ghost can do." Ebony peeks out reluctantly, but moves forward on command. He takes a deep breath, his eyes glowing red as he prepares to fight. Bead does the same without any input from his trainer, and he aggressively states Ebony down. "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" Gwen shouts as a cocky smirk forms across her face.

"I doubt that." Vera brushes her hair out of her face, confident in her Pokémon. "Ebony, lock him down with Thunder Wave!" Static charge gathers in Ebony's gems, pulsing outward toward Bead. He dodges to the side, avoiding the move and firing back with a Confuse Ray.

"Hey! Don't let him do that again, Ebony! Use Spite!" Ebony's eyes glow red, then start to swirl as he somehow hurts himself with his own hex.

"That's payback!" Gwen brags. "Bead, use Psywave!" Bead's eyes glow red as well, and a wave of psychic energy flows from his orb onto Ebony.

"Then this is just fair play! Ebony, Confuse Ray!" Ebony shakily rights himself, shining his own eerie light on Bead. As he's hit with the status move, Gwen grits her teeth. "Argh, goddamnit! Bead, use Astonish!"

Bead rushes forward- although towards Gwen instead of the opposing Misdreavus- and gets uncomfortably close in her face, releasing a loud screech intended to frighten her. She's more annoyed than scared though. "How many times do I have to tell you Astonish doesn't work on me?"

"Thunder Wave, while he's distracted!" Ebony charges his lightning, unleashing another paralyzing pulse at Bead. "Maybe that'll help?" Vera taunts.

Gwen tightens her fists. "Come on Bead, you gotta hit 'em with Astonish! You heard what she said about you, so give her what she deserves!" Despite his confusion and paralysis, he nods and with Gwen's encouragement, swarms towards Ebony, using the ghost-type on his actual target as opposed to his trainer.

Ebony takes the hit, but he's looking hurt. "You got this, Ebony! You're more maneuverable than him now. Hit him with Astonish!" Ebony shakes his head to clear any lingering confusion, flying toward Bead with a ghostly scream. Bead swoops back a little and impulsively shoots another Psywave which just barely misses, causing Gwen to groan loudly.

"Bead! Uhhhh…" Gwen briefly goes silent but shakes it off. "Damnit, I need to focus! Use Astonish!" Bead prepares to attack, but the static pulsing through his body prevents him from even moving, much to the dismay of the black haired girl who writhes in frustration.

"Keep it up!" Vera crosses her arms, leaning back slightly in a way she thinks makes her look cool. Ebony darts to the side, screaming as he dashes into Bead again.

Gwen starts to shake at the sight of Bead taking damage. She's about to scream, but stops herself, and reaches for a Pokeball off her belt to return the Pokémon. "I… I don't want to push you past your limit." She says begrudgingly with heavy breath.

"Good job out there, Ebony!" Vera holds her hand out for Ebony to nuzzle against. She smirks at Gwen, shrugging. "Bead fought well, I'll give him that. Are you gonna be okay without him to protect you?"

Gwen clenches her fists while stomping a foot. "Will you just shut the fuck up already!? This isn't over either, I have five more on me!" She waves her hands in-front of her belt. "Custard, let's go!" At her command, the Pikachu on her head nervously gulps before leaping onto the ground, giving a meek "Pika pika…"

Vera frowns at Gwen's response. She was just having some fun, but now the girl is yelling at her. "Fine, then we'll keep going. I'll choose…" She immediately thinks of Bonnie, until she remembers she's still poisoned from before. In her moment of hesitance, Trixie leaps from her shoulder, posing dramatically in front of Custard.

"Trixie! Yes, I choose Trixie." Vera tries to play it cool, as though it was intentional. "Guess we'll see who has the better Pikachu, too."

"Misdreavus versus Misdreavus and now Pikachu versus Mimikyu? That's kinda cute." Gwen chuckles. "Custard, start off with a Double Team!" The Pikachu dashes in a circle around Trixie, leaving behind copies of itself to make it difficult to tell which one is real.

"Quick, use Shadow Sneak!" Trixie drops into her shadow, smacking Custard with her stick tail before she can lose sight of the real one. The copies disperse and Custard is knocked back.

"Come on girl, stay on your feet like we practiced! For now use Thunder Wave!" Custard shakes off the damage and turns around to launch a small amount of static energy from her tail at Trixie. Vera calls out for a Scratch attack, but the static locks Trixie in place.

Gwen sticks her tongue out. "How's a taste of your own medicine? Now, use Thundershock!" With Trixie stationary, Custard uses the opportunity to zap her. Trixie's disguise is singed by the electricity, starting to fray and burn from the shock. There is a soft *snap* as the neck breaks, the head hanging limply to the side.

"Oh, that's not good…" Vera winces. Trixie's eyes glow yellow under her ruined disguise, and she charges at Custard, screaming in fury and swinging her stick.

"Custard, Quick Attack like we practiced!" Even though she's visibly terrified from the incoming attack, she does as she's told and uses Quick Attack to kick her speed up, but rather than dashing forward, instead she swiftly rushes backwards to avoid Astonish. When enough space is left open, Custard strikes with another Thundershock.

Trixie growls in frustration as Custard dashes away, unable to keep up even if she wasn't paralyzed. As the lightning strikes, she sinks into the ground, dashing across the field in shadow form to get behind Custard and strike with Shadow Sneak. She attempts to dodge again, but the unexpectedness of the attack means she's just a half-second too late, unable to avoid at least some damage. Landing on her feet after making sure to stay a safe distance, another Thundershock is emitted from her cheeks.

"Trixie, use Double Team!" Trixie locks up, an easy target for Custard's electricity. Vera grabs her ball, returning Trixie before she can get zapped again. "Damn it… you win this round."

"You shouldn't expect any less from Jennifer Alanis' younger sister!" Gwen smirks as Custard hastily leaps onto her shoulder. "Gotta admit, you put up a good fight."

"Of course I did!" Vera snaps. "I told you, being a Trainer is hard work. So I fight my hardest. I always have, I always will. You can sit comfortably in your sister's shadow, but I'm making my own path! And it's hard. I'm trying my best, here."

Gwen's eyebrows furrow again as she marches forward with fierce steps. "You- you take that back you- you piece of-"

She's cut off by the sound of a Pokeball opening and something yanking on the back of her flannel. A single weak tug is enough for her to relax after unleashing hefty puffs of air from her nostrils. "Forget about it." She crosses her arms.

"Yeah, maybe we should. This isn't helping. Good match." Vera grabs her pack off the ground, ignoring the muffled sounds of protest that come from within as she puts it on. "I'm going for a walk."

Gwen's only response is to stick her tongue out and pull an eyelid down at the departing girl. An Impidimp pops his head out of the bag, returning the gesture to her as his Trainer walks off, leaving Gwen completely shocked and humiliated.

A joint post between Groc and QueenNothing.

budube · Mar 2, 2021

Bruno Dillinger
May 25, Saturday

Chapter 7, Part 1: An unexpected journey

Evening, Entrance to Route 11

"So… what are you up to?" Deborah says once they give the final turn to enter Route 11.

"Going to Route 11." The boy answers. "I thought you would be there by now since you didn't want to do much in Lavender."

"Well, I…" she laughs nervously and takes off her bag. Being able to take a look at it, Bruno realizes that it is full, and that's putting it lightly. It looks like this isn't even the bag she had last time they saw each other. This thing could explode at any given moment. "I'll show you instead. Get ready!"

The moment she opens her bag a Charmander head pops out, getting stuck with the other plushies around it. One of them seems to be Mantyke, but the other ones he can't recognize.

"I'm not surprised." Bruno says, trying to hide his surprise with success, he's done that for a while now. "Where did you get all of these?"

"There was a birthday party event for someone from the town. An important person, I guess, I don't know why I should care." She shrugs "The important thing is that there were fair games! I wanted to get this Eiscue plushie that was on display and it was one of the big prizes." Yes, he noticed the Eiscue too, it's too big not to. Around the size of her arm? It's a bit dirty, but they are traveling, so it makes sense.

"So you won one of the big prizes? That's nice."

"I… didn't. He said it was a prize for my perseverance and persistence." She says rolling her eyes.

"Oh, so he just wanted you to go away."

"Mhm! But I got it anyways, so it counts!" She claims with a big smile. "Thanks to buoy kid, he gave me the money in exchange for a Charmander plushie."

Bruno sighs and turns away. Of course Casey would encourage her.

"Don't be jealous, though, I didn't forget about you." She starts taking the plushies outside one by one, launching them behind her. Mantyke, Charmander, Bellsprout, Bellossom, Wimpod… he couldn't keep naming them all, it's still weird seeing how so many fit in there.

"Is it a Meowth? I don't think Jackpot would like a replica of himself."

"No, it's not a Jackpot, it's…" she takes out a few more. Spheal, Stunfisk, Venipede… Wow. "There it is!"

She takes out… Yes.

"Grrr! Grrr!" She says, drawing the Rattata plushie as close as possible to his face.

Bruno moves her arm aside just so she doesn't hit him with it, this time not surprised at all. "I know this isn't real. What are you trying to do? In fact, Rattata don't even growl, they squeak."

"You still got scared didn't you?" She laughs at him.

"I did not."

"Yes you did. I can see it in your eyes."

"My eyes look the same as always, you said I'm inexpressive yourself." He says and starts walking away.

"Hey, at least help me pick them up" She shouts, still laughing, and tosses the Rattata at him. "Told you that one's yours, by the way. Dummy."

"How did it go in Lavender, by the way?"

"Oh. Guess I forgot to tell you." Bruno says taking his eyes away from his compass even though he checked he was going the correct way already. It's more like trying to make sure he doesn't start walking in circles all of a sudden since the road is starting to feel more and more 'lostable', like Deborah might say.

The idea was to tell her about it as soon as he was done with the gym, but he went to sleep once he got to the Pokémon Center and didn't get up until the next day when he caught Klink. "I beat the gym. Also caught Coulomb the next day." He then says, pointing at the Klink behind.

"Oh my, that's amazing!" She exclaims with a big smile. "What about that ugly thing?"

"This one I got it from here. It's an Impidimp egg."

"Gross." But she doesn't say it with any kind of repulsiveness, in fact she smiles when she says it, it's funny.

"Yes. It's annoying to carry as well." He adds. "Thankfully it's small enough to fit in one arm, although a bit heavy, so I prefer using both. I can feel it moving at times. It will probably hatch in a few days."

