---

"Corphish, Harden!" Juana called. Corphish's carapace flashed, and the Pokémon braced itself for the spinning Growlithe. (1 EP) Archie slugged into Corphish, sending the water Pokémon staggering back, ditches dug where Corphish had attempted to brace itself. (HP -2)

"Okay, great! Give it one more Bubble attack!" Juana said, pointing dramatically (since that's how she saw all the other Trainers do it on television).

Corphish frothed and spat a slightly weaker stream of bubbles at Archie. (2 EP)

---

Archie growled trying to dodge out of the way but was soon enough hit with the bubbles. Struggling to her paws, she was unable to continue on, soon gasping and collapsing. Tora returned the worn Growlithe. "Good try Archie." Tora said before looking to the sides at her remaining two Pokemon. "Pezi! Vine Whip!" Tora called, watching as the Skiddo cheerfully leapt into battle, vines appearing from his leaves and whipping out at the water type. [Ep: 1]

---

---

Long story short: Corphish fainted.

"Oop. Well," Juana remarked, as Corphish staggered around, its eyes swirly. "You still did a great job out there, Corphish! Let's get you back in the ball."

Corphish stumbled over and fell; Juana recalled it to its Poké Ball and gave a friendly glance to Bounsweet. "Alright, amiga, let's do this!" she said.

Bounsweet hopped into the fray. "Hit 'im with a Magical Leaf attack, Bounsweet!" Juana said.

Bounsweet's calyx twisted with a clicking sound as it sent a torrent of leaves flying at the opposing Skiddo. (4EP) The leaves homed in on Skiddo with uncanny accuracy.

---

Tora was fairly certain she was going to lose this battle, but she might as well make a effort. "Pezi, block with your vine whip!" she called, the goat like Pokemon giddily swinging his whips around and smacking at the leaves like trying to smack a bunch of balloons. Though quite a few leaves still cut him. (Ep: 1. Hp 2-1 = 1). Pezi then slammed his green vines downward toward Bounsweet. (EP-1)

---

---

"You know, Tora, you're pretty good," Juana remarked, watching Pezi strike down the Magical Leaves.

"Bounsweet, one more Magical Leaf!" Juana ordered.

Bounsweet used one more Magical Leaf; the leaves went flying at Skiddo once more, albeit with a little less gusto. (2 EP)

---

Pezi baa'd as he was striked down by the much higher level grass type, shaking before staggering, eyes swirling before completely fainting. Tora gave a slight mental sigh, holding out the Pokeball and returning the fainted Skiddo. Looking at the ball thoughtfully. Juana's words were nice, though apparently not true. Tora was sure she could have made better moves than what she did. She was at a disadvantage type wise in both scenarios, but still Archie had the level advantage. It made her doubt herself a little. Perhaps her parents were right. Still though, battle wasn't her dream goal. It was just a friendly side thing she'd allow her Pokemon to enjoy if they wished. After all, a battle was healthy for a Pokemon once in awhile. Except for maybe some like Sirius.

"Looks like you are the winner Lady Juana, great battle." Tora said with a friendly smile. "That was a bit more fun then I expected. We should do it again sometime."

---

---

"That was fun! I was on the edge of my seat when Archie and Corphish were duking it out!" Juana said, pumping her fist in the air. "You really gave me a run for my money there. We should totally do that again!" Juana calmed down and held up her hand for a high-five. "Good game, Tora!"

Corphish popped out of its ball and raised a pincer, dazed but incredibly satisfied that it got a good battle and came out on top. Thankfully, for the sake of neither Juana nor Tora experiencing secondhand embarrassment, Corphish knew better than to gloat and be a poor sport. In fact, Corphish stumbled up to Archie to congratulate it on a game well-played. Despite being totally worn out, Corphish was pleased.

And also really, really tired.

"Okay, you, back in the ball," Juana said, holding the capsule out to the weary Water Pokémon. Bounsweet bounded up to Juana's shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. "Awwww," Juana cooed, patting Bounsweet on the sepals.

