~New Bark Town~~Professor Elm/Alfred Elm~
The pokemon lab of professor Elm. Used to, this place saw all sorts of trainers and was filled with the bustling activity and research of pokemon scientists. Used to, this place was the leading facility on pokemon breeding and eggs. The sleepy little town of New Bark was the perfect place to do that. Open fields, rolling hills and forests perfect for raising and breeding pokemon. Unfortunately, in recent years though, the activity had died down. Now that pokemon were all but feral at this point for some unknown reason, it made research difficult - especially when it came to breeding.
Still, it didn't deter the professor, nor his young assistant that lived in New Bark. Said, young assistant who was currently sitting listening to his granddad rant about pokemon. Professor Elm - his granddad was notorious for going off on long tangents and getting sidetracked quite easily when he was really engrossed in his work. It was something he hadn't grown out of, no matter how old he was. Alfred had to admit to himself, it was a bit funny to see his granddad go on long tangents and talk to himself. Well, to him, anyways. Still though, the new trainers should be arrived soon! This was exciting! This was the first time since working in a lab he was going to get to help new trainers chose their first pokemon! With the restriction on trainers, less and less trainers had been coming in recent years so this was a big occasion as far as Alfred was concerned. He just had to find someway to get his granddads attention...
"Fascinating! No matter how many times I see an egg, I never get tired of studying one!" The older professor said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he observed an egg in a glass incubator. The egg, was hooked up to various wires and other mechanical things. Various displays showed various life signs and other vitals of the baby pokemon in the egg. What they said, only someone who vaguely knew anything about pokemon research would know, but apparently it intrigued the aging professor. "If this experiment goes well, then We could have a major breakthrough as to why the pokemon are acting up! I'll have to thank that trainer again! Getting this egg all the way from Sinnoh must have been difficult at best..."
Elm went on some more, talking about a bunch of scientific variable sand Jargon Alfred didn't quite understand quite yet. It might have made some other kid a bit depressed, to learn they still had so much to learn about pokemon, but to Alfred it just brought a big smile to his face. He was eager to learn if nothing. He had a love of pokemon and learning that rivaled even his granddads. Now, he just had to get over his timidness, and he'd probably make a class A professor one day.
"Huh...well what have we here?..." Alfred shot a quick look over to Elm from where he was organizing the bookshelf, placing the books back on pokemon breeding in the correct order, turning his head over his shoulder to take a look at his Granddad. Apparently he found something interesting in the readings. Well, now was as good as time as ever to interrupt his Granddad. Interrupting him when he was going off on one of his tangents was almost impossible.
"Uhm, Professor Elm?" He said, hopping off the stool he used to reach the higher shelves.
"Curious..." It seemed Elm hadn't registered his comment. He was staring at one of the read-out screens, his brow furrowed in thought. It seemed he was still caught up in his own little world, then. With a bit of a sigh, Alfred walked over, giving the Professor a small little tug on his lab coat. For the briefest of seconds, it seemed as though Alfred got through to him. At least, until he turned swiftly around and completely ignored Alfred. "Where are my notes!"
The professor quickly walked past the young boy, completely ignoring him and causing Alfred to stumble a bit as the professor walked past him. He was surprisingly fast for an old man. Elm went to his desk as he started shuffling through some papers, stopping every now and then to take a look at a few of them.
"Granddad!" Alfred called out to him, walking to the front of his desk. Finally, it seemed Elm had heard him. The older man gave a small yelp of surprise, dropping the paper he was holding back onto the desk.
"Huh? Wha-Alfred! Sorry, I didn't see you there!" He laughed a bit to himself. "I was caught up in my research. There's something odd about one of the readings on this egg, but I'm not entirely sure what it is yet. Perhaps its whats causing all of the pokemon to be so aggressive! If I can identify it, perhaps I can find a way to reverse whatever effect its having! This is a major breakthrough!"
"Really? That's amazing!" Alfred said, reaching out and taking a look at the notes himself. He didn't see anything that was quite out of place - but he didn't have as much experience with such things - yet. With a cheery smile, he placed the papers back on the desk after putting them back in order. "But Professor! The new trainers are probably going to be arriving soon! We should get the pokemon Ready, shouldn't we?"