"Did you steal it?"

"W-what? No... I did not. Why would I do that?" He says, finding himself getting defensive after such an accusation. "A Grimmsnarl gave it to me… after it attacked me."

"It attacked you first and then gave you the egg?"

"It's a long story, and it sounds weird when you say it that way, but…" he nods. Why does it suddenly feel like roles have inverted? It's normally him who is trying to make sense of things.

"Cool! Can I carry it?"

"No."

She leads the way from there, but she is constantly waiting for Bruno to catch up with her as well. Deborah may have contemplated dragging him with her many times now, but maybe she doesn't do it because of the egg. That's an idea he can get behind, actually. As much as it may seem that she completely ignores what's happening around her, Deborah just likes playing fool and is completely conscious of everything herself, at least when she's not distracted in her own world which shouldn't exist in a place as boring as this because there's nothing to trigger that imagination of hers.

"You know, I've never been to Route 11 despite living in Vermilion." She says all of a sudden. Maybe trying to start a conversation out of boredom, except that she is serious right now.

"They say it's a completely different place." Bruno answers, walking behind her, still looking at his compass. "Not just by name, I mean it's too different from Route 12 as well."

This has Bruno thinking back to Route 12. He failed to realize at first, but the swamp's vegetation has been gradually reduced to nothing. Not only that but while the air in Route 12 was slightly humid, Route 11 is entirely dry. That's not really a bad thing, at least it's colder at night, but Bruno is already aware of what to expect from Route 11 in the morning and he doesn't like it, thinking back to his situation back in Route 9.

"I know that, and I'm sure you realized it too by now, but…" by the time she says this, Deborah's smile has completely disappeared, and that's not a good sign most of the time. "A desert? This is different than Vermilion as well."

Bruno's Party:

Bruno art by Aquacorde

Aquacorde · Mar 3, 2021

Casey Holt

Sunday, May 26, 2019 // Evening, Day 7
Route 11 // Central

7-09. i'll give it back to you

Spoiler: give it back to you - barenaked ladies

Casey switches to his wireless earbuds and continues to chat with Sorley while he sets up camp, until Sorley ends the call with a bright goodbye and a promise to talk later. They had been a little distracting, sure- talking with your hands is not conducive to actually getting work done- but now the tent is up and his things thrown in, barring what he needs for cooking. The pot, the rice, the lentils, the-

He doesn't have matches.

He doesn't have matches or kindling or a camp stove, he has a Charmeleon. He has a Charmeleon whose flames are out of control and they're sitting in the middle of a fire hazard because you can't put a tent up in the sand. He doesn't even have rocks to set up the little range like Vera had the first time they'd camped.

...but he could make some.

That's a start.

He consults his PokéDex and his box of remaining berries. "Good job, Pepper," he says with a faint smile, as if the Charmeleon can hear him. He pulls out a Wiki berry, the only one they have. "Hey, Phanpy."

The little elephant turns doleful eyes on him. "Wh- are you hungry?" It nods. "Well, I'm tryna make dinner. But I need you to make rocks so I can do that." Casey hands the berry over. "No, don't eat it-! Squish it," he says, miming squishing the berry between his hands. The Phanpy hesitates, glancing between Casey and the berry, and crushes it.

Same as water, same as sand, rocks fly out in a spiral formation from the crushed berry... and cause much more havoc than anything before. Casey takes one to the thigh with a curse, Parsley yelps as he's pelted with another, and the tent itself fields a third and fourth that tear holes straight through the side. The rest scatter harmlessly across the field, but the damage at camp is done.

Casey opens his mouth.

And shuts it.

Maybe he didn't think that through.

He inspects the damage to the tent as he retrieves the rocks from inside. The holes are fixable with just his basic sewing skills, but that's going to take time and it's never going to repel water; he'll have to put the rain fly up at even the slightest chance of rain. He sighs. That's on him, though, he should've figured that's how it would go. He should have thought it through. He has to be more careful, more deliberate. With everything.

That's why Pepper's struggling. Casey's not thinking enough.

He crawls back out with the stones, each about the size of his hand. Parsley and Phanpy have found a few more, and together that's enough to make the ring he needs. But they're still unleashing fire onto dry grass, and that's still a danger. Even with Phanpy's sand.

He has to think. That means planning ahead. That means taking preventative measures instead of reacting. That means… putting sand down first?

"But that's just gonna make a mess," he muses aloud. "It'll spread out and go through the holes in the tent and not be helpful. So how do I- we keep it contained, right? What do we have?"

Nothing like a big box or container, and he's not going to empty his backpack- that's a lot of work to piece back together and he's already got a tent to sew. All he has is cloth, really, and while his jacket is the heaviest of them he's not going to use it for this. It's nice and he'd either never get the sand out of the wool or fully ruin the leather with it.

He rummages through his backpack and pulls out the shirt Shir had cut the sleeves off. "If we're gonna ruin somethin', may as well be somethin' on the outs already," he declares. "Okay, Phanpy, hold this and stand here- you gotta put your feet on the hem, right, and make sure you keep it down."

The Phanpy obliges, and Parsley, Ginger, and their tagalong bird look on curiously as Casey ends up with what looks like a Phanpy in a sack, with his hands gripping the top of the shirt to cut off the sleeve and neck holes. "Ready?" The Phanpy squeaks an affirmative. "Squish it, then!"

The shirt goes fwump as the puff of sand tenses and shreds the fabric and the hem slips out from under Phanpy's feet, but the sand stays fairly contained in a circular pile as Casey lifts the tattered shirt back up to release the coughing Phanpy. "Hey, that worked! Good job!"

He may be down a shirt, but he's immensely pleased with himself and his little sandpit, which- he realizes, as he begins to balance stones- is probably giving himself a little too much credit for a rather simple idea. But he thought of it, and it worked, and most importantly he planned ahead for once in his life, and Jordan would be proud of him too! Those're facts.

He finishes the stone arrangement and snaps a picture, sending it to Jordan with the caption "i planned!" Jordan's quick to respond.

26/05/2019 6:33PM
?
also saw u today

Casey audibly gasps and immediately forgets anything else he was going to say.

26/05/2019 6:33PM
when!!!!

26/05/2019 6:44PM
this morning at the creepy factories, but u guys looked busy

26/05/2019 6:44PM
im always busy but u could say hi :(

26/05/2019 6:44PM
sorryy :( will see you in vermillion!!

Casey sighs, but like he told Sorley earlier- he likes being in person better. And Jordan knows that, Casey knows he does. So he sends back a simple "<3" and Jordan's "<3 <3" makes him smile as he exchanges the phone in his hand for Pepper's PokéBall.

And the smile drops from his face as Pepper appears and immediately tries his best to make himself small- crouched down, elbows drawn, chin to his chest, and tail curled as close to his body as it can be. "Pepper," Casey pleads, suddenly at a loss for any effective words. The Charmeleon shrinks further into himself and Casey's not having that at all; he drags Pepper into his lap and holds him tight, rocking him gently as he whimpers.

"Shh, shh," Casey soothes, still at a loss.

How do you help someone who's suddenly so afraid?

"I… don't know what to do," he admits, and that's a start. "I know we gotta train. And I think it'll help. But we can't do it out here. And I dunno what to do for you right now. I can't walk with you, I can't cuddle you, I can't hold your hand." Frustration bleeds out into his words. "We messed up too much already. I messed up too much. I knew what could happen and I thought I could handle it and I should've but I couldn't and now you have to stay in your ball and- an' I hate it! It's not fair. It's not fair f'r you. And I shoulda just gone straight to Vermilion, if I did that we wouldn't be out here for a night and you wouldn't be stuck in there. But I wanted to see stuff, and go at my pace, and I didn't think-"

Casey wipes his eyes with one hand. He really has to stop crying about everything; he's going to get dehydrated. "And 'm sorry. I gotta do better. None of this's your fault, okay? None of it! I'm your trainer so it's mine. It's my job t' handle stuff. I didn't pay attention and I didn't do it right. You're perfect," he insists, cupping Pepper's head in his hands and forcing his gaze up to meet his own. "Listen. Your body's doin' what it's s'posed to, growing up and getting way powerful. It just happened too fast to get used to, and we're in an, an inconvenient place to be workin' on it. Ya understand? This is not your fault."

Pepper hesitates and nods the most miniscule nod he's ever nodded. Casey drops his hands and wraps his arms around Pepper again. "I don't want you bein' scared of your fire. It's what you're s'posed to use. Your body wants to use it."

They sit in silence for a while, shadows growing longer as the sun sinks lower. The evaporating heat of the day summons cooler breezes to rustle through the grass. Parsley snuffles in his sleep- napping before dinner, really?- while the Rufflet roosts atop his horns and Ginger and the Phanpy recline against his side.

The Phanpy turns those doleful eyes on him once more, and Casey's stomach remembers before his brain does.

"Uh. Is it crass if I ask you t' cook?"

Pepper rolls his eyes and huffs out a laugh, and Casey grins widely.

moon · Mar 4, 2021

Ralph Gonder

Fairy Winds

Sunday, May 26th
Morning, Day 7

Sandsy

Lv 26 | Coldy

Lv 24
Jolty

Lv 21 | Creepy

Lv 21 | Greeny

Lv 16
Ralph's Profile | Current Chapter | css base by Aquacorde

Spoiler:

Ralph didn't linger for as long as she could have. Or perhaps, she lingered too long. Either way, she left without Jordan.

She had finished getting dressed and eaten what she could, ensuring her battling monsters and critters were cared for as well. Jordan had not returned, and Ralph scorned herself for not grabbing his number when she could. But it would have felt weird, anyways. Going looking for him at that point would also just have made Ralph feel clingy; after all, there was a chance that Jordan had made up the Tangles potted plant thing just to get away from her. He had probably gone to find Casey instead. Stupid Ralph for telling him she didn't want to go say hi to Jordan's bestie.

So now she was alone again, as served her right.

The morning was wet and dark, any sign of early sunshine pushed away by the dreary waves of sky above. Ralph's poncho was her dearest possession now, and it struck her that she wouldn't even give it back to Arthur. Whatever, really - it was probably the Doctor's anyways, and Ralph had firmly set the thought in her mind now that the Doctor was likely evil to some degree. Sometimes, the world was easier as black and white.

Well, she wasn't completely alone.

The two friends saving the trainer from her loneliness were huddling up against her neck. Even Creepy didn't seem to fancy zooming around in the rainfall yet. It really was too early for humankind and decent pokémonkind alike, still. And, of course, there was also the yet unknown new friend in the shape of an egg, currently resting in Ralph's arms.