Juana turned to Tora again. "We'd better get back to the Center," she said. "And, well, looks like lunch is on you today, huh?" Juana winked. "I won't get anything over 100,000 Poké, I promise," she joked. "Kidding, kidding!"

---

Blinking a little as Juana seemed quite.. How does one say..? 'Hyped up' was it? The younger girl beaming like a Solrock that was lit on fire. Juana seemed impressed, though Tora wasn't really sure it was true she gave much challenge. Archie did hold herself pretty well against Corphish though, pretty good considering since Corphish was both stubborn and had the type advantage.

"You did quite well yourself, I'm impressed. Almost made me forget you just started your journey as well." The taller woman said with her usual friendly smile. Though she blinked curiously as Juana raised her hand, open palmed. At first Tora thought she was about to be slapped by how quick it was, but then the hand stopped while upright.

To be perfectly honest, the rich little girl didn't know what a 'high-five' was. Was this a regular gesture among the more regular citizens? By Juana's expression and cheerful attitude, it was friendly and it was apparent Tora was supposed to do something to complete this act of... Comradery. So the best Tora could come up with was to just copy Juana, smiling and raising her hand, lightly tapping her open palm against Juana's. Praying to Arceus she was doing this correctly.

"Good game, Lady Juana!" Tora cheered in return. Archie wiggled out of her Pokeball, the exhausted Growlithe panting and mildly pouting at having being beaten. She'd have to train harder... And devour all the rare candies.

Glancing at Corphish who seemed to unexpectedly come over to be a good sport, Archie looked at the crawdad for a moment before giving a cheerful yip, giving her fishy friend a cheerful lick across the cheek. Tora chuckled, scooping up the Growlithe into her arms before heading back into town and towards the Pokemon Center.

Tora glanced at Juana curiously, seeming a little confused.... Was 100,000 Poke a lot? "As the winner, you should pick what ever your heart desires. Do not worry about the price. Though I do not know what kind of food there is around this place." Tora said as they entered the Pokemon Center. Once again depositing her Pokemon in order to be healed. Perhaps Feyhollow had quite a bit of things with honey?

---

After inquiring a bit at the front desk of the Pokemon Center, Leisy was informed that Ella was still in her room — presumably fast asleep — and that Vivian had gone out of the center some time ago. Deciding that she may as well use her time to its fullest, Leisy exited the Pokemon Center and moved a ways away from the town and into the forest. Once she found a relatively clear area, she sat down and took out Cassia’s Pokeball, holding it in her hands with trepidation.

“I’m going to need you to help me with this,” Leisy told Bidein with a frown. The Fletchling gave her a nod, standing resolute on her shoulder. Invigorated by her Pokemon’s presence, Leisy released the Ekans. “C’mon out, Cassia.”

Cassia looked around uncertainly, bewildered by her surroundings. Ever since her capture, there seemed to be no shortage of surprises and terrors in her life. She was forced to be constantly alert, ready for anything. Who knew when the ferocious Larvitar would strike again? The dumb-looking blue Pokemon that kept sucking up to the human seemed not to be much of a threat, but the Ekans knew better than to assume anything. Then there was the matter of the Fletchling. Oh, that species she knew — flighty and weak until they grew up into fearsome birds of prey that swooped down and preyed on what once was much stronger than them. Despite the fact that the Fletchling the human owned was still small and weak, his eyes never left the Ekans when she was around. Out of all of the Pokemon the human owned, Cassia felt the least safe around the Fletchling. Out of danger, yes, but constantly watched, judged, and quantized.

“Hey Cassia,” Leisy said, keeping her voice gentle and soft. “How’re you doing?”

