<< Ember and the Playground Throwdown >>
Location :: Ecruteak City
Starting Time :: 9: 32 PM
-------Ecruteak smelled of hickory wood and cinnamon. There was a striking impression of homeliness that Emberlyn felt the city gave, imbedded in every groove of each timely house, a feeling that floated in the wind.
-------By half past nine, the people were putting out the lanterns in their doorways. A Poliwhirl spat at a few along the road to quash their dimly-burning fires. Curiously, warily, Kelly approached them, regarding their plump, blubbery form with unfamiliarity and intrigue. The Water-type peered down confused though made no motion to her and neither she to it. They were completely at a standstill, the Sableye staring absently into its mesmerizing stomach swirl…
-------Emberlyn quickly caught Kelly Hops by the wrist and, with an apologetic look in Poliwhirl's direction, hurried along again, before her Sableye could get sick.
-------But the blanched look gone in the Ghost-type's crystalline eyes, the two went free along the Ecruteak roads, returning kindly waves from onlooking locals, observing warm-leaved trees, tranquil ponds, Bellsprout statues and signs painted with a language of both ancient and present times: 'れきしが ながれる まち; The city where history flows.'
-------On their tour, the two came across a schoolhouse on the eastern end of the city, a grey-walled, red-roofed building not unlike all the others with an expansive, fenced-off stretch of land to also call its own. It was the commotion in that area that attracted the two. Kelly immediately lost interest in what lay beyond the fence, being out-measured by it by many a foot, instead turning to chase an evasive autumn leaf caught in the tumultuous breeze. Emberlyn, however, allowed curiosity to consume a bit of modesty, peering out into the schoolyard where a great bunch of children stood estatically bounding around one another. There were hundreds of them, and it was implausible that they all went to this same school. Emberlyn even pinpointed the signature tanned complexions of far-off Hoenn and coastal Unova amongst the group. All the kids looked about the same, however, but certainly weren't her own. Strange to Ember, as she regarded the balloons, the certificates rolled up in each little hand, the banners strung up in the trees and the overall energized atmosphere. She'd come across a ceremony. A graduation? Of predominantly ten-year-olds? For a Kalosian teen it was such a surreal thought.
-------Her own presence was caught very quickly by a little girl lingering by her side of the fence. Just tall enough for her forehead to be perceivable, the girl stood on the tips of her toes to make her eyes just as so. They went wide as she regarded Emberlyn. The child froze.
-------"Hi!" She rushed out a beaming welcome as to hopefully prevent the girl from outright panicking. Her smiling face, however, went ignored as Kelly sensed the appearance of a stranger and made a mad dash from the leaf, scrabbling her claws at wooden planks instead in a vain attempt to scale the fence.
-------The little girl pulled herself up to see the little, determined Sableye and cracked a smile. She turned to Ember now: "Your Pokemon's really cute. Are you a Trainer?"
-------Relieved at the comfort, she responded. "Yeah, I just got my license a few days back. Kelly here's my first."
-------At the mention of her name, Kelly Hops perked up, peering straight up and ogling the girl's amused face.
-------"Lucy, who are you talking to?"
-------The sound of yet another newcomer made Kelly antsy. The Sableye scrambled into her Trainer's awaiting arms, being lifted up to a level more suitable for greeting humans.
-------This particular woman had a patent atmosphere to her that screamed "mother", particularly to this little girl who quickly disappeared behind her. She was one of great presence with a highly expressive face splotched red from the passing chills. Her eyes were slight and sparkled with wary. "Who are you? You're not from here, are you?"
-------"No, I'm from Kalos. I'm a travelling Trainer." Ember had her fingers running along the wallet in her jeans pocket, fully outfitted with a license for proof.
-------Fortunately, the woman was not too suspicious, as a flitting look of acknowledgement over the Pokemon in her arms was enough for her to allow her daughter to stand beside her and not behind. "Alright. Kalos, hmm? I've been hearing a lot about it recently. Where in Kalos, exactly?"
-------"Geosenge City."