"Hm? Oh, I had completely forgotten about them! Of course, Alfred! Get the pokemon ready! I'll get everything else! Let's see...pokeballs...yes, they'll need those! Ooh, and maps too...they could always use a map! I'll need to remind them to stay in a group...where did I put those maps?"
"Top shelf professor!"
"Right, thank you Alfred! What else?..."
The professor was already lost on one of his tangents again as he quickly moved about, trying to find everything he had prepared for the trainers. Alfred smiled, as he got the pokeballs out of storage. Perhaps he should release them and let them get used to being out before the trainers came along?~New Bark Town~
~Cerise Fontaine~
It was a rather lovely day, she had to admit. Neither too hot, or too cold. In fact, Cerise was rather enjoying the day. These dirty backwater parasites had pleasant weather at least. As long as none of them attempted to speak with her, she could very well tolerate their unsightly presence until Abigail showed up, at least. She sighed, idly playing with a loose strand of her short red hair. Speaking of Abigail...when was she getting here? She lived in Olivine now - that was basically on the complete opposite side of Johto. Usually she'd just take a cruise liner to Olivine and meet up with her there, but Abigial insisted they meet here instead. Tsk. She should have went anyways. She would have liked to see Olivines beaches again.
She supposed it gave her time to adjust to her new rather...austere, surroundings. That was the best way she could describe this small little 'town' of New Bark. If it could even be called that. No mart, no pokecenter, not even a shopping center to buy clothes or anything! Really, what town doesn't have that?! No eateries either! Did they cook all of their food themselves? Not to mention the houses looked to be quite small as well compared to the houses she had seen in Kalos.
Hmph. Uncivilized barbarians.
At least the somewhat cool glare she was giving anyone who passed by prevented them from talking to her. She almost wanted one to speak, though, so she could see if they all had some stupid country accent or something as well. That would just be the icing on the cake that was this primitive backwards town full of filthy peasants and country hicks. Why was such a respected professor living out here anyways? He should move to the city - much more resources there to conduct whatever research he was doing as well, she was sure.
Bah, whatever. Just endure, Cerise. It would be over soon enough. Once she meets up with Abigail, she should be able to get out of this place easily enough. So for now, she simply sat on a bench in front of the lab rather impatiently as she waited.~New Bark Town~
~Abigail Blanchett~
It was a sunny afternoon in New Bark town. The Pidgey would have probably been chirping on such a day twenty years ago, but now all one could hear was the soft noises of the sleepy little town as people went about their daily lives. Nothing seemed too much out of the ordinary today. For the last twenty years, the lack of pokemon in the area was perfectly normal. If there was a pokemon around here, then people usually fled indoors, unless there was a trainer around. Usually there was one or two here and there, but in recent years, the number of trainers had diminished, thanks to the rather dangerous nature of the profession nowadays.
Still, that danger was the allure to some teenagers, just now turning old enough to get their licenses. One such youth, by the name of Abigail Blanchett, was just now arriving in New Bark town so she could get her first pokemon from Professor Elm. She had to admit, even for herself she was feeling a bit on the excited side. Not to mention Cerise was probably going to be here as well! The red-head might have some rather nasty personality flaws, but they were friends nonetheless. She might even decide to be nice to someone, if they caught her in this mood. Nothing could ruing this day for her! Nothing at all!
"Thanks for the ride." Abigail said, hopping off of the vehicle. It was an older vehicle, used by pokemon rangers or other outdoorsy people back in the day when pokemon weren't so aggressive. Now, most weren't in use since not very many people got stuck outdoors, since only those who knew what they were doing went out usually, but there were still quite a few around that worked. She was glad she didn't have to walk through route 29. That would have ended quite badly, probably.
"Aha, don't mention it kiddo." The older man said, with a kind smile. "When you said you were getting your first pokemon, I couldn't sit idly by. All kids your age should grow up with pokemon, not separate from them. Going on a journey is a great experience."