The Ekans didn’t respond, instead curling into a ball and glaring in Leisy’s direction. Tracing the snake Pokemon’s gaze, Leisy saw Bidein maintaining eye contact with the Ekans, steadfast in his loyalty. However, Leisy knew the Fletchling’s unwavering gaze would do more to frighten the agitated Ekans than anything else. “Dei, could you wait on the tree branch over there?” Leisy asked, indicating a branch behind her with a nod. Seeing his trainer’s calm but alert demeanor, the Fletchling nodded and flew over to the branch, leaving the rest in his trainer’s hands.

“Cassia,” Leisy said, tilting her head, “Won’t you give me a chance?”

The Ekans narrowed her eyes, tightening her coils in response. Sighing, Leisy extracted two box of day-old berries — one of Orans and the other of Pechas — from her bag, opening and pushing the box of Orans towards Cassia. “Eat up. Better to eat now than to eat later with everyone else,” Leisy said, sighing and popping a Pecha in her own mouth and waving Bidein over. “Here you go, Dei. Pechas — your favorite.” The Fletchling chirped agreeably, picking a berry up from inside the box and tossing it up in the air before catching it in his mouth.

Cassia, seeing the Fletchling inhale the berries, figured that there wasn’t any harm in trying one as well, and soon enough she was inhaling the smallish blue berries in mouthfuls. A small smile hung on Leisy’s face as she watched her two Pokemon eat, stealing a Pecha Berry from Bidein. “Thanks,” Leisy grinned at the robin Pokemon, popping it in her mouth and savoring the pink fruit’s sweet aroma.

---

Leisy made returned Cassia and made her way back to the Feyhollow Pokemon Center, taking a seat at a seat in waiting area and pulling out her Pokedex to do some browsing. She was in the middle of reading about the patterns on Arbok, Ekans’ evolution, when Ella emerged from the back.

“Morning!,” Leisy said, smiling and rising from her seat. Hearing the girl’s question, Leisy frowned. “The nurse at the front desk told me that she was out,” Leisy said, looking around for the girl in question. “Maybe she’s back now?”

---

@dark light @luckyblackcat

---

After buying another taco from the taco stand and inhaling it, Cillian headed straight for the Pokemon Center, placing his Pokeballs on the counter to get his Pokemon healed up. Waiting patiently as the nurse popped the capsules into the machine, Cillian pondered what he should do for the day. The new Scyther definitely needs to be introduced to the rest of the team, he thought, frowning. He seems to have a rather difficult personality, and it doesn’t help that I caught him by accident. Wonder what I was trying to catch last night?

“Thanks,” he told the nurse, turning as two girls — trainers, by the looks of their Pokemon — walked into the Center. “Hi!” he said, walking up to them with a grin. “Cillian Weiss, fellow trainer. Just started — er — three days ago. Are you two from around here?”

---

@silver fox@toadropes

---

79TP

---

"I dunno, I saw a couple of cafés around. It's a nice place to put a café," Juana remarked. She glanced down at Skorupi and Dewpider, who were busy doing, well, whatever Bug Pokémon did.

Dewpider was blowing bubbles, and Skorupi seemed quite amused by them. Skorupi waggled its tail, and lashed out to sting each one. Dewpider stepped back, ceasing for a moment. Skorupi insisted that Dewpider continue, and Dewpider continued (perhaps so as not tog et stung by those pinchers again).

Juana leaned against the counter as she waited for her Pokémon to heal. "Nice to meet you!" she said to Cillian. "Naw, I'm from Central City. Mamá y Papá make candy there." She stuck out a hand. "I'm Juana. Juana Perez," she greeted, giving Cillian a friendly smirk. "As you can see, I'm also a trainer!"

Juana gave a gesture to Tora and looked over. "This is my friend Tora," she continued.

---

"We'll have to take a look around and see what sounds appetizing then. Selections around here are a bit unfamiliar to me." Tora said, taking Pezi's Pokeball as the Nurse returned it, then picking up Archie as the fire dog was handed to her. Petting the fluffy head before setting the canine down on the ground. Sirius was contently clinging against Tora's backpack while curiously watching the other Pokemon.