-------"Oh! The place with all of the rocks, right." She gestured to Lucy and the girl ran off to reunite with the jubilant children in the schoolyard. Interestingly, her mother gestured to Emberlyn as well. "Why don't you come on in, introduce yourself to all of us? I'm sure everyone would like to know how life in Kalos is like, and how your journey has been going so far."
-------It was a bold and unexpected offer that Ember pleasantly obliged to, and the woman unlatched the gate to abide her entry. It was not something she was used to, being so kindly invited into the presence of complete strangers. Habitually it was her responsibility to be the hospitable one but charisma like that did not come characteristically to her. A lucky moment like this was so greatly appreciated by Ember, even if she was just answering the questions of curious moms. Of course it couldn't have all been fortuitous; the word "Kalos" had evidently sparked something. The word "Trainer" too must have inspired Ms. Ling's decision—she soon introduced herself as Ms. Ling, anyway. As Emberlyn pondered deeply, however, as best she could under the constant interrogation of these thoroughly-intrigued mothers, she made a connection. Her greatest role models aside from family were all Trainers. The most revered people of their generation had all participated in the League. There was a certain adoration the public was bound to give anyone who possesses a license; she realized this now and felt a sudden, satisfying revelation that she
had a license, that
she was in that category of head-turners. Gleefully she whisked through, almost irresponsible, a plethora of the things she might be able to get away with now that she had such a power.
-------Meanwhile, Kelly had slunk from her grip and out onto the grass where she was immediately swamped by the youthful newly-grads, all gaping with a storm of different emotions bubbling up in the immediate crowd. It was attention the Sableye could accept, until one lousy boy with his cap turned back and a tooth knocked out took up a stick and made prodding motions at her eyeballs.
"Why's its eyes look like rocks?
-------Assertively, Kelly Hops acted on instinct, surging towards the provoker with teeth bared and claws extended. The crowd leaped back at her gurgling hiss, a number of its members turning tail and fleeing, including that one boy, squealing with horror.
-------"Kelly!" The Sableye whirled around to meet her pale-faced Trainer, though they both knew the retort was instinctive. Emberlyn predicted misunderstanding and she ran to gather her Pokemon before the moms could get to her. The girl could feel their collective vehemence glowly hotly even with her back turned.
-------Fortunately, another one of the moms who had not joined her peers at the refreshment table came crossing the lawn, drawing attention off of Kelly and to her chipper self instead. "Hey, girls! So sorry I took so long but I got the extra chips! I got another bag too, just in case! You know those boys
love potato chips! I know Patrick would eat an entire bag by himself if I let 'im alone!"
-------There was indeed a little boy just barely keeping pace with her, his beaten hiker boots dragging across the yard with every sullen step. He had glasses clearly fastened tightly to the sides of his head as they maintained from sliding off even while the kid kept his head firmly down. He glowered down at his muddy shoes with his muddy-colored hair just hanging past the nape in his neck while his mother implicitly dragging him from the schoolhouse.
"Who are you, now?" the mother piped to her. The inquiry brought the boy's head up and, though he would not meet Ember's eyes, he felt a sensation of being critically watched from a distance as she formed an answer.
-------"Uh, 'm Emberlyn. I'm a Trainer from the Kalos region—"
-------"Kalos!? Oh my goodness! Why would you
ever leave there!? It seems so dreamy! So many places to go and so many things to see and do… It's definitely no boring ol' Johto, that's for sure." She gave her a jesting wink. "Ha! But maybe that's 'cause I've been
everywhere in Johto. It just gets kinda same-y after a while, you know?"
-------Emberlyn just smiled and nodded.
-------"Ooh, but you're a Trainer too? That's so great!" She wasn't talking entirely to her now. The woman also sent an expectant look in the brown-haired boy's general direction. He was conveniently wiping his lenses with the rim of his sweatshirt.
-------"How long have you been training, Emberlyn? My that's a spectacle of a name."
-------"Just for a day or two so far, and… thank you."