"Je vois...Well, Merci Monseuir." She thanked the man, stopping mid sentence. She had a habit of speaking the native language of Kalos, a bit to often sometimes. "I think I'm a bit late though, He said he wanted us there by midday."
"Oh, well sorry! Don't let me hold you up kid! Good luck out there, You look like you can handle yourself, but be careful." And with a wave of good bye, he turned his vehicle around and made his way back to Cherrygrove. With a sigh, she looked at the city in front of her. She found herself smiling involuntarily at the scene before her. She had waited quite some time for this!
"Now where is the pokemon lab?..." She took a quick look around, before pulling a map of New Bark town out of her bag. "Let's see...oh other side of town. Oh great...more walking." She grumbled, folding the map and replacing it in her bag. Oh well. At least she could walk off that rather large breakfast she had eaten. With a stretch, and still wearing a bit of a happy smile, she set off towards the Lab. She hoped they had a Steel or Ground type for a starter...-Yuu Nozomu : New Bark Town-
A new day arose from the seeping silence of the eerie night, desolate of all former chirps and chuckles of life. A ray shone through a window, piercing the dormant abode, settled from the quenched night. Giving himself a weak shove, Yuu sat up on his mattress as the dim light shined over his bed. Stacks of papers filled his room, whilst a stray umbrella haphazardly neared over the edge of one of his tables. Yawning, the boy rubbed the sand from his eyes, searching about the iridescent room.
Stretching, the boy tirelessly left the confines of his bed, opening the blinds nearest to him, displaying most of the town in all of its splendor. Yuu was faintly sure a few children in the past would partake in activities with one of their pokemon or a wild one that meant no harm, but now? The place was barren, almost like a ghost town. Yuu gave a sad smile, his eyes gleamed with anticipation as he went to work, making up his bed.
Today was the big day, yet he honestly felt hollow, hurt, harmed... unable to convey or express any joy like a naive trainer would.
Sighing, he went over to his closet, identifying what clothes to take on the journey and leave behind, after all, it was a dangerous prospect, and to be fair, he didn't know what he exactly wanted to truly do with his life currently... but for now, he would work towards victory over the contenders at the Indigo League; not to secure a job; it wasn't about the fame or fortune, oh no.
It was about his sisters chance.
"Which one, which one," he uttered in a muted tone as he procured his usual attire to compare with another before swiftly setting them on the bed. A huge back pack sit in the corner, to which he adeptly grabbed, staring at it for a bit. It would be enough to house most of the items he would bring, but it was funny to him how large this thing was. Yuu was certain he could stuff all of the dolls his mother and sister accumulated in their childhood and still would probably have enough room for more potions.
Because why not exercise cautiousness, albeit, a lot of it.
It explained why most of his desk was chock full of potions, antidotes, and pokeballs - I mean, these were all essential, right? As hilarious as it was, Yuu wasn't laughing. Setting aside what clothes and back-up clothes on his tidy bed, the boy quietly exited his room. It would of been completely silent if it wasn't for the creaking door, which lead to a frown with barred teeth from Yuu. Hopefully no one would of been up, save for the nurse who was kind enough to stay and help care for Yasu in her comatose state.
Regardless, he hoped that she at least got respite as he slowly went to the other door, adjacent from his own. Peaking into the room, Yuu caught a glimpse of Mari tending to the girl. Sighing, he slowly went back to his room, holding back the loathing emotions, keeping the waterworks from flowing. "Stay strong Yuu, today is the big day, don't drag everyone down..."
Yuu uttered silently as he trudged into his room, a desolate frown and dead eyes stared at the clothes before him. It was all his fault... she would of bested them if not for his inadequacy, Yuu was certain of it. Nothing would change that simple facet. One by one, he began to grab each item from his desk, along with other equipment, like camping gear. After everything was set, Yuu nonchalantly set the bag on the bed with little effort, sweeping the garments he was going to wear to the side.
With everything prepared, there was one last thing to do. Procuring such wear, the boy went into the bathroom, cleaning himself up for today.