It was then a boy cheerfully greeted them. He was about two inches taller than her, though he looked a little younger. White short hair and pale skin. Juana was the first to return the greeting, chipper as is usual as she introduced the both of them. Though, Tora's heart fluttered with warmth in a soft happiness at being called a friend.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr. Weiss. We both just started and left Central City yesterday. A pleasure to meet another trainer who's fairly new at this as well." Tora greeted politely and elegantly, giving a friendly smile. Once again, not disclosing her last name nor the city she really was from. Just where she started her journey.

Archie yawned but as soon as she saw the male human approaching, the Growlithe bared her fangs, fur puffing up and giving low growls as her firey eyes glared at Cillian's direction. Padding in front of her trainer protectively.

"Archie, settle down. You just got done with a battle, you don't need to pick more fights." Tora spoke, causing Archie to huff, wagging her tail innocently like she wasn't doing anything wrong.

---

“Wow, Mr. Wiess! You make me sound like an old man,” Cillian said with a laugh. “But, nice to meet you, Juana, Tora. I don't know if anyone’s ever told you, but your names rhyme.”

The Growlithe by Tora displayed clear aggression toward Cillian, although the boy didn't back off. “Whoa, a Growlithe? I’ve always loved Arcanine,” Cillian commented with a grin as he looked over the Fire-type Pokemon’s glossy orange-and-black coat. Having enough sense not to stoop down and pet the Growlithe that was so clearly distrustful of him, Cillian instead withdrew a Pokeball and called out his own Pokemon.

“C’mon out, Kelby,” the boy said as his grouchy Mudkip appeared beside him. “This is Kelby, my Mudkip. Figured that you two would be better off with the more reasonable half of my team. Third,” Cillian corrected, realizing that he now had a Scyther as well. One that he had yet to properly bond with.

Looking over at Juana’s Pokemon, Cillian realized that he actually didn't recognize the strange alien-looking blue Pokemon the girl owned. “Okay, Skorupi I know, but the other Pokemon...” Cillian trailed off with a frown. As one who took pride in his knowledge about all things Pokemon, Cillian was positive that he was by no means ignorant of Pokemon species, and yet the name of the spindly Pokémon eluded him. “Hope you don’t mind,” Cillian said, pulling out his Pokedex and scanning the unknown Pokemon. “Native to the Alolan region? Now that explains it,” Cillian said with a grin. “Never really paid as much attention to the island-dwelling Pokemon. Kinda figured they were too far away to ever make it to the area around Central, but clearly this proves me wrong.”

---

@silver fox@toadropes

---

80CP

---

"Oh, no, not at all," Juana replied. "That's what they gave us those things for, right?"

Dewpider tottered over to Kelby, marveling at a fellow Water-type. The mud fish Pokémon seemed to have a friendly disposition. Indeed. Dewpider lieked mudkipz.

Dewpider blew a small bubble and bounced it to the Mudkip to see how it would react.

The nurse handed Juana back her Pokémon, and she let Bounsweet out (allowing Corphish to rest, and by extension, not snip at Mudkip's gills). Bounsweet settled on her shoulder and made a chipper noise.

"So, Cillian," Juana said. "Do you live in Feyhollow? Also, you know any good cafés or whatnot in town? Tora and I are gonna get lunch after that intense battle we just had."

---

Tora chuckled slightly as she scratched Archie behind the ear. "Don't mind Archie too much, she's sweet at heart. Growlithe and Arcanine are naturally just protective of their trainers." the tall woman said, kneeling down to look at the Mudkip and giving a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you Kelby. You're looking healthy." she said, while Archie curiously walked closer to the water type, sniffing, watching as Dewpider blue some bubbles, giving a soft bark.

Tora stood up, looking a little thoughtful. "It is a little odd to see Alolan Pokemon... Though I did hear something about some individuals trafficking some over here." she mused before glancing toward Juana then Cillian.

"Don't suppose you know of any establishment with a good meal Mr. Weiss?" she asked curiously.