Ralph didn't know how long it had been before she realized that the rain had stopped. She finally looked up and surveyed her new surroundings further than the next bog in front of her feet. Greeny and Creepy on her shoulders peeked out too.

Ahead was a vastly different landscape. It looked vast and dry, no more murky forests or wet ground. Or rainy sky, for that matter. Her face took on a grin.

An odd, sing-songy noise came from behind her then. It wasn't unfamiliar.

"Ralts!" Ralph exclaimed, surprised to see the little pokémon from before, standing shyly behind one of the last bogs in the swamp.

The girl bent down, ignoring how heavy her backpack felt as she did. "Hey, you. You disappeared earlier."

The wild pokémon just looked at her without saying anything. She sighed.

"I took care of that bad machine, you know," she said, and noticed Ralts perking up a bit at that. "Yeah. Grimmsnarl really didn't fancy it either, and neither did Psyduck or all the Horsea… So I smashed it to pieces."

She crouched as she thought back on last night. "It wasn't my idea though. It was Jordan's. He's a good guy."

Softly, a fingerless paw on her arm. Ralts had appeared right next to her - when? - and now seemed like it wanted to comfort her. Creepy stayed put for once - weird! - but Greeny snuck out, tiptoeing along Ralph's other arm until she could gingerly sniff the newcomer.

"Well… At least I followed his lead eventually?" Ralph mused onwards. "I don't know if that makes me a good girl. Whatever. I hope the others don't bring their machines back either. You wild pokémon deserve to live in peace, not to have human grown-ups meddle with you. Grown-ups… Always meddling."

Two soft white hands were now touching Ralph's egg. The trainer let it, not really feeling like it was a threat. The Ralts was actually looking up at her, so that she could just barely see the glimmer of a pair of eyes under the green helmet-like scalp. It was kind of cute. Really cute, honestly.

"I've never really thought of training Psychic types," Ralph thought out loud. "Something about them just seemed tricky to me. Complicated. Sorry."

Ralts and Greeny were now both surveying the egg carefully. Did it just move? Nah, Ralph was probably just tired and slightly wobbly.

She stood back up, Greeny jumping down onto the ground as she did. The air was fresh, filled with a breeze coming from the west. It promised warmth.

If only it could promise lunch too.

Lost in thoughts once more, Ralph started following the winds, but was halted by Greeny squeaking. The rat was holding her ground next to Ralts, looking pointedly at the wild pokémon and refusing to follow her trainer.

"What?" Ralph said, not catching on at first. But then she saw that Ralts was blushing. "Oh. You… Want to come with us? To be my pokémon? Um."

Tricky. Ralph had avoided using Psychic types at school. Invisible forces grabbing you or messing with your mind or bending the world… It just seemed too weird to be good. Where was a fair fight when one battler was able to do things like that?

But life wasn't fair. And what if she actually took her time to learn to use those powers on her side of a battle? It was an intriguing thought. She was already using a ghost, after all, although it was apparently also a dragon, which was what had appealed most to Ralph.

And although Creepy had burrowed in her hoodie, maybe a bit wary of the stranger, Greeny had clearly taking a liking to it already.

"Fine," Ralph finally said and smiled again, hugging the egg closer. "Welcome to the team, girl."

Ralts now blushed even more, and Greeny let out a noise that Ralph interpreted as a giggle.

"Ah, my bad. What is gender anyways. Let's go, boy!"

QueenNothing · Mar 4, 2021

Gwen Alanis + Arianne Chandler

Sunday, May 26
Afternoon
Route 11

"Stupid goddamn white haired girl! Argh, I can't stand that bitch!"

In her frustration, Gwen has already forgotten the name of the white haired girl she battled not too long ago. Names aren't important to her when all she can think about is how angry she is with someone.

"She even has an Impidimp for the love of Arceus! As if she wasn't bad enough! No good person would ever carry those bastards around!"

She's been repeating the same points for a while now, and it's starting to get a little annoying to both Custard and Pix. Marshall is out as well, but Gwen doesn't even know if he can even hear. Vera did give good advice, although Gwen refuses to admit it came from her.

She expected her encounter with Vera to go a little better. Spending time with Casey made her realize that having friends can be a lot of fun, so she was hoping to make another.

It's a shame she had to be such a bitch!

Seeing her trainer's wide stomps, Pix shoots a concerned look at Gwen. Admittedly this isn't abnormal for the girl, but getting this angry can't be good for her.

"P-pika pika…" Custard shakily pokes Gwen's forehead, feeling the same way as the Vulpix. Feeling the nervous reminder of her Pikachu calms the girl down a bit, and she exhales while slowing down.

"I'm sorry Custard, but you heard what White Haired Girl said! She's such an asshole!" Pix and Custard exhaustively sigh in unison. At least Marshall doesn't mind.

The sunlight continues to beat down, and Gwen starts to notice something as her movements start to slow: she's incredibly thirsty. She hasn't had anything to drink since she was at Quartz's lab. It probably would have been a smart idea to fill her water bottle, but she forgot, and even if she didn't, she's not even sure where the damn thing is among the void that is her messenger bag. She swears her memory will be the death of her.

In her desperation, she looks over to Marshall. A burning question that lived in the back of her mind comes back to her.

"Y'know… where exactly does the water you shoot from your mouth come from."

No response is given. Marshall just waddles forward.

Gwen groans, and goes back to thinking. Memories of Cape textbooks come flooding back. There were passages that explained the energy every Pokémon possesses, and types are just a manifestation of that energy into different forms, such as water.

But that still doesn't explain where the water comes from. Fire-types have a natural flame within their bodies, and the same goes for electric-types and electricity… So do water-types have a natural source of water in their body? Isn't that just bodily fluids?

Gwen shivers thinking about the last part. That's what she's most concerned about. She doesn't want to drink Quagsire mucus. Plus, Quagsire are part ground-type, so do Marshall's Water Guns have mud in them? That's definitely a no-go.

"Man, I really need to get a water bottle with a filter." Without a doubt she'd try Quagsire water if she had one. But she doesn't. And she's not risking it. All she can do is trudge along the way.

Not too far from where Gwen is, Arianne is passing by, heading towards Vermilion with her Wartortle by her side. Her head is actually buried in her PokéGear, and this prevents her from noticing the other girl.

Initially Gwen doesn't recognize her, but that's secondary to what catches her attention: her Wartortle.

I wonder if she's ever drank her Wartortle's water.

She opens her mouth to call for the girl, but she stops herself. What if this is a repeat of the White Haired Girl situation… The possibility worries her, but as Arianne moves further along, Gwen impulsively speaks up.

"Hey! Uh, ex-excuse me!" To the best of her ability, Gwen jogs to catch up, and Pix follows suit. Marshall doesn't even bother to step it up.

"Oh… hello." Arianne turns around with a smile, followed by Eric. She pauses, somewhat awkwardly, a hand in her hair, but soon goes back to her usual mannerisms. "...Gwen! Hi Gwen."

Gwen is a little surprised to see the girl knows her name, but it hits her after a few seconds. "Oh! You're the person I saved from that Honedge!" Pix gives a quizzical expression.

"Yeah, I am! I don't think I thanked you properly last time, either, so…" Arianne grins one more time. "Thank you, Gwen and Vulpix! Anyways… how can I help?"

Gwen smirks. Arianne's comment feeds her ego. "Heh, don't sweat it! What kind of trainer wouldn't help those in need? But I wanted to ask…"

Wait, what was I gonna ask her? Goddamnit, I forgot already! For the love of… wait a second, I can try making friends with her! Making friends is kind of cool.

"Uhh, I-I was just wondering… uh, what other Pokémon do you have?"

"Oh?" Arianne looks surprised. "Well, let's see. I just caught two more Pokémon just now, Blitzle and Espurr, but I must wait until Vermilion until I can rearrange my team and use them in battle. Here with me, I also have Alice the Pichu, Lulu the Morelull… oh, and then of course Mizar the Bagon and Mulan the Pineco!" She smiles as she nonchalantly lists out her companions. "Well, and the Honedge you saved me from, too! Why'd you ask?" She adds, still keeping a smile on her face.

"A Bagon!?!" Gwen gasps. "Ohmygod, Bagon evolve into Shelgon, and Shelgon evolve into Salamence, and Salamence are some of the absolute coolest Pokémon ever!! Dragons are so rad, I have an Axew I named Tusk! But I also have a Misdreavus, an Arbok, a Magikarp, a Bouffolant, a Salandit, these two, and…" Just as his name is about to be listed off, Marshall finally catches up to his trainer in a very casual manner. "And this guy, Marshall!"

"Oh wow, that's…" Arianne laughs more nervously this time. "That's a lot of Pokémon! And strong ones too! And you… you can keep up with all of them?"

"That's… a good question." Stumped, Gwen sits down with her legs crossed and makes a thinking gesture. "Three of them were transferred to Professor Palm and there haven't been any Pokémon Centers since I caught them. I haven't even been able to take them out…" Knowing she'll be stuck on this for a while, Custard hops onto the ground and starts a game of tag with Pix. Of course, Gwen doesn't notice this.

"Well, looks like we're in the same boat… both for keeping up with Pokémon, and for wanting to spend some time with our new catches!" Arianne replies, still standing up. "Which… for all I know is one more reason to keep going and get to Vermilion… even though even the Pokémon you have now are rather cute! Look at 'em!"

With a giggle, Arianne points at the two Pokémon playing together, running in circles around Eric - who seems mostly intent on listening to what the two trainers are talking about, instead.

"Thanks! I raised 'em myself." Gwen snickers. While looking at the Pokémon, she focuses on the Wartortle in the center. "Hey, that reminds me: have you ever drank Wartortle water?"

"I… what?" Arianne laughs, in between surprised and amused. "Well, no, and I never needed to either… but now you make me wonder, why'd you ask that?"

"Because I'm goddamn thirsty! I haven't had anything to drink since I left Doctor Quartz's weird little lab, and when I was walking I looked at Marshall which really got thinking… could I drink a Quagsire's Water Gun?"

"I see, I see! Don't worry, I have some water myself, Gwen." Arianne tries to look reassuring as she pulls out her water bottle from her backpack. It's already more than half empty, but the Cinnabar girl still offers it to her former classmate. "You can drink this while we figure it out!"