Conceiving a few spicy sandwiches, Yuu set out to make himself some lunch after a hearty breakfast cooked by his mothers Gardevoir. A sweet pokemon, though could be somewhat fiery like his mother from what he knew. As Yuu whistled, a pink haired older woman smiled at the boy as she did the dishes, gazing at him lovingly.
"Looks like today is the day Yuu - the day where you begin your journey!~" Yuu looked over to her, giving her a quaint smile. It wasn't difficult to tell she looked rather morose about her baby bird leaving the nest, but in a way it would feel... wrong if he didn't. "I would be lying if I said I wouldn't worry about you like I promised, but I'm confident that you'll do fine!" Quickly planting a kiss on her sons cheek, Yuu chuckled as he finished packing up the set of sandwiches.
"Thank's mom," he beamed before the Gardevoir rose from her seat and gave the young boy a hug, chirping in a rather sad manner; seems like she was going to miss the boy also. "And you too Lucy." Wrapping his arms around the pokemon, Yuu gave her a tight squeeze before letting go and packing up the final items. Yuu did want to bid Mari and Yasu a farewell, but couldn't due to Mari being busy, and... well...
yeah.
...
"Mind telling Mari farewell for me mom," the boy asked, returning the kiss on the cheek to her before exiting the house wistfully. Giving the duo by the door a wave, he set out across the barren town. There weren't many people he noticed, save for an adult and child, who he gave a wave too, smiling gently. The lab should be across town from what he recalled, slowly making his way through the town as he hummed one of the songs written by "Own Tempo."
Eventually, a couple of minutes passed and he found the lab was within sight. Picking up the pace, he noticed a girl in black clothing waiting outside the building. Curiosity was at hand - was Professor Elm currently not inside his lab? Did he forget to unlock the door? Myriads of questions popped into his mind as he gazed over the girl on the bench. She seemed pleasant at first glance, denoting her as possibly a friendly face, though maybe that was because he didn't catch her aloof glance. Huffing, the boy continued traversing forward, giving the girl a patient beam as he stared up at the building... though, his focus was more on the girl.
"Those clothes look good on her, and are unsurprisingly practical from the looks of it... along with that she appears rather cute... hum..." Yuu could only wonder what she was like as he turned a head to the girl, noticing that poised visage of hers. Alright, enough thoughts and checking her out - question time.
"Hey, do you know if Professor Elm is home," he quizzed the girl, looking straight into her eyes, waiting for an answer from the girl... if she acknowledged his presence.-New Bark Town-
New Bark Town. Not exactly the most happening place in Johto, it seemed. It was one of the few places that Noah HADN’T lived in the region. Yet, just a quick glance around told the guy that he hadn’t missed much. Hell, he wouldn’t have been surprised if the entirety of the little town’s population could fit into one of Goldenrod’s apartment complexes. They could call it “Hillbilly Hell” and it would be terrible.
Needless to say, the Brightstone boy wasn’t thrilled about having to travel way out into the boonies to meet this Elm guy. You’d think that maybe, JUST MAYBE, a big important science guy like him would want to live in a place that actually had technology. If any of the tiny little houses actually had running water, he’d eat his cigarette.
Except…
Noah patted his pocket as he slinked down the path toward Elm’s lab. No cigs. No lighter. Life was terrible. And judging by the look of the shitty town, he really wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t an actual store in the place. Nothing but crappy little houses left, right, and center. Granted, it was more than Noah had but…
Up ahead, Noah could see the building he was after. It was large, much larger than any of the homes he had passed thus far. It was also...quite bland to look at. Just another generic building. He had to head out to the middle of bumfuck nowhere and he wasn’t even going to get to see anything cool. That blows. Truth be known, it kind of pissed him off.
Though to be fair, everything was pissing him off right about now. The sun. The clouds. The road. The houses. He needed to find a smoke, otherwise he’d end up stabbing a fool.