---

“Actually, I just arrived at Feyhollow yesterday,” Cillian said with a lopsided grin. “Unless you’d like to go check out a taco cart or a waffle shop, I don’t know much.”

Cillian’s eyes drifted down to the Mudkip at his side. Kelby was staring warily at the two other Pokemon beside him — three, now that Juana had released her Bounsweet — blinking in shock when the Dewpider launched a Bubble at him. Straightening up, the Mudkip aimed a fierce glare at the other water Pokemon that told it to back off. The same glare was directed at the Growlithe when it came over to sniff Kelby, mostly because of the Water-type’s innate dislike of fire types.

“Be good, Kelby,” Cillian chided. Looking up, the Mudkip rolled his eyes at his trainer and sat back down on his haunches, bored. Cillian smiled and looked back at the two other trainers. “So, breakfast at the waffle shop sound good to you two? I think its just right down the street, if memory serves me correctly.”

---

@silver fox@toadropes

---

81CP

The Swablu's soothing chime washed over Olivie's poison-wracked body like a seaside side. Inexplicably, and even more miraculously for want of any conceivable explanation, the serene soundwaves ate away at her affliction. An invisible scourge, the bell toll chased out the toxins within her, and in only a few moment the bruiser's illness was gone. Of course, this amazing recovery did not improve her overall health; it only expunged the poison. As such, she rolled over onto her back and lay in the leaf litter, shaking. Tommy, having observed that she gushed forth noxious purple bubbles no longer, began to question her.

First things first—Olivie sent him a withering glare. “Uh, hello. Can't you see I'm practically on death's door? A little concern would be nice, Tooter!” Even in the strangest situations, she prided herself on her ability to come up with annoying nicknames. This one pleased her in particular. ”But whatever. This chick got hypnotized to hell, and when I came along, she was singin' and dancin' along in a whole herd of flashy mushrooms. Barnie had Scylla over there poison me to keep from getting' kooky too.” She turned her anger toward the Tentacruel and Bisharp, each of whom sported a unique mixture of indifference and amusement. ”Thanks, guys, by the way. I get that Barnie's your trainer, but c'mon, a little help?” Scylla bunched up her tentacles into two strands and made a movement reminiscent of a shrug. Olivie turned up her nose. ”Well, I'm gonna have Barnie dock your treats or something, so the human'll be getting' the last laugh. Huh!”

Having realized that her self-aggrandizement and criticisms came from a comically low position, Olivie heaved herself to her feet unaided. A new sensation suffused her that couldn't be helped by any Pokemon. With the pain fading away, Olivie found that she was utterly exhausted. A yawn forced its way out of her mouth. ”Ugh! What a night! And here I was thinking that we'd be in Stillwater before sunset. Time to...get back to town...” She took a quick look around. No fairies in sight, fortunately. Her Nidoran looked pretty beat, too. On second glance, she spotted Verrine face-down in the dirt. When Olivie rolled her Pokemon over, she found the Karrablast sound asleep, thanks to the Morelull no doubt. With a sigh that threatened to erupt into another yawn, she returned her Pokemon. Through tired, irritable eyes she examined the other trainers. ”Okay...so, which way outta here?”

The talk with Azerus went for around five minutes before the boy cited that he had something to do. So, Shanae found herself boarding the train back to Central City, relieved to finally be able to take her thick, weather-proof snow coat off. Off with the faux fur-lined coat and on with a thinner, more loose-fitting jacket.

After arriving back in Central, Shanae had a mind to take a trek to the river to get to know her Lapras. Before leaving, however, she dropped by the Pokemart to pick up two Pokeballs and a second evolution shard. Perhaps not just yet, Shanae thought, pocketing the shard, but soon.