"Oh my god, you're a lifesaver." Gwen hastily snatches the bottle from her hands and takes a large swig from it rather carelessly. Arianne just giggles in response.

"But that just brings up a whole lotta other questions." Gwen tosses the bottle back to Arianne. "Where does their water come from? Is it just spit?"

"Well, let me see something…" The girl grabs her nearly empty bottle back. "Eric! Mind using a Water Pulse and keeping it here?"

The Pokémon quickly complies, creating a small water bubble in front of his mouth and trying to control the water, keeping it in place. "Eric definitely didn't spit that out like with Water Gun, don't you agree? It's as if the water came from nowhere!" Arianne declares eagerly.

"I was thinking about that. Y'know how fire-types have a natural flame inside of them? Does that mean water-types have a natural water source inside of them, or is it just bodily fluids? Although if that's the case... is Pix's fire just bodily fluids too?" Gwen starts to wish she didn't start on this. She's getting more questions than answers.

"Wow, you're quite the imaginative girl, uh?" Arianne giggles again. "I wouldn't know anything about Fire types so maybe you're right, but for Water types… it looks like they just have a good control over water, whether they create it themselves or they gather it from the environment."

She tries to use her bottle to catch some of the water that Eric's holding in place with his Water Pulse attack. "At least with Eric, it looks like he can manipulate vapor in the air to create these bubbles. That makes me think, it should be ok to drink as well! I'll try that if you don't mind?"

"Suit yourself. I don't wanna be the test subject."

"Oh it's fine, I have a filter here too. Or at least that's what my parents told me when they gave me this…" Arianne smiles, with Eric now giving her a pat on the shoulder. As predicted, the water is just fine, if not a bit devoid of minerals. "That settles it, I guess? Or… oh no! We didn't try with Quagsire, I don't know if you have one of these filters, and… well, I hope the water from before was good enough…"

"Mine doesn't have a filter although uhh… I don't actually know where it is. And even then…" Gwen looks over to Marshall who has the same blank expression. "I'm not sure if Marshall here can control his water well enough to separate it from any of the gross stuff… or if he even cares enough about that. I dunno what goes on in that head of his." A sudden weight is felt on her head. Gwen just assumes it's Custard taking a rest. "He's so oblivious."

"Aw, I wonder if my Espurr will be like that too-" Arianne replies, only to interrupt herself and take a step back from Gwen. "Wait where did that come from… you got a Pokémon on your head!"

Gwen cocks an eyebrow up. "You mean Custard? She's been there all day, it's nothing new."

"That's definitely not a Pikachu…" Arianne grimaces, pulling out her Pokédex once again. "You do not have a Rufflet, do you?" She questions after a few seconds.

"What the-" Gwen glances over to where Custard was last, and sure enough, she's still there. Only now she's looking concerned instead of playing with Pix. "There's a Rufflet on my head!? I want it! Custard, use Thundershock!"

"Pika…" Custard takes a few steps back. "You sure that's a good idea?" Arianne asks, too.

"Gotta weaken it somehow!" Gwen says. "Come on Custard, just do it!!"

Custard gulps and charges static through her red cheeks. She aims for the Rufflet, successfully zapping the flying-type… and the girl it rests on. She falls on her back, which causes the Rufflet to fall off Gwen's head, fully paralyzed.

"There you are!" Gwen cheers. "Now I'm gonna catch you… uh, actually, can someone grab an empty Pokeball off my belt for me?"

Pix sighs and prances over to pick a ball off with her jaw, and tosses it at the bird Pokémon. A few shakes and a click can be heard from the device.

"Gwen? Uh… looks like you got it! One more to your collection!" Arianne nudges the girl, trying to get her back up to a sitting position. There's a bit of struggling on her end, but she powers through the damage. "Nice! It'll be super cool when he evolves into a Braviary… but what do I wanna name him?"

"Hm… it could really be anything! Maybe a name to remind you of how you met him?"

"He landed on my head and got zapped. What is there to work off of?" Gwen crosses her arms. "What am I gonna call him, Zap? He's not even an electric-type!"

"Uh… Swoop? That's what he did!" Arianne laughs. "Oh, this is just a funny name I thought. Usually I name my Pokémon after some book or tv series's characters, but I don't wanna use names that are too obscure!"

Gwen hates that name. She's about to open her mouth to go on about why it's stupid, but she stops herself. She realizes she's seamlessly conversed with the girl, and saying anything that can be seen as too rude might ruin what she's building. She really doesn't want a repeat of this morning. "Uh... I'll think about names later."

"You know what… good idea, I'm sure we can find some actually good names if we put more thought into it."

"Y-yeah…" This girl seems interested in sticking around. Probably a good sign.

"Well!" Arianne offers to help her former classmate once again, this time to get her back on her feet. "I'll be going towards Vermilion, hopefully I can get there before night. Wanna tag along, Gwen?" Eric looks at her too, trying to pull up a smile.

That escalated rather quickly (at least by Gwen's standards). She's in utter disbelief that such a thing was proposed to her. "Uh… Y-yeah, d-definitely!" She grabs ahold of her hand while a flattered smile forms across her blushing face. Friends are kind of neat.

CCS by Aquacorde

moon · Mar 5, 2021

Ralph Gonder

Rocky Realizations

Sunday, May 26th
Morning, Day 7

Sandsy

Lv 26 | Coldy

Lv 24 | Tricky

Lv 15
Jolty

Lv 21 | Creepy

Lv 21 | Greeny

Lv 16
Ralph's Profile | Current Chapter | css base by Aquacorde

Spoiler:

Initially, it had seemed like Greeny welcomed the Ralts into their party. But when it became clear how clingy he was, her disposition quite quickly changed.

Her usual spot on Ralph's left shoulder was now taken by the small psychic type pokémon, who half sat on the backpack and leaned forward, clamping the girl's shoulder with his tiny arms. His position also meant that he crunched together Ralph's hoodie, so Creepy could no longer hide from the sun in there without constantly phasing - and then there'd be no point to it. So both of Ralph's double ee pokémon were now traveling just behind their trainer, close to the ground - well, trodding it in Greeny's case. Ralph realized after a while that they were most definitely gossiping together about the lonely newcomer.

Kids in a schoolyard, that's what they were like. Ralph had never been one of the gossipers and trash talkers. She had said straight out how she felt about someone - if prompted. Otherwise she had usually not even cared to comment on what she heard. Probably that was why she didn't know that many of her classmates well, going into this journey.

The sun was cooking them at this point, and Ralts looked tiny but wasn't weightless. Him leaning on one of her shoulder burdened her more than both of her usual companions put together, and unevenly too. Plus, she was still hefting the backpack and cradling the not entirely feather-light egg, too.

All in all, she'd just about had it. She wasn't in a bad mood when she stopped next to a big rock and gently put the egg down, but she decided that they definitely needed a break. She didn't even know what time it was. Probably not noon yet, though.

The rat and the dragon rushed forward to the egg the instant it was settled in the warm sand on the ground. They were in the shadow, but that didn't seem to help keeping the temperature down much. Ralph morbidly hoped whatever was inside would still come out as a pokémon eventually, and not as an omelet.

"Everybody, let's stop for a bit."

She pulled off the backpack and leaned against the rock in the shade, some ways away from the egg. Didn't want to risk it falling over and crushing it. Man, looking after this thing was getting stressful.

Oh right, she could make a babysitter do it for her.

Sandsy came out of his pokéball and immediately seemed happy. This setting fit him perfectly. They were in a desert, it seemed like. Ralph had heard about this route, she realized, but never bothered paying much attention about it. It was a freak route, that much she remembered. Weirdly placed between a damp swamp and a humid jungle.

"Mind protecting the baby?"

Sandsy didn't really have to be asked. His eyes were glued to the egg already, after a brief survey of his surroundings first. At her words, he walked forwards and picked it up again, as delicately and carefully as Sandslash claws ever had touched anything, Ralph guessed. Then he sad down contentedly, ignoring Greeny and Creepy as they tried to touch the warm orb through openings in his claws and arms.

Good, that's dealt with. Next issue at hand…

Ralts was still clinging to her like a magnet.

"Let's get down for a bit, alright?"

He didn't really want to. She had to literally pry him off her shoulder, and once he was on the ground, he stayed in semi-contact with her leg.

"I guess you've never been out of the swamp before? Yeah, it's a pretty big world out here. It can be weird. Scary, I guess. But don't worry, you have strong teammates like Sandsy and Jolty and Coldy to protect you."

She said that very loud, to ensure that the kiddos understood that she was leaving their names out. Creepy registered it, and forgot the egg for a second to glare up at Ralph with a betrayed look.

"And also the super strong teammates Creepy and Greeny," Ralph then added, smirking and gesturing towards them.

That got Greeny's attention too. Seemingly determined to show that she was the favorite pet, she trotted up to the trainer with a big grin, clearly beggin for scritches. Ralph crouched down and obeyed, forcing Ralts to back off a tiny bit.

The ground was very dry. Ralph actually wasn't very bothered by it, nor the sudden change in temperature either. Not after that damn soaked swamp. It might be a good idea to put the stuff in her backpack out for drying for a bit on the rocks nearby. And maybe walk barefoot here for a bit, to let her feet feel free and fresh for a change. Didn't look like there was much dangerous trash laying around or anything; she had learned the hard way to not carelessly walk barefoot in cities, as a kid when she'd stepped on a nasty piece of glass. Gave both Casey and her parents a good scare.

She had been showering both the Rattata and the Dreepy with pats and scritches while she was lost in thoughts, but now she felt the small hands of the Ralts on her leg next to her. Right.

"Girls, this is important, okay? Look, this is our new gang member. His name is… Tricky."

Creepy looked up and blinked at the new pokémon. Ralph could tell she was a little bit nervous, but also very curious. Greeny, however, barely reacted.

Ralph picked her up with both hands and looked straight into her large emerald eyes.

"Hey. You. I'm trying to be a nice trainer, okay?"

An image of Casey sitting at a picnic table with his three pokémon around him floated up in her mind. He seemed really close with them. Aberdeen and his Pikachu, sharing personalities. Arianne and her Morelull, understanding each other so well that they could use the pokémon's abilities in creative ways without a hassle.

"And that means taking care of those who need it. You're starting to get strong. Tricky isn't yet. You can't be mean to him. We're mean to meanies, but it's not cool to bully the small ones."