Speaking of fools…
At the end of the path, right by the lab, was a little redhead just chillaxing on a bench. And some fool was standing in front of her, looking her dead in the eyes. Were...were they having a moment? Fuckin’ hormones man...but whatever. If Red and Pretty Boy decided to get down and dirty right there and then...well, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d seen a couple getting it on in public. Besides, Noah had seen freakier shit. Much freakier. The vanilla shit didn’t even phase him anymore.
He debated heading over and cockblocking the purple haired flop, he really did, but something else caught his eye. Or rather, his nose. Meowth piss and drain cleaner with just a dash of burnt hair. Noah turned his head just to see a fucking Ursaring puffing away on somebody porch.
…
Shit...that wasn’t an Ursaring. That was a dude. A huge dude. Noah didn’t even know they made ‘em that big. But he was smoking…
Showing a complete lack of good judgement, the punk swerved and made a beeline to the grizzly man. The smoker laid his eyes on Noah the second the boy set foot on his lawn, but he didn’t say anything. Yet.
“Ayy...mind if I bum a smoke, brother?” the lad called out as he approached the man’s porch. He didn’t climb the steps though. You never climb the steps. Not until invited to do so.
The larger man sat for a moment, offering not a word, glance, gesture, or anything to betray his thoughts. At first. But after a few moments, the large man pushed himself out of the heavy-duty throne and crossed the porch to the railing. He fished a pack out of his shirt pocket and from that pack pulled out two white sticks which he tossed to the stranger.
“Good man. Got a light?” Noah asked as he caught the gifts. He had honestly expected to have been told to fuck off so uh...well, things were better than expected. They improved again when, without a word, the man tossed a small red lighter to him as well. Noah popped the smoke in, lit it, took one long, deep, satisfying drag, then started to toss the lighter back when the giant shook his head again. “Huh. Thanks, pops. Later.”
As Noah started to leave, he heard the door swing open with a crash. Out of curiosity, he peeked over his shoulder. A short, blonde girl shuffled out the door, followed by a tall, oafish looking feller. The two said some sort of goodbye to the bear then trotted down the path, away from the lab. Big Bear’s kids, maybe? It didn’t matter, really.
Noah finished his trek from the Bear’s home to the bottom of the path up to Elm’s lab. He was at the base, by the bench, and by extension, the lovers. Noah tried to pay them no mind, but he had just started the damn cigarette, and he wasn’t about to let it go to waste.
So he did what any reasonable man in his position would do:
He turned his back to the future teenage parents and enjoyed a good old-fashioned death stick.
Camerupts taste good, like a cigarette should.~Cerise Fontaine~
"Oh...I do hope she arrives soon. I'm not sure how much of this...rustic environment I can take." The girl mumbled quietly to herself as she pondered Abigail's whereabouts. Oooh, she did hope she wasn't in any sort of trouble! Not that Abigail needed her to worry about her. The other girl could take care of herself. She was the best at everything, after all! Nothing at all the other girl couldn't handle. It was more so herself she was worried about. If she had to breathe in much more of this backwater towns air, their peasantry might actually rub off on her, and that would just be a fate worse than death. But no. No, that would not happen. She wouldn't let it. She was much to strong willed and minded for that. So she shouldn't worry. She'd just have to be mindful of her surroundings.
Perhaps she should go inside before someone talks to her, or look at something on her Holo-caster. That would definitely take her mind off of this environment.
"Hey, do you know if Professor Elm is home?"
Too late. One of the peasants opened their uneducated mouths and attempted to speak with her. She could feel her brain cells dying one by one as he asked the question. Not to mention he almost blinded her with his utter lack of fashion skills. Ugh. She almost wanted to vomit, but that would only make his hideous wardrobe even worse. Still, it would be rude and crass to insult him in quite a direct manner. These peasants probably were not graced with the presence of one such as her all that often, so she should appear to be benevolent. A small, pleasant conversation. She could handle that for now. Perhaps some of her refinement would rub off on this country hick.
...pfft yeah right. These plebs were hopeless.