-------She gave a theatrical gasp. "Oh my gosh, you're
just starting out, that's
perfect!" Another glance shot towards the boy but he deflected her enthusiasm with his utter disinterest, studying the seconds passing by on his wristwatch.
Emberlyn saw the frustration imminent in the mother's stare and decided to deliver aid. "Is he a Trainer too?" She gestured towards the boy and he sensed this, standing to full attention immediately and with utter bewilderment.
-------His mother was, as expected, overjoyed and grateful as well, evident in the passing look she exchanged with Ember. "Why, yes! Yes he is, Emberlyn! Patrick just filled out all his paperwork this morning so his license is all ready to go and—"
-------"And I've told you at least four times today not to call me 'Patrick', Trina. It's
Pots."
-------The child finally spoke and he did so with stunning animosity alight in his tone, regarding Ms. Trina Leveve with a gelid glare. Emberlyn had never been intimidated by an eleven-year-old before until that moment.
-------Trina herself appeared obviously stricken but with an undertone of dread too that implied what "Pots" had said was not unpredictable of him.
-------"Patrick—"
-------"Pots."
-------"—i-it's the name on your
Trainer Card—"
-------"Then that's the wrong name." He stood obstinate against the woman's hysteric, half-uttered arguments. "And I bet you put it on there yourself, too. Good on you for stepping in for things like that. It'll make a big difference when I'm a Trainer and don't even live with you anymore."
-------The words worked a black magic on the woman. Her mouth clamped shut and she was drained of all passion aside from a deeper, sadder emotion that shone like water in her eyes. But Pots had turned away and now to Ember he said this: "You don't have to ask about me. It's for the best if I'm left alone anyways, to be honest."
-------"Why do you say that?"
-------"I dunno. I'm alone most of the time anyway."
-------"It doesn't have to stay that way." Emberlyn spoke before he could follow up with what were likely to be parting words. Suddenly, within her, surged a feeling of panic at the thought of this boy departing to go and sulk on his own. Perhaps he'd busy himself in the world of a book or blame the others around him for their lack of understanding but, either way, he'd be alone, he'd be isolated. She would know.
-------But the connection was thusly drawn and it dried out her mouth when she reached the conclusion. Pots had felt something as well, face whitening with bewilderment once again as he gave her the most intrigued of looks. In his face she saw both youth and maturity, the latter subdued but ever present, though she couldn't place how or why. It was how he carried himself, she was left to ultimately deduce.
-------"So… you, um, just became a Trainer today, huh?" She broke the bit of silence and forced upon herself a modest smile.
-------"Well, yeah. I thought Trina just said that."
-------He certainly had a lot of snark. "You don't seem too excited."
-------"I am. I'm just being subtle about it." He accentuated that word;
subtle. Emberlyn helplessly cracked a further smile, a humored grin now, just at the concept of an eleven-year-old being
subtle. Would he claim next to be… sophisticated? Socially aware?
-------Pots was an acute little boy. She did not need to laugh for him to scowl and promptly call her out. "Yeah, go ahead and smile like that. You look like your hobgoblin."
-------His caretaker had drifted out of the exchange but re-entered now with a stern utterance of his preferred title: "Pots!"
-------"Hey, she's the one about to laugh at me," he defended.
-------Kelly H. had also gone to do something or other with some pebbles on the ground as the humans involved in a complex conversation involving tones, expressions and implications that soared straight over her. However, she could be extremely acute when it involved her in-particular and the term "goblin"—used by her Trainer's insensitive mother in the recent past—struck enough of a chord to get her bounding over to the perpetrator.
-------Pots made a grimace as the Sableye's eyes met his own, glossy eyes betraying nothing, panting mouth open and revealing lines of gnashing teeth.
"Jeez, why'd you choose such a creepy Pokemon?"
-------Emberlyn, looking grimly non-amused, bit back bitterly. "She's only something to be scared of when you say something bad about her Trainer."
-------"Oh." Either Pots had believed the implicated threat or felt apologetically about what he'd said before as he flashed a look over Ember, then down at Kelly, and eventually shifted to his bottom left as he peered at the bulging pocket of his slacks. "Well, if your Pokemon wanted to beat me up, they'd have to get through mine first."