Greeny looked uncomfortable, but Ralph could tell that at least some of what she said got through to her. She didn't squirm much at least. But at this point, the trainer also threw a glance at the Ralts. Maybe what she was saying made him feel embarrassed?

To her surprise, Tricky was there at her feet practically beaming up at her though. He only seemed happy that she was defending him like this. It made her worry a little bit. Perhaps he really wasn't a battler...

No, stop those thoughts. One thing at a time.

She put Greeny back down, and stepped back to put her and Tricky face to face. Tricky smiled, but was clearly still nervous. Creepy was the one to break the tension and finally dart forward to give the fairy a friendly bump - without phasing, even, which would normally probably have been a fun prank for her. She did have a kind heart inside of her eerie body.

Greeny sat down and looked side-eyed at them.

There were still things about her personality and disposition that Ralph didn't understand. In a way, the rat was a bit similar to herself, wasn't she? As a kid, Ralph too had been happy-go-lucky and carefree. Naive, even. But life had changed, and Ralph had decided to change too. Adapt. Maybe Greeny was trying to adapt now. Trying to figure out what her place in their gang should be. Trying to build some weightiness, some character. Trying to seem strong.

Ralph still wasn't entirely sure that not making the Rattata a pet was the right way to go. But for now, they would train.

"Alright, let's water up a bit."

A lot of the weight in her backpack was from water. She wasn't a great hiker, like Joseph or some of her classmates might be, but she knew that water was damn important. There was enough for herself, but she wondered if they could find some natural place for the pokémon to rehydrate at soon. They so far hadn't been as picky as she had when it came to water source; she'd caught Greeny happily lap from a puddle in the swamp earlier. They were probably fine for now.

Or so she thought, until she brought out Jolty and Coldy as well. Jolty seemed to thrive in the strong sunlight and dry climate, but it only took a few seconds before Coldy looked feverish. It was one hundred percent wrong for her to be out and about in a desert. Out of sympathy, Ralph rather quickly returned her again, whispering an apology.

The three small pokémon mostly stuck around Sandsy in the shade while Ralph kicked her sneakers off and pulled her hoodie off, revealing only a spaghetti strap top for the day. Then, she went to work with carefully unpacking her whole backpack, putting anything damp onto rocks in the morning sun. Her clothes from yesterday would get a bit dusty now, but better that than moist, was her current standpoint. There would be a washing machine in Vermilion, for sure.

There were also a few things in the backpack she had almost forgotten about. Casey's- her beanie had been put there last night and needed some drying now. Her hair was presently tied up in a big, rough bun again, keeping the number of hanging braids minimized. It was starting to get too warm already for lots of hair to cover her shoulders and back.

A weird brown rock made Ralph curse. That was the source of quite some of the weight she was lugging around. Right, the 'fossil' from Rock Tunnel. What was she supposed to do with that? Bring to Saffron? Maybe. Or maybe she would just chuck it down among the rocks here and forget about it. But she and Sandsy had battled for it. Quite hard, too. Maybe it was worth carrying around a bit longer.

And there was another rock too. Much smaller, and very different. It was a light blue color and was nearly see-through. The pattern of small cracks inside of it reminded her of a snowflake. And it did almost feel cold to the touch, although that could just have been a bit of a mental illusion due to its look.

"Does this come from Rock Tunnel too?" she asked out loud.

Jolty who had been lounging about on his own nearby responded by jumping up on a rock next to the trainer and leaning in to touch the rock. He seemed curious for a moment, but then seemed bored and let his gaze wander elsewhere.

It was strange, how much of Rock Tunnel she had forgotten. She realized, when she tried to think back on the stressful adventure, that she didn't really want to remember much. But this and the fossil, they weren't just random gadgets. What had that malicious archeologist said?

Lavoise held something up, where she was crouched down near the crumbled pillars. "It's an evolution stone! You'll want this for your team, I'm sure."

An evolution stone. A cold one, looking like it had snow crystals inside of it. Ralph didn't notice her own jaw dropping.

"It's for Coldy!"

She almost sent the poor ice pokémon out there and then, but managed to calm herself and sit down in the sand next to Jolty to look things up in the pokédex instead.

Sandshrew has a Ice and Steel dual type regional form. It evolves into Alolan Sandslash when exposed to an Ice Stone.

The picture there was unmistakably the same as the stone she held in her hand. Coldy could evolve, at any time. She would be like Sandsy, but different. She digitally flipped to the Alolan Sandslash page.

"Man, she already is so cool. But this will be awesome," Ralph mused out loud, gathering the attention of the kiddos.

Rattata and Creepy approached her like the duo they were, and Ralts shyly wobbled after them.

"I found an iteam that will make Coldy stronger. Cool, huh?" she explained to them and held the rock out into the sunlight. It glistened intensely. She hoped it wouldn't melt. It was a rock, right? Not actual ice?

To be on the safe side, she rather quickly put it back into the backpack though. She wouldn't force her Alolan Sandshrew out into this weather now, but perhaps in the evening, if it got colder, when the pokémon had a proper opportunity to really stretch her new limbs and test out her new power…

Ralph hoped that Coldy would like the idea as much as she did.

Aquacorde · Mar 6, 2021

Casey Holt

Monday, May 27, 2019 // Early Morning, Day 8
Route 11 // Central

7-10. brave

The light fades entirely, the air grows cooler, and Kriketune begin to play their songs around them. Conveniently, having Pepper control a cooking flame is decent training. It must be, anyway, since he evolved last time he did it. And sitting in the sand pile, curled around the ring of rocks his tail is stuck into, he seems content. Casey makes rice and lentils easily in his single cooking pot, and distributes them amongst his party. The Phanpy seems to be stunned by the taste, in a good way- "there's not even seasoning, why're you're lookin' like that-" and the Rufflet pecks at the meal suspiciously and eats begrudgingly before Casey runs a knife through the binding roots and sets it free. "Don't come by an' attack me again."

It disappears into the night.

After reluctantly returning Pepper to his ball, Casey and the other three Pokémon curl up inside the yet-unpatched tent. The last thing he hears before sleep takes him is the squealing interruption of a Kriketune's song by shrill shrieks and the sounds of a tussle.

It found something else to savage, he thinks.

► ► ►

His eyes flutter open to see a shock of copper curls framed against a purple sky, Sorley's laugh in his ears as he's pushed off their lap and into warm sand. He slides smoothly down a dune bigger than Mount Moon itself and purple night turns to pink day turns to purple night again before he finally slides to a halt, taking his rightful place in the grass next to a crackling campfire. Jordan and Vera sit on either side of him, still and silent as statues, gazing deep into the flickering flames. Casey stares, too. Stares and stares and stares as the flames grow bigger and brighter, consuming everything in their wake and burning all three of them to ash.

His eyes flutter open to see a mess of sandy hair framed against a pink sky and reaches up to touch the unkempt beard of his reflection. His reflection grins mischievously at him, and pinches his cheek in return.

► ► ►

His eyes flutter open to see grassy scrub framed by the strained fabric of his tent, and it takes him a moment to remember why there's a hole there.

Questionable decisions, that's why.

Casey shoves Parsley, Ginger, and the Phanpy out and lets Pepper lounge in the sandpit while he works and they shake themselves awake. It's a quick task to pack up, but a much longer one to stitch the tears back together in some way that will hold. He hasn't listened to anything in a while, so he picks something from his feed at random.

"As cityscapes sprawl outward, the environment inevitably responds in a myriad of ways. Today we discuss ethical development with special guest Alton Mocinno, head of..."

The soft-spoken guest tells the host- and Casey, by proxy- about the challenges of creating space for human activity and expansion while allowing the natural ecosystem to thrive as well. He has interesting thoughts, Casey figures, even if he seems to drift off on tangents fairly frequently and needs redirection by the host. The snippets of stories he gathers from context intrigue him- specifically the tangential discussion of artificially created habitation zones that have become necessary for the preservation of wildlife in densely populated areas. It makes Casey wonder if he's in one of those right now, if that's the reason for the night-and-day contrast between the coast and the swamps versus the desert and savanna.

He'll have to look into it later, though.

The tent and sewing kit are packed up easily before his headphones click into their case and are tucked into his inner jacket pocket. As a final thought, Casey scatters the rocks and sand of his firepit. Leave no trace, rangers say.

Well, we haven't done so good with that, huh? he thinks, scooping Pepper up for a last cuddle before he has to go back in his ball. Fires ain't traceless…

But prior failure doesn't mean he should give up on doing it right. There'd be no progress otherwise. So he puts Pepper away with a fountain of reassurances and scuffs the rest of the sand into the grass, as if doing this really well will make up for previous incidents. "Y'all awake yet?"

Parsley sneezes as Casey kicks up dust and shakes himself out, looking rather disgruntled. The Phanpy turns its big eyes on Casey and "yeah, alright, I know-" he lifts it up onto Parsley's back while at the same time scrabbling claws latch onto his backpack and pull their owner up to his collar.

"You could ride on Parsley too, y'know," he says lightly. Ginger huffs. "What, are you mad at him? You know- WHAT?!"

His sentence goes nowhere fast as he's smacked upside the head by a squawking ball of brown feathers, Ginger tumbling back to the ground in the midst of frenzied shrieking. "I thought we were over this!" Casey yells above the din, before he realizes- talons gripping, not tearing, and screeches panicked, not aggressive-

He whips around, Rufflet clinging desperately to his collar, to face a lone Pokémon thundering across the plains. Casey stares, unsure of what he's seeing- it looks like a Bouffalant. The form is right, with the short single tail and wide, gold-ringed horns that distinguish it from a Tauros. Everything says Bouffalant except the most signature part of its silhouette- the puffy hair.

It's non-existent.

But the creature itself is still thundering toward the cowering Rufflet, and to make this Rufflet of all Pokémon cower means this thing must be strong.

Well, his team is strong, too!

"Phanpy, down! Parsley, catch and Pursuit!"

The Phanpy thuds to the ground and Casey throws Ginger to Parsley as he starts cantering, faster and faster with the boost of Pursuit as he collides head-to-head with the Bouffalant some ways from their campsite. Casey sucks in a breath as Parsley drops to the ground, hardly slowing the Bouffalant's charge, but Ginger leaps high before he falls and comes down with a twirling Double Kick to the back of its head. That irritates the beast enough to stop, tossing its head and shaking to dislodge the tiny bunny, who can't find a firm grip on its bristly fur. She slides down ungracefully, landing near the dizzy and staggering Parsley, and Casey suddenly realizes that he doesn't have his full team- without Pepper, he doesn't know if he can actually take this thing on.