Catching a lunch at the local Wailord cafe — Panini with salad on the side as well as bowls of berries for her Pokemon — Shanae took a moment to sit on a bench in the square and catch up on all the messages her organization members had sent her. “Shoutout from the Alolan Islands!” read one e-postcard from a trainer who was vacationing there. “Finally got my fifth badge!” said another trainer who was travelling through Johto. A grin on her face and a barely-contained pride inside her heart, Shanae drafted and sent her replies to her friends that she’d made through her travels.

---

@balthazar007

---

82CP

---

"Oh, yeah, waffles sound pretty good right now," Juana replied, as Dewpider scuttled behind her leg, panting heavily as it stared at the suddenly-aggressive Mudkip. Mudkipz do not liek bubbles.

Juana turned to Tora. "Trafficking Alolan Pokémon? I'll be honeest I don't know a thing about that, I just caught Bounsweet and Dewpider and didn't give where they came from a second thought. It had to have happened a while ago, didn't it? Bounsweet and I have known each other for a long time." She itched Bounsweet's chin, and the round mangosteen Pokémon let out a happy chirp.

"After food I think I'll drop by the Mart and bag me some items," Juana continued, patting her tool belt. "You know, they make some pretty handy bags in the Unova region; you could fit an entire bicycle into them!" Juana folded her arms and glanced at her belt. "Of course, this is just a tool belt," she confirmed. "Can't fit a scooter into this thing, let alone a full-on bike."

Tora tilted her head a little thoughtfully then looked to Juana as she mentioned that the food known as 'waffles' sounded good. "Waffles it is then. I have yet to try one. If you do not mind Mr. Weiss, would you kindly guide us to this 'waffle shop' please?" she asked with a kind smile.

Archie gave a louder bark at the glaring Mudkip, fur fluffed up to look bigger and fiercer before wagging her tail happily as Tora patted her head. "Taking a quick stop at the Poke Mart wouldn't be a bad idea. As for the Alolan Pokemon.. Well supposedly it happened before I was born. It started with the more wealthier citizens wishing for exotic pets. Then they just sort of spread." Tora mused, thinking about her studies, as well as her family's mild involment in the whole thing.

---

♪♫♪ Cecilia "Cici" Taylor ♪♫♪

Location: Feyhollow Town

@Lugubrious @Zarkun

As the girl rolled over, no longer spewing purple bubbles, Cici gave a sigh of relief. "Whew... Good job, Dulcet," she said as the bird landed on her shoulder, fluffy wings drooping. With a shaking hand, she reached over and petted the Swablu.

The girl's story confirmed what Cici had assumed. A shiver ran through her. She'd been under some kind of fairy enchantment all night, but... why? What did the fairies want?

The sight of Olivie struggling to stand brought a pang of irrational guilt. Even if Cici hadn't quite been herself, not only had she let one of her Pokemon get hurt, she'd nearly allowed someone to die.

She turned towards Tommy. "Surely you know how to get out of here?" Before Tommy could take action, though, Dulcet did, taking off with an unsteady flap of her wings, rising high above the forest. She drifted back down with a chirp, flying ahead of the group, gesturing for them to follow her.

"Dulcet! Are you going to be ok doing this?" Cici asked, stumbling forward. "Ah...!" She bit her lip. Leaving the forest felt... wrong. Worse than wrong. It almost felt as if she were abandoning one of her Pokemon.

No, no, she told herself. She had to resist this. Doing nothing for her Pokemon really would be a form of abandonment. All of them, especially Cadence, needed medical attention. So did she and this other girl.

With a strained groan, she forced herself to follow Dulcet.

---

♥ Ellanor "Ella" Beaufort ♥

Location: Feyhollow Town

@Dusksong @Dark Light

Ella glanced around for Vivian, but there was no sign of her. "Hm... While we're waiting, I was thinking of stocking up," she said. She wasn't going to repeat yesterday's mistake, and go out without any potions, or any kind of healing item. Who knew what they'd run into this time...

"Were you planning on getting anything?" she asked Leisy. She hadn't checked her Trainer Points in a while. Recent events had driven the thought from her mind. She wondered how many points she and Leisy had gained over the course of yesterday.

---