-------Emberlyn felt something within her flare up. Had she developed the "Trainer's instinct", as it was called, already? For Pots' message reeked of a challenge; so much for his apparent subtly.
-------"I'm sure she would manage." Either way, she wanted to see what supposedly non-creepy Pots had chosen for his partner. Whether it was one of the traditional Johtoan-bred Pokemon sheltered in the laboratories or some creature he'd found out in the woods.
-------Pots glowered up at her. "Oh, sure, fine, whatever. I'll battle you.
'I challenge thee,' I guess."
-------And thusly, she and Kelly were thrust into their first Trainer battle together. It came a startling surprise how suddenly it had happened and how easy it had been to find themselves feet away, adjacent from his determined-looking, glasses-wearing schoolboy in the wide, rolling yard. The other children did not have a battle cry to guess what was bound to happen between them and with stunning obedience they flooded around them, forming a rectangular border of anxious kids. Trina had obligingly stepped inside the "ring", wrestling for berries and Potions in the depths of her purse, in case things were to take a messy turn. Astonishingly, however, Ember did not believe they would. Her nervousness, inevitably there, manifested itself into resolatuon. She'd studied, she'd prepared, she'd traveled here, and she was more than ready to win.
-------However, Pots must have felt about the same way. They'd be pitting their resolves against one another to determine the prevailer. "Sequoia, I choose you!"
-------From a Pokeball burst a looming, quadruped figure, sharp-hoofed and mounted with jagged antlers, pelt a rich auburn shade and speckled with occasional spots of cream. She was a beautiful creature, the Big Horn Pokemon assumed, for the drooping jowls characteristic of her species added such rugged detail to her that she may as well have been a show 'mon. Undoubtedly, one the other hand, they made her appear more
intimidating. Her neck was pridefully arched, her eyes were closed as if meditating in the young crowd's absorption. Only her horns were concerned with her competition. Golden in shade, eye-like in structure, their beady black centers glared down at a poor, gawking Kelly who fought to find her bearings in the presence of Pots' treasured partner.
-------Emberlyn was running through her essential handbook in her head, racking her brain for any semblance of what she knew about whoever this Pokemon could possibly be.
Bouffalant? Tauros? Sawsbuck!? None of those names sounded right. Dolefully she deduced it to be one of the particular Pokemon she decided were too unmemorable to bother memorizing facts on. She had to go reluctantly go without prior knowledge, instead studying what was in front of her. Her eyes, as well as Kelly's, immediately went towards those horns, gleaming brilliantly in the ten-o'-clock sunlight. When she blinked, however, she saw they were far less scintillating than before, or at least she swore so, for the effect returned immediately. Had it been an illusion?
-------Regardless, she recognized the eerie stillness Kelly Hops had adopted and made an immediate connection to the Poliwhirl from earlier than morning. She called a warning to her Sableye: "Don't look at her horns! Look at the face!"
-------Kelly snapped away, looked around to see where her Trainer was pointing, and returned to Pots taking advantage of their moment of hesitance.
-------"Tackle it, Sequoia!" The Stantler flew forward, head thrust out in front of herself as she threatened to plow right across the Sableye. Her expectations were, to a point, met as she ended up plowing more so
through the Ghost-type than squashing her. The utter bizzarity of seeing her opponent vanish before flashing a cheeky grin behind her as they returned to tangibility did bemuse Sequoia enough to have her halt her charge prematurely and tumble onto her side. She became a fitful, frightened mess, kicking up dirt and grass and giving deep, gasping grunts of indignance.
-------A deeply troubled Pots mumbled,
"That thing's a Ghost type?"
-------Emberlyn cackled greatly now, losing propriety for the sake of the show. Kelly having essentially swapped places with the other Pokemon, she ordered: "Leer! Lower her defenses!"