But he has other Pokémon right now, doesn't he?

Casey swings his backpack to one shoulder and pulls his PokéDex and a Sitrus berry, shoving his nose in the former and the Rufflet's beak in the latter. "Keep it busy!" he yells, dragging up information. "Phanpy, Rollout, try to bounce into its knees-"

The PokéDex brings up Rufflet's projected moves and power levels and Casey grimaces- the bird is way stronger than he thought, way stronger than any of his team, and it's dragged something even stronger than itself over to battle them! If it'd bothered a herd of these things, they'd have no chance at all. But with a little healing boost and some support- maybe that's enough for the Rufflet to succeed.

The Phanpy cracks into the Bouffalant's knees, bouncing and rolling too arbitrarily for it to stomp or butt. "Pull it this way!" Casey calls, and the Phanpy changes track, leading the Bouffalant away from where Ginger is zapping Parsley back to his senses. "Synthesis, Parsley, Synthesis- oh, shit-"

Casey hops to the side as the Phanpy breezes past him, dragging the Bouffalant along in its wake. "Circle wide, don't lose momentum!" The Bouffalant, much bulkier than the Phanpy it's chasing, passes so close that its coarse hair roughs up Casey's jacket and Casey curses and shakes his head vigorously at himself. He's lucky.

Ginger's back atop Parsley and cantering back toward the action as the Phanpy takes a wide arc to his left. "Straight toward it again, be ready to dodge! Rufflet, done?" The bird squawks an affirmative. "Get ready, then."

Calculation is key here.

Phanpy continues its arc, distance between it and the aggressor lengthening as long as it's rolling, and Ginger keeps Parsley on course for interception. He's gettin' faster, Casey thinks, but he can still see the convergence point. He's not nearly as fast as any other party but he's closer, and he doesn't need to be exactly there, just close enough. He's done it right- the Phanpy passes Parsley when he's a few yards away, and Casey orders Ginger down and she's skating as Parsley veers off and skids to a halt, trotting around to pick her back up just as the Bouffalant comes thundering across the patch or ice left in her wake. Casey's close enough to see its eyes go wide as its hooves skitter. "Pull it!"

Parsley's vines yank a leg and the bull crashes down, shattering the thin ice beneath. "Crush Claw!"

Casey mimes gripping something as he calls the move, and the Rufflet seems to get the idea even if it doesn't know the name of the thing- it hurls itself at the bull, grabbing and tearing at the flesh of its neck. Casey grimaces, but the Bouffalant is quick to react, whipping its head around to catch the Rufflet with a Dark-infused horn and send it sailing back to Casey, who fields it and shoves another Sitrus berry in its dazed face. The Bouffalant struggles to its feet and falls once more as the Phanpy finishes its full circle and slams into its rump. "Phanpy, catch!" Casey calls, and the Leppa he throws is caught and crushed, the spiral of Fighting-type energy pummelling the Bouffalant as it staggers to its feet. Another second Leppa, a third- "Get out!"

The Bouffalant bellows its rage, turning on the Phanpy behind it only to see it rolling away at speed. Leaves smack into its broad side before it can chase and it rounds on Parsley and Ginger, the latter's twisting kicks making perfect contact with its nostril. It grunts and huffs, shaking its head frantically as her foot electrocutes its sinuses before Parsley drags her out and away. The bull re-focuses on the Skiddo and narrows its eyes.

"Parsley, move-"

But the bull is fast, much faster than the Skiddo even with the bolt of speed from Pursuit, and light green suffuses and lengthens its horns just before impact. Casey's heart drops as his baby boy crumples, scooped up by thick horns and thrown toward him. Ginger falls with precision, twin twirling Double Kicks to the back of its head taken in stride before she's shaken off once more, darting out from under stomping hooves and back to Casey in a flash. The metallic sound of the recall mechanism is overpowered by Casey's shout.

"Tailwind!"

The Rufflet's little wings are enough to summon a whipping wind from behind them, lashing at Casey's hair, slowing the bull's charge and boosting the Phanpy's momentum as it rolls back in, bouncing at the Bouffalant's knees and wheeling away once more. But this time, the bull kicks out and the ball of Phanpy goes flying, slamming to the ground and staying down. And it's not his, so Casey can't recall it- can't do anything more than have Ginger dart out to protect it, leaving just himself and the Rufflet to face the raging bull.

Bald head lowered against the whipping wind it charges, the Rufflet's Tailwind-boosted Aerial Ace not nearly enough momentum to stall it. The bird bounces off and Casey dives at the last second before the Bouffalant pounds past, wide turn bringing it back to face them with a bellow. Casey dives again, sooner this time as the Tailwind buffs the Bouffalant, and scans the field. Phanpy's down, Parsley's down, Pepper's not an option, Ginger's barely effective- what can he do?

Where's the Rufflet?

The angry little bird bursts from the scrub, glowing with energy as it careens once more into the Bouffalant's flank, diving and slamming and raking it with furious talons as it glows brighter and brighter, form stretching and twisting and growing until it screams its new, stronger, more war-like cry.

"Braviary!" Casey marvels from the ground. But they're still battling- "Set the Tailwind again!"

It's stronger, now, with the full wingspan of an eagle, and the Bouffalant struggles to move against it, especially with the fear of Scary Face shaking its knees. Good! Keep it uncertain, keep it from using full power, then they'll have a chance- its sheer power is insane but with some strategy, maybe-

Ginger, in a flash, kicks it in the knees and the bull crashes down nearly on top of her with an angry bellow. The Braviary's huge talons grip its neck, pinning it with the pressure of its wingbeats and ear-piercing shrieks.

The bald buffalo stills.

The Braviary ducks its head, and releases its opponent. Beats of its beautiful blue and gray wings cancel the Tailwind as Casey picks himself up, hair settling in directions it really shouldn't be pointing and grasses sticking him in various places. Is this how wild Pokémon fights work? It makes sense, in a way- fighting only to the admission of dominance. If they fought to the knockout, like trainers, they'd be vulnerable for too long. Insensate on the ground, in the middle of everything, for any other Pokémon to come by and kill or eat. And in this case, no herd or group to back it up and keep it safe.

Yeah, this seems like the better way.

The Bouffalant staggers to its feet and slowly angles away from the scene, unhurried and confident that the Braviary will let it go unaccosted. Casey makes an X with his arms as Ginger moves to attack and she sullenly plops back down. "That'd be rude," he says, and she huffs at him. "Let's get the Phanpy."

He doesn't have to, though- the Braviary delights in swooping across the field to collect the little elephant and soaring back to Casey, dropping the Phanpy for him to catch with an "oof". "Thanks," Casey laughs, a little winded. The Phanpy cracks an eye open and still manages to give him an entirely too-sad look. "You did a great job!" Casey assures, and it beams at him through its exhaustion.

"You, too," he adds, patting the Braviary as it lands next to him. It clicks its beak threateningly and he snatches his hand away, but it preens under the praise as well. "Good job takin' trainer orders. Don't think you'd wanna do it all the time, but we worked pretty good together for a minute! You happy you evolved?"

The Braviary chatters happily and kicks up a cloud of dust as it takes off, gliding lazy circles around them.

Casey takes that as a yes.

moon · Mar 7, 2021

Lavender Town
May 26th, Sunday

"I can't believe it!"

"You're saying you think Jarmie is a liar?"

Marcus furrowed his brows towards the brunette, who was nervously fidgeting with her braid. She had slumped on a chair against the wall, the other three people standing in front of her with serious glares.

"No! No, of course not, I mean..." Lucretia sighed and let her hands fall from the braid with a sigh. "It just sounds like something from a movie? Not actually something that happens."

Jarmie nodded slowly, her elaborate earpieces dangling. "Tomorrow Foundation is losing track of what's ethically alright and not. Well, I don't think they ever really knew. No offense."

Beaumont Tayloz was now the one to sigh, and started pacing Jarmie's small office room, eyes towards the floor but not really looking.

"None taken," he said lowly. "I can't believe it myself."

"It could have been worse though, right?" Marcus said, looking between the others. "They could have been hiding some kind of slave factory in there, or a secret lab where they work on an ultimate weapon or-"

"What if they do that too?" Lucretia interrupted, going pale.

"What we saw is basically slavery," Jarmie grunted, fists clenched. "And you knew absolutely nothing about this?" she added towards her pacing gym leader colleague.

Beau looked up, annoyed. "I came to you, didn't I? Asking for help because I didn't know. Because I've never been let into the Power Plant. Family ties don't matter here."

"Oh, they matter," Jarmie snapped. "You became the so called official gym leader, didn't you?"

"Guys..." Lucretia said, almost teary eyed.

"Oh no, I thought they were becoming friends already," Marcus said in sarcastic tone.

"We will be," Beau said off-handedly, but stopped his pacing and walked up to enter Jarmie's personal space all of a sudden. "I had no idea. I thought they had finally found a way to harvest the geothermal energy from Rock Mountain. That's what I was told."

"I believe Jarmie! And I believe Mr Tayloz too," Lucretia said, standing up. "So instead of arguing, we have to decide what to do now, right?"

"So you're with us?" Marcus asked simply.

Lucretia looked like he'd asked the dumbest question he could, and didn't dignify it with a reply. His grin said that he got her point.

"We need to be careful," Jarmie said and stepped out of Beaumont's space. "Lucretia can be trusted, but we can't risk others overhearing. I'm sure the police force is corrupted, and that Tomorrow has agents everywhere."

"That's awfully paranoid," Marcus commented.

"She's right," Beau said. "Tomorrow has funds and resources you're not aware of. That I'm not even aware of. I'm not officially a part of the organization, I'm just..."

"Their puppet," Jarmie finished for him.

"Yeah," he said, crestfallen.

Lucretia seemed like she was considering giving the beaten puppy a hug, but decided against it.

Beau shook his head. "Tommorow Foundation is torturing the legendary pokémon Zapdos... For infinite electrical power," he said slowly, as if he still was trying to comprehend the situation himself.

A split second later, he was crashed into the wall behind him, one fist holding him by the throat while another was cramming a greatball against the gym leader's cheek.

"Mav!" Lucretia's high pitched voice came.

"What did you say, you snake?" Mav roared, face reddening by the minute.

"Mav, back off," Jarmie said, but there wasn't exactly urgency in her voice and she relatively calmly walked over to close the door shut where Mav had stormed in.