"Ah...apologies," She replied offering him a friendly smile, hiding her thoughts quite well, though her tone still carried a bit of an aloofness one might expect. "I wouldn't know if he is home or not. I am simply waiting on my friend." She sighed, casting a glance towards the ground as a small frown appeared on her lips. "She is...running a bit late..." A little tinge of worry was evident in her voice, but Yuu wouldn't have time to react on it. She shook her head, looking up at the taller male with a small smile. "Ah, I suppose it doesn't matter. I needn't worry, I am certain Abigail is fine."
Good that was fine. It answered his question and hopefully this hick would be on his way and cease to pester her any further so she could return to her own devices. Although...there was one thing she was curious about. She had yet to introduce herself, and she wanted to know just how well she was known in Johto. She doubted these country bumpkins knew her that much, but perhaps it would be a pleasant surprise to see if the people of Johto were worth saving.
"That aside I do believe it is customary to introduce yourself when you meet someone." The redhead gave a slight frown, though it would take a quick eye to catch it. "I suppose all of you here in this...quaint...little town know each other, though, so that is understandable. I am Cerise Fontaine, perhaps you have heard of moi, no?" Her voice didn't betray her disdain for him, or this entire conversation. "You may call me Cerise, however, and if you have heard of me perhaps you should let me help you with whatever that is you're wearing." She lightly giggled, still offering him a small smile. Hopefully he would take that as merely a friendly jest. "Your wardrobe certainly leaves much to be desired."
There. Introduced herself, make a friendly little jest, and she'd likely appear to be quite friendly to these hicks as simple minded as they were. Inwardly however, she was tired of this man already. She almost wanted him to do something mean to her so she could have someone else beat up to a bloody pulp for even speaking with her or daring to harm a single little hair on her head.Zeph Bagley: Just Outside New Bark Town
While Zeph Bagley was certainly grateful for his new ride, he was already awaiting the day he could ask his uncle for a motorbike. Sure, this bicycle was certainly a better option than walking all the way to New Bark, and he had been ecstatic when Uncle Pete had presented it to him this morning. However, after departing from Violet City, and making his way down Routes 31 and 30, the novelty of leaping over ledges at top speed had gotten old quickly and the afterglow had finally worn off. It didn't help that he had to slow down when he had reached Cherrygrove, in order to avoid running over innocent bystanders or colliding with nearby buildings. He may have already reached top speed on his bike, but Zeph had yet to learn control, as the several bruises and scratches on his arms and face he had recieved that day showed him. He hadn't even recieved his first Pokemon yet, and already he had to go into that First Aid Kit his uncle had given him and apply some bandaids to his face and arms.
Not that that bothered Zeph all that much. After all, once he got to New Bark and met with his future travelling companions, he'd already be able to earn their respect and admiration by telling them the epic tale of his journey, how he had braved terrible rain and blistering heat, how he had starved in the jungle for days, and how he had fended off a pack of wild growlithe with nothing but a stick.
Well, maybe he'd have to tone it down a little bit, but he was sure he could come up with some cool story they'd believe.
As Zeph made his way along Route 29, the final route between him and his first Pokemon, he could already see the top of the building above the treeline, and any excitement he may have lost earlier was suddenly ignited anew. He started pedalling faster, to the point he even ended up tearing a huge line through the long grass, disturbing a small group of feeding Sentret. The small rodent Pokemon scattered quickly, some taking shelter in the bushes, while others scurried up into the trees.
"Sorry!" Zeph called to them. They apparently didn't appreciate his apology, as several of the Pokemon started chattering angrily at him. One even threw a branch in the boy's direction, which missed its mark by a mile.
Zeph continued on his way, picking up the pace with each second, pushing his poor bike past the limit as the town of New Bark came more and more into view. With a huge grin on his face, Zeph decided to celebrate. He saw a ledge in his way and took the oppotunity, wondering how far he could get this bike to jump. He leaned forward in his seat and drove his bike over, sending it soaring over the ground. He gave a loud whoop of victory as the bike went hurtling higher and higher into the air...
... and higher...
... and higher...
... and higher until it was nearly over the treeline. Zeph could hardly believe it! He knew he was pretty fast, but he'd hardly thought he was capable of flight. He glanced down at the ground which seemed incredibly far away, the wild Pokemon below looking no bigger than Joltiks.