-------Kelly Hops' flashing, faceted eyes caught those bulging from the flabby face of the floundering Stantler. For a few seconds, they went rigid. That was the time to attack and Ember called for a full-force Zen Headbutt. Compliantly, Kelly's head dropped downwards. She went motionless, like a doll, but only for a second, for she gave a few jerky, prickling movements, and then, without warning, she flew at Sequoia with impeccable speed. The headbutt was a direct hit that knocked the wind out Pots' Pokemon, connecting just as she was struggling to rise to her feet. The blow sent the Stantler catapulting into the earth again.
-------The audience was reaching deafening levels of excitement now and Kelly was left a dizzy wreck. Putting all possible effort in a head-centric attack was more than enough to cause a young Pokemon like herself to sway and stagger about. Emberlyn let her enthusiasm ebb as she watched the little Sableye fight to regain her composure. She felt irresponsible, ordering a move that took so much energy to perform. The girl bit her lip.
We have some serious training to do.
-------Pots, surprisingly, had nothing else to add as he watched his partner's pained struggle to rise again, only appearing more darkly determined than before. Clutching his fists, he wailed encouragement in Sequoia's direction:
"C'mon, girl, get up!"
-------The Stantler leapt to her hoofs, the rage reddening her muzzle. From her throat arose a great bellow—a war cry—and pawed at the ground, simmering, waiting for Pots' order so she may carry out her vengeance on her impudent opponent.
-------"Bite it!"
-------Sequoia rushed Kelly down, lashing forward with teeth extended to gnash right where the Sableye's arm had been. Kelly's Naive nature came paired with added reflexes that were just enough for her to evade, lashing herself back before scrambling to get away. As she turned, however, she was caught in the back with Sequoia's horns and, just as Pots called "Astonish!", she was violently thrown high up into the air. Like a ragdoll, she fell in a crumbled, violet mound at the base of Emberlyn's boots.
-------"Oh, damn." Sequoia was a heavy hitter and irascibility only accentuated that fact. However, to Ember's surprise, her Pokemon bounced back almost immediately. As she clambered to her feet once again, Kelly's eyes stood out with a muted but unmistakable red hue rather than the everyday colorlessness. Creeping uncertainty gripped Emberlyn as she noticed it but, conveniently, overlooked it as a reflection of the scarlet leaves surrounding of all of Ecruteak mixed with her own anxiety getting to her. Regardless, she knew the battle needed to end quickly.
-------"Okay, Kelly… We're going to lower her defenses again, okay? Can you do a Leer for me, girl?"
Hunching more than she instinctively did, Kelly Hops' not-at-all-colored eyes gleamed as she carried out the act.
-------Sequoia took it head-on with arrogant nonchalance as she prepared for her Trainer's succeeding order. "Rush in and hit it with all you've got!"
She was off again, tearing up turf with those sharp, sharp hooves. Emberlyn felt her stomach clamp together like a Cloyster shell, her throat go arid, but miraculously she spoke up, stridently:
"Zen Headbutt, head on!"
-------Kelly must not have been thinking minutely either for she took the command and ran recklessly with. The Sableye broke into a lightning-quick pace with her thoughts not even collected until her collision path with Sequoia was at its very shortest. Inches away—Emberlyn could've
sworn it was inches away—was when the signature blue glow blossomed from her skull, like heavenly light, and the Sableye thrust that pent-up energy right into the Stantler's chest.
-------BOOM! Like an explosion, they were both flung apart, Kelly falling onto her back, Sequoia collapsing out of anguish, and the crowd went utterly wild. The children were hooting, hollering, cheering, chanting. The battle was over and the rousing, celebratory callings were all given in Emberlyn's favor. The visitor from Kalos and her scary little goblin; they'd did it. They'd won their first battle! With that thought, Ember's stress melted away like butter and she smiled.
-------Pots looked sick, dropping to his partner's side as she struggled to get off the ground, but she soon proved to be well enough, though thoroughly petulant. Sequoia sent a parting, loathing glass in Kelly's direction as Trina massaged Potion into her fur. She only turned away when Pots fed her an Oran berry and which she appeared reluctantly satisfied.