Beau let out a gurgling noise, not really able to speak in the current position even if he wanted to.

"He's on a redemption arc now," Marcus said in jolly tone. "Maybe let him breathe?"

Mav very slowly let go and lowered the hand holding the greatball. Beaumont gasped and stumbled to get as far away from the angry tower follower as he could in the crowded room.

"He just admitted to being a villain!" Mav scoffed, glaring at the man like a predator its prey.

"You overheard something but not the whole thing," Jarmie said blankly. "This again proves that we can't just speak about it like this. We have to be careful. Actually careful."

"Yeah, we have to bury you alive now, Mav," Marcus said with a shrug.

The tower follower put his greatball away and turned from Beau to Jarmie for a moment. "Is it true? What I heard?"

"Yes," Jarmie said and sat down on her office chair behind the desk Marcus had been leaning against. "Last night, me, Tayloz and Marcus sneaked into the Power Plant's inmost features."

"How?" Mav asked. "That's heavily guarded."

"Apparently not against ghost tricks and teleportation," Jarmie clarified. "We managed to get in but only had a short glance of the truth inside before we had to escape to avoid detection. We saw the bird legend Zapdos, it is no question about it. It was not in a pokéball, but it was caged."

"It was being tortured," Beaumont said, voice a bit raspy after the assault. "I felt sick watching it."

"Legendary pokémon aren't well understood. They don't seem to be like other pokémon. They don't get tired in the same way, tales say. And they are very strong," Jarmie said. "So they seem to be using it to power their expansion between Lavender and Saffron."

Mav's fists clenched and he glared at Beaumont again.

"He's on our side!" Lucretia said. "Right?"

"That's what I've been saying," Beau sighed. "Words don't seem to convince you much though."

"Words are just words. Actions speak louder," Jarmie said, arms crossed. "But last night... Your reaction to what we saw was genuine. You're maybe not as fake as I gave you credit for."

The electric gym leader's face lightened up a bit at that. "Thank you!"

"So when do we storm the Power Plant?" Mav asked, fully serious.

"Are you crazy?" Lucretia said. "We're so outnumbered, even if we could get Beaumont's gym workers to help us. And what if the police doesn't help us? Technically we'd be breaking and entering. We'd be the criminals!"

"You'd rather just sit and wait around, knowing what's going on?" Mav said angrily.

"No, of course not... Maybe we could... Maybe we could ask the journeying trainers who were just here, to keep an eye out? Gather information about Tomorrow Foundation as they travel? Or anything suspicious like that?"

"It's dangerous to involve kids in this," Jarmie said darkly. "It's already bad enough that Marcus is here."

"I'm almost 18..." Marcus whined. "I count as an independent adult trainer."

"Well, we can just go public with it?" Lucretia suggests.

"One hundred percent surely, Tomorrow would find a way to either make us out to be liars, or get rid of us alltogether," Marcus said, adultly.

"The other gym leaders," Beaumont's voice came, a bit stronger now. "We should tell them. Anyone who becomes a gym leader cares about their town and people, and about pokémon most of all. They wouldn't stand for this."

Jarmie stood up. "That's a good idea. They could help us keep an eye on Tomorrow in other cities too. Who knows, maybe they're already skeptical, like we are?"

"I doubt there's a sparkly bird held captive in every city," Marcus commented.

"They were fishy long before we discovered this," Jarmie retorted.

"Other gym leaders might have an idea of what can be done," Beau said. "I... I'm still new to this, and to politics in general. And this is political, for sure."

"I hate politics," Jarmie said pensively. The afternoon sunlight was peering in through the glass, making Beaumont's hair look like a gloria around him where he stood by the window. She still didn't think the angelic flavor suited him.

"We live in a society," Marcus said, but then Jarmie put a no-nonsense palm over his face.

"So, who do we talk to first?" she asked.

moon · Mar 7, 2021

Vermilion City
May 26th, Sunday, Evening

The sunsets in Vermilion are beautiful. To the west lies only sea; not even on a clear day can you really spot the forests of Viridian on the other side of the Lime Gulf. The sea means freedom, and life. Hana would live her whole life in it if she could.

Sadly, she is human with legs and a need to breathe. She supposes that it would be a bit cold down there anyways, and that she would still spend every evening she could sitting on the southwestern pier watching the sun go down. It truly never gets old.

And this time of year, Vermilion never really gets cold either. There's a bit much industry and freight work going on, but other than that, Hana likes Vermilion well. It's a good place to live. Her brother argues that Cerulean Cape is the most beautiful place in the region, but the small chilly bit of northeastern seashore they get up there really leaves a girl disappointed. Hana needs more sea than that. Better sea.

Of course, she has to admit that for actual swimming, the Cape or Fuchsia or Cinnabar easily wins. It's sad, really, but most days she forces herself to not think about the state of the water wildlife in this edge of the gulf. But she probably should care. She became a gym leader because she cared, and because she wanted more influence to make other people care as well. Politics just happens to be much more complicated than that, and being a gym leader turned out to be much more of a politician's work than she had expected. They didn't exactly advertise it that way.

Four eyes peek out of the harbor waters at her, both surrounded by blue and yellow slimy skin.

"Lanturn, Wiscash, you better get back up here now," she says, smiling at them. "That water feels good, I bet, but it won't be great for you in the long run, you know. Gotta keep you healthy!"

The eyes look sad, but they don't dive back down as Vermilion's gym leader pulls out two pokéballs from her jacket pockets and recall the pokémon. She gets up on her feet and looks around. Kingler and Lapras are both already in their pokéballs, and she doesn't carry around a full team of six these days - her current batch for focused training only comprises five. So where has the fifth run off to?

She finds him arguing with a wild Pelipper in the middle of the dock. The bird looks amused, while Croconaw looks frustrated. Yeah, on closer inspection she's sure he's activated his Rage power, but Pelipper doesn't bother attacking him despite the verbal onslaught so it doesn't really do much. But then, Croconaw's fang starts to glow with a shimmery blue color...

"Stop!" Hana calls out and dashes forward.

That scares the Pelipper away and it takes flight. Thankfully, the crocodile is trained well enough to obey his trainer even in the midst of an unsuccessful Rage attack. He calms down while she walks up to him and leans down.

"You're a funny one," she says, and pats him on the head instead of scolding him.

She doesn't scold her pokémon. She shows them the way, instead.

"Let's go back to the gym. I think it's actually starting to feel a bit chilly," she says, and stands up to sense the wind better. "Weird."

moon · Mar 7, 2021

Chapter 8: Vermilion City
Starting date May 26th, Sunday (evening)

Spoiler:

After what feels like forever, you finally reach civilization again. Vermilion City is a proper city with everything you'd expect to find in one - much bigger than the comparably cozy Lavender Town. But also noisier, by far. There are many machine vehicles here, traveling back and forth on the northern road leading to the Saffron metropolis - there are also plenty of freight trains on the sturdy railroad. This is due to the huge harbor that essentially has become synonymous with Vermilion. Most goods imported by boat to Kanto come through here.

Docks line most of the city's coastline, as the city is situated on a "corner" of land. The southern part is the actual "Vermilion harbor", with countless docks for freight ships, along with storage halls for goods. The top edge of the western coast is more for sailboats and privately owned ordeals, while the very southwest corner itself is the place where the big passenger ships anchor.

Its proximity to Saffron, Cerulean and Celadon has likely made Vermilion the main spot in Kanto for the big ferries between regions. There are also some ferries leaving for Fuchsia and Pallet here. Most trips are coordinated from a central Ticket Hall, which is an official building hosting entrance floor counters and upstairs offices for various travel agencies.

Oh, and if you're thinking of going for a swim, the waters around the Vermilion coastline is considered somewhat nasty due to all the ships coming through, but that certainly doesn't stop devoted souls from jumping in for a while anyways. There are no nice dedicated swimming spots near the city, sadly.

WHAT TO FIND/DO HERE

- Near the southwest ferry harbor sits the city's Pokémon Center. It has an entrance floor cafeteria for lighter meals and sleeping quarters... Unfortunately it looks like there are so many trainers here now, either on their graduation journeys or preparing for imminent tournaments in Saffron, that you'll have to share with someone! Ugh. There also doesn't seem to be great facilities for washing your desert-dusty pokémon up. Better look in the gym or elsewhere for that...

- The southern harbor has plenty of dock workers, some of which are trainers and might be keen to practice their battling skills now that they're ashore or have a break in their work of loading and unloading cargo.

- The city center isn't anything spectacular or pretty. The city's own inhabitants know to go to Saffron for any actual good shopping or enjoyment away from the sea, and it's easy to get there by a commuter shuttle train. Of course, as you're on your pokémon journey, Palm has forbidden you to ride this!

- The tourist agencies whose buses you might have seen on Route 11 have facilities here. Go say hi perhaps, if you think that will do any good.

- There is a large, fancy building marked Pokémon Fanclub near the northwest harbor. They have amazing facilities but they won't let just anybody in...

- Palm will surely be very interested to hear back from his own sister about how his proteges are faring in their gym challenge. She's well trusted for being unbiased and honest, so there's not really any doubt that she'll skew her reviews to benefit him.

VERMILION CITY GYM: Water Type
It is rumored that there was no gym building in the city a few decades ago. Instead, the gym leader trained people and pokémon directly in the seawater from cliffs and bridges, and the gym battles were carried out right there in the bay as well. Nowadays, however, the water is so polluted so the previous gym leader has had to have a building constructed to act as the gym. The current gym leader regrets it and wishes that they could revert to the original way of training water pokémon in Vermilion. But as sea faring traffic continues to increase, that seems like a pipe dream.

The gym leader's name is Hana Palm. Indeed, it is your famous professor's little sister. A colorful woman in her mid thirties, Hana was a decently famous name in her own right before she took up the gym leader mantle a few years ago, having been a successful graduate at her grandmother's Cape School a couple of decades earlier and a noteworthy tournament goer and traveling freelancer for most of her time until settling down. She is a short woman with bright brown eyes and long, flowing brown hair that's often put up into a simple ponytail. Her skin is a dark olive, tanned extra compared to her comparably shut-in brother's complexion. You'll often see a shy Croconaw in tow where she goes.

Hana's gym is a grand building close to the southern docks with plenty of pools both inside and outside. In the less cold months, most gym workers practice outdoors, and so does Hana herself, along with holding the gym challenge battles there. The pools dedicated to gym battles, both indoors and outdoors, are about thirty meters long but only about four meters wide. This is to somewhat give non-water types a chance to reach the water-dwelling fighters. Hana and many of her gym workers are also into various water based sports, such as water polo and swim-racing.