-------Emberlyn, in a surge of appreciation, turned to her own Pokemon still sprawled out on the dirt. She wanted to feed her berries, coo to her how fantastic she'd been, but the feeling vanished with a rising chill replacing it instead. Kelly was groaning. Kelly snarled and hissed and spat, she hummed and chirped and cackled… she didn't groan, out of disorientation, out of
agony. The Sableye always made jagged movements but, as she fought hard to regain her balance, Ember was certain she was entirely lost. The world must have been a great revolving blur to her and what her head felt like Emberlyn couldn't begin to surmise.
-------"Well, guess you were right after all." Pots suddenly popped up in front of her and she was forced to snap her attention towards him. He carried no evident sullenness in his expression though of course he did look overall pleased. At the very least, he approached her pleasantly.
-------"I'm not the kind of guy who makes excuses when he loses. You're a pretty decent battler, Emberlyn. I bet your… little Pokemon… will get even stronger in the future, so I wish you the best of luck." He shot a glance himself at Kelly Hops, rocking left and right in an apparent spell of dizziness. "Uh, you should call back your Pokemon. They look like they need to recover a little."
-------"No duh." The venomous retort was inspired mostly for an inner disappointment in herself but, alas, it ended up being voiced to the boy instead.
-------He took the opportunity to go sour himself, frowning and replying with, "Excuse me for giving a heads up. What's your problem. You
won."
-------Emberlyn was silent. Her eyes drifted in a space between the schoolboy with his knit brow, awaiting a reply, and the stumbling Sableye she'd been so heedless with.
-------"Hey." He summoned her attention. "All Pokemon get hurt, okay? It's not like animals. See, if I threw a rock at a bird, that'd be a dead bird. But if threw a rock at a Pidgey, it'd recover in, like, an hour. And be incredibly pissed with me on top of that. Pokemon are all energy and battling's coded into every single one of them. They're used to this."
-------"Yeah, I know all of that, but…" Her voice trailed off. Kelly was grimacing, holding her head. "Jeez…"
-------"'Things are only gonna get tougher.' That's what my mom used to tell me. 'You just gotta get tougher too.' Remember that."
-------Emberlyn gave a shocked, hard blink at the implication. The sharp-witted Pots caught on and immediately cleared his throat, signalling a change in subject.
-------"Right, so according to tradition, I'm supposed to give you money, but screw that, honestly. You can have this instead." From his swelling left pants pocket he produced what appeared to be a fist-sized berry or nut, purple in color. "It's an apricorn. I collect them, but only the green and black ones."
-------"Why those?"
-------He shrugged. "They look the best, I guess. I don't really have a favorite color but purple definitely wouldn't be it if I could choose. But, hey. Your hair's purple so you might appreciate this more than me." Thus, he tossed her the apricorn.
-------"Well, if Sequoia's alright with it, we're probably just gonna head down to Route 37. I think I've had enough of Ecruteak for a while."
-------"No, wait," she stopped him. "I'll give you something too." Before he could make a humble refusal, from her own pocket she produced a small, milk-white stone. "Catch!"
-------It landed in his hands. The boy gave a critical appraisal, ultimately deducing, "I suppose you collect rocks, huh?"
-------"I do. My parents go nuts over rocks so I guess I got it from them," Ember informed.
-------"Could you tell me what kind of rock it is?" Pots asked.
-------"I might be but…" She shot him a playful grin. "I don't really feel like it."
-------Pots responded with, "That's a fitting enough excuse in my book," and stuffed the stone into his pocket before turning back to her to say gallanty, "Thank you, Emberlyn. For the battle and for the keepsake."
-------"You're welcome, Pots. And you don't have to call me 'Emberlyn' all the time. Ember and… yeah, Ember's fine."
-------"Alright then, Ember." He gave her a conclusionary nod. "I'll be going now. See you around?"
-------"Definitely! Oh, but be careful! I heard something about fires on Route 37 earlier."
-------"Oh, right." The familiarity drove the boy to roll his eyes. "The
fires. How
disastrous for someone like me who doesn't have a decent Pokemon to protect them from harm!"