In battle, Hana's style is upbeat and relentless. She views pokémon battling like a sport and trains her pokémon rigorously to be enduring and energetic. They might not be the hardest hitters, but you will have a hard time escaping their fast paced attacks and trying to wither down their energy before your own runs out!

The gym leader of Vermilion trains many different water pokémon and shifts her "main" team around a bit. She will adapt what battlers she sends out depending on the current powerlevel of the challenger's chosen team of 3 pokémon when they apply for an official battle in her reception.

If your highest level pokémon out of your chosen 3 is Lv 30 or above, the following pokémon are used:
LAPRAS, LANTURN, WHISCASH

If your highest pokémon is between Lv 25 and 30, the following pokémon are used:
LANTURN, WHISCASH, KINGLER

If your highest pokémon is below Lv 25, the following pokémon are used:
WHISCASH, KINGLER, CROCONAW

EVENTS / PROMPTS

JUST REWARD: May 26 or 27th / OPTIONAL
- If you have a Gold Star Voucher for the Pokémon Fanclub that you received from an event on Route 11, you will be considered trusted and let into the prestigious facilities in the Fanclub building. Most members are not licensed trainers, and use their pokémon as pets and friends to be cherished, although some are fans watching the tournaments on TV or live still. Everyone here loves to chat about their favorite pokémon and how to care for them in the best way. There are likely several members sympathizing with the "terrorists" around Kanto that claim that pokémon battle training should be disallowed... Perhaps don't flex your battle scars and skills here?

- Reward? Here, you can get a room for yourself to stay in for free for one night, complete with a large relaxing bathroom to clean yourself and your pokémon in!

- Alternative? If you don't have a voucher, it seems like you can bribe the receptionist to let you stay one night with some expensive pokémon treats that you might have received in another event on Route 11.

FIRST STROKES: May 27th / OPTIONAL
- If you visit the gym with other intents of battling Hana (or before or after battling her), you can meet a gym worker who teaches you the basics of how to safely ride a pokémon over water. If you don't yet have a pokémon of your own that can learn the move Surf, the gym worker will let you practice with theirs at the gym or in the harbor.

- Reward? You can now start practicing Surfing on a pokémon whenever there is opportunity! You will not master it yet however, so you won't yet be able to cross bodies of water without getting wet and eventually falling in.

- Alternative? If you don't learn the basics of pokémon Surfing, you'll be a bit behind later on if you planned on having perfected the technique for ocean use by Fuchsia. But perhaps you don't plan on needing it! (The RP will be perfectly possible to enjoy without pokémon Surfing)

CHILLING TALE: May 27th / MANDATORY
- When you wake up in (or arrive in) Vermilion on Monday, something is drastically different from before. The outside temperature has dropped by at least twenty degrees celsius overnight; what before seemed to shape up to be a pleasant 25+ May day is now a 5 C story. Not enough to freeze the waters over, but you'll certainly need to put on warmer clothes. It seems to be even colder near the southern harbor.

- Reward? Cold body. Confused mind.

- Alternative? You have to go to Vermilion and you won't have time to pass it before the temperature drops, so there is no alternative. You will notice it.

CHILLING TRAIL: May 27th / MANDATORY
- After you battle gym leader Hana, she will ask for your help. She was up all early morning searching and has figured out that the cold originates from somewhere in the southern harbor - yes, she believes it to be artificial and have a source of some kind. She tried asking the dock workers around the area but they all said they knew nothing. She also alerted the local police force, but they keep finding reasons to dismiss her or put her on hold on the phone, as if they didn't believe her or didn't want to... Hana now asks you to go and see what you can find out, since you are unknown in these parts and maybe can get information she can't.

- Reward? Please do it together with 1-2 other players (or if some decide to group up as 3 players, another one can do the event alone, 3-4 groups please). DM me when you've decided with whom to do it. I will tell you in private what you will find.

- Alternative? Not really. This is part of your story.

POKÉMON FOR CAPTURE
None! Y'all need a break from captures <3 (but if you really had hoped to catch something here, let me know what it was and I might make it available upon request <33)

QueenNothing · Mar 7, 2021

Gwen Alanis + Arianne Chandler

Sunday, May 26
Evening
Route 11

"So, uhhh… d-do you like Detective Greedent? It's my favorite show! Although you probably guessed by my shirt." Gwen titters uneasily, scratching the back of her head. Even with Route 11 coming to a close, they aren't done just yet. Still a little ways to go, and Gwen finds herself starting casual conversation to fill the gap. It's surprising to her, it's not something she usually does. Maybe Casey's outgoingness just rubbed off on her.

"Detective… oh, I definitely remember it! Didn't watch too many episodes of it but I have some books at home." Arianne giggles. "Really liked those as a kid!"

"Wow, really!?" Gwen grins with her pearly whites out as sparks light up in her eyes. Most people usually scoff at her for even daring to bring the show up. It's nice to see Arianne has taste. "The books are pretty good! So are the comics too actually. I'm really looking forward to the movie coming out in November, it looks super neat!"

"O-oh… yeah that's cool! I guess I kinda moved on from it but it's always cool to bring back some childhood memories! Some things never leave you, you know?" The girl replies. Her eyes move around the place as her expression turns more reflective.

Oh. A little disappointing to hear she's "outgrown" it (A term Gwen thinks is bullshit) but at least she didn't outright point and laugh at her. "The series is still really good! People always say that it's a dumb kid's show but they're wrong! Anyone who says that is-" She stops herself from going on a long tangent. Can't scare Arianne off. "...Uh, I'm still a big fan, is all."

There's a moment of silence. Gwen, worried she may have weirded Arianne out, glances over to her and notices her arm. Something is a little off.

"Oh- what are those weird little marks on your arm?" Gwen cocks up a brow. It's unlike anything she's seen before.

"Well I picked up my Honedge one time and this is what it left me with. But I was about to get zapped to death by a wild Pokémon and this helped me defeat it so I suppose it was worth it?" Arianne smiles nervously. "It happened yesterday evening, near Quartz's place."

Gwen's eyes widen. "You wielded a Honedge and survived?" She's incredibly impressed.

"I-" Arianne furrows her eyebrows. "Yeah apparently! It didn't feel good and it was very hard to call it back into the Pokéball but yes, it happened. I mean… a Pokémon that I have caught isn't going to kill me like that, right?"

"You haven't heard?" Gwen pitches her voice down makes herself sound raspier. "There are folktales about how those who grab onto the helm of a Honedge will be suffocated by their arm." Gwen cackles rather maliciously before she bursts into genuine laughter, dropping the voice. "That's badass! Certainly one way to work together with your Pokémon… well, there was that time I actually saved you from that same Honedge with Pix, but I guess that was different."

Arianne grimaces. "Gwen… both times I got very dizzy after holding Honedge. And this time I even got this amazing mark, so I don't think it's that healthy now! But it sure felt empowering when you actually held Honedge… if you say it's possible to work together with my Pokémon like that, then I should really try to understand it more."

Gwen nods her head. "Bonding with your Pokémon is the most important thing for a trainer to do! And when you and Honedge have a strong bond, you can probably take down anyone- except for me, of course." She smirks. "Imagine how unstoppable you'll be when it's an Aegislash!"

"Wow, I have no idea how that could be like…" Arianne laughs. "But you surely make it sound enticing! Then again…"

The Cinnabar girl looks at the ground. "I've not been that good at bonding with my Pokémon so far. Except maybe Eric right here. Even Casey… yeah, he told me that."

"Oh, you know Casey too?" Everyone seems to know this guy. "Yeah, I guess bonding with all your Pokémon can be hard, especially if you have as many as I do. But that's why I'm keeping these guys out." She gestures towards Marshall and Pix. "It's a good way to get to know them! That's probably why Casey does that and I'm basically just copying him." In reality, it was Vera who gave her the idea, but she won't even admit that to herself. "Even before that, I let all my Pokémon out when it's time to eat and make food for everyone who can eat, and I let them all out when it's time for bed. And you gotta do lots of training too! It's not that hard when you get the hang of it!"

"So basically, you go all out." Arianne looks at Gwen more nervously. "Still, that's cool! Some of my Pokémon are a bit troublesome though… and yes, I met Casey right on this route. Kept talking about how to be a good trainer and take more care of your Pokémon but I guess I didn't make a nice impression on him… it was an eventful encounter though."

"An eventful encounter, huh?" Gwen scratches her chin. "Have there ever been any encounters that aren't eventful? That always happens whenever I meet someone new but I guess it just feels that way after spending every day either in class or in my dorm. But Casey knows how to take care of his Pokémon." He does a better job at it too- Gwen won't admit that to herself either.

"Oh, you're right! And…" Arianne pauses for a moment. "Well, I hope even the little trip to the graveyard felt like that! I mean, you seemed to enjoy it, hehe!"

"Speaking of which… do you maybe have news of Courtney, too?"

"Yeah, I know Courtney! She's…" A friend? She didn't really think about that. She thought Casey was her first friend, but that was only because their little act made her question how she feels about him. She didn't have to do that with Courtney, but if she's not a friend, what is she? Same with Sarah too. "...cool! Uh, yeah, that's it."

"Hm… alright, I see!" Arianne mutters after a bit. She keeps quiet for some time after that remark, too, looking rather lost in thought. "Just thought I'd ask, you seemed to actually get along."

"Yeah…" If a third party notes the two get along, that's probably a good sign of them being friends. Next time she sees Courtney, she'll definitely take notes of what their dynamic is like.

Arianne looks over to the horizon in the meantime. "Who knows, we might find those people in Vermilion again? Or… well, what can I say, I'm just excited for reaching a new city! Do you have any plans yourself, Gwen?"

"Of course I do!" Gwen's eyes light up brighter than they were already glowing. "I'm gonna challenge the gym and totally win! The gym leader won't know what hit 'er!" She throws a few punches into the air accompanied by sounds she mouths that are supposed to mimic the impact of a fist making contact. "I'm SUPER pumped!"

"Oh, I'm excited too! I have a good feeling about this. But first…" Arianne smiles. "As Casey says, we'd better bond with our new Pokémon too. Right?"

"Of course!" Gwen's smirk reaches both ears. "First thing I'm doing in Vermillion is swapping some Pokémon out for my new guys!"

[PKMN FULL] TRAINERS (IC)

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