-------Instantly his Stantler whirled around to stare stupefied at him.
-------"That was
sarcasm, Sequoia! I was
joking!"
-------He rushed to join her at the school yard's entrance, laughing and running an affectionate hand over her neck. The Stantler feigned a hurt expression before ramming him playfully in the chest, then running through the unlatched gates, Pots following close behind.
-------"Bye, you two!
...but how would you fight off fires with a Stantler?"
Time: 10: 19 am
-------After bidding farewell to the mothers at the ceremony, Emberlyn and her partner were once again walking the Ecruteak streets. Kelly reappeared from her Pokeball, clear-eyed and seemingly well-off. Nonetheless, the grey feeling of self-disappointment and regret fell upon Ember again as her Sableye materialized before her.
-------"I'm so, so sorry, Kelly. I don't know what I was thinking, making you use that move twice in a row! That was
crazy stupid, I'm so sorry! I swear we'll get to training you as soon as possible so you get stronger, okay?"
-------The onslaught of relayed emotion visually bamboozled poor Kelly Hops as she tried to make heads or tails of why Ember was apologizing and pleading forgiveness. But, eventually, she ceased being taken aback and simply accepting whatever had gushed from her Trainer's mouth, making a meaningless gurgling noise—an "I suppose, I don't really know, nor do I care"—before settling on wrapping herself around Emberlyn's leg.
-------"Aww, Kelly! Stop it! You're too adorable! And that kinda hurts… ow!" Laughing regardless, she shook her leg gently, unraveling Kelly's knife-life grip. "Alright, we should get going."
-------They turned the corner to a faceful of flashing blue-and-red lights and the scream of sirens. Kelly hissed and shielded her eyes at the barrage of iridescence and Emberlyn herself took a step back as not to overwhelm herself. From a more suitable distance, she observed and quickly placed the cause of commotion: a number of fire trucks, a few police cars and, on the horizon, a great billowing cloud of ash-colored smoke.
-------"The fire… Holy—"
-------"Young lady."
-------She jumped. Spinning around, she identified the chiseled man behind her as a police officer immediately from the signature blue uniform.
-------"Can you inform me what you're doing at this end of town?"
-------"O-oh, officer! I was just…" She reconsidered telling the truth, thinking a white lie might end the exchange quicker, but ultimately felt obligated to take the earnest route. "I was about to head onto Route 37 with my Pokemon…"
-------The policeman gave a jerky nod as if it'd been just as he'd suspected. Lowly he chuckled too. "Heh. Thought your license could get you through, eh?"
-------"What? No, sir. I-I just didn't know the fire had gotten so bad…" She stiffened up. Johtoan officers may not have been as cutthroat as Kalosian ones but testing with too much audacity was undoubtedly not worth it.
-------In the distance Emberlyn could hear excerpts of poorly hushed conversations between frustrated firemen and other officials.
"God, it feels like Moltres' anus out there! When do the rangers get out here to evacuate people so we don't have to go back!?" "Calm down, Blastoise. That wildfire's not gonna hurt 'cha from here, boy." "Where's that damned hippie Morty!? He's supposed to help with this type of emergency, ain't he!?"
-------"Well, now you know." The policeman that'd caught her came back into full focus. "What's your name, miss?"
-------"Emberlyn Noirceur."
-------"Alright, Ember Blackheart. This is your warning:
stay away from the arch. We can't afford to have anyone leave in case that fire spreads to more than just the very back of the route. It's already making the whole place hot and humid like crazy. You can save whatever you wanted to do with your Pogeymans 'til later, okay? You won't be able to handle those kind of conditions, especially if that thing"—he made a rude jerking motion down at Kelly Hops—"is your only means of defense.
-------"Have a nice day." That finalized everything. Not a single utterance in retort could be given, especially when Emberlyn had not the heart to. Biting her lip and sending a guilty, fleeting glance over towards the route's entrance, she silently stalked away, Kelly trailing behind.
-------"C'mon, girl. We wanted to check out that tower anyway, right?"