And then, the bike started to fall.
While its journey upwards was somewhat graceful, it descent was anything but, and Zeph's joy quickly diminished as he and his bike went hurtling towards a very large tree.
"This is going to hurt," was Zeph's final comment before his bike crashed into the branches.
There was a loud series of snaps as several twigs broke off, and the ground below was showered with little bits of wood. A flock of Spearow that had been resting in the tree were awoken rudely and several quickly flew up out of the tree in search of safer perches. Others, however, flew up only to fly back down and investigate the source of the noise, in which they found Zeph sitting on his bike, the front wheel of which was buried into the tree trunk. The boy himself was momentarily dazed by the collison, but soon snapped out of it. At first he confused, like he quite couldn't believe what had just happened.
And then he looked down. He probably shouldn't have done that.
"Shit!" Zeph shouted aloud, practically jumping in his seat. This caused a couple of the branches holding his bike up to snap, causing the boy and his bike to sink down slightly. Zeph's body tensed as he tried to avoid making anymore dangerous movements. "Okay, stay calm, Zeph..." he muttered to himself as he glanced around, searching for any nearby branches in which he could grab, preferably a sturdy looking one. "You've climbed trees before, and you've managed to get down alright."
Well, except for that one time when he'd misjudged the distance between the branch he was holding and the one he was reaching for. He'd ended up blacking out and woke up in in the hospital with his arm in a sling. His parents had been pretty mad at him and then grounded him for about a mont-
Zeph slapped his temples. Focus, Zeph! You're getting way off track! He could feel his bike sinking again and quickly made a grab for the branch directly above him, scrambling off his bike and attempting to pull himself up. As he swung himself up onto this branch, the last few twigs holding his bike up gave away and the bicycle went tumbling downwards. It fell for a long time, almost as if Zeph was watching it in slow motion, before it hit the ground with loud thunk! There was a moment of silence as Zeph simply stared down at it, trying his best not to think what would have happened had he not acted as quickly as he did.
Not pleasant. Not pleasant at all. Zeph quickly pushed these thoughts away and started looking for a way down, searching for a path of nearby branches which would place him safely back on the ground. He found his first 'step' and started to slowly and carefully - two words not usually associated with him - make his way down. At first, it wasn't too difficult, though Zeph found himself flinching every time he heard yet another snap! It was only after a few minutes that Zeph realised he had an audience. On a nearby branch just to the left of his head was a Spearow, and it didn't look happy.
Zeph felt a stab of panic in his heart, and quickly gave a nervous smile at the bird. "Oh... err, hi!" he said, giving a little laugh. "Err, don't mind me, I'm just passing... through..." He trailed off as he noticed the Spearow was alone.
Up above him, perched on almost every single branch overhead and glaring down at him with the most fierce expression he'd ever seen, was a whole flock of spearow.
"... crap..." Zeph said, before the Spearow took off from their perches unison and came charging towards him. They pecked and clawed furiously at him, and Zeph had to raise his hands to stop them from attacking his face. The last thing he wanted was one of them to claw him right in the eye or something. A couple of scars he could handle, but being blind? No thank you, not today.
He tried his best to fend them off, but there was far too many of them. He started to lose balance, and before he knew it, he was suddenly upside down, kept only from falling by the fact his legs were curled tightly round the branch. The Spearow kept attacking him, their squawks quickly becoming deafening. Worse still, Zeph now had a full and unavoidable view of the ground, and despite his best efforts to climb down, well...
It was still a long way down.Mattie Linder: New Bark Town
"And you're sure you have everything?"
At the very entrance of New Bark Town, not too far from the endangered Zeph, yet unaware of his current distress, stood a man and his daughter. The man himself pretty unremarkable: tall, gangly, his eyes hidden by his thick glasses that currently reflected the morning sunlight. He was glancing about nervously, as if he expected danger to be around every corner. And really, who could blame him? What with the ever-increasing ferocity of wild Pokemon, and the fact that New Bark was practically a ghost town with barely anyone in sight, he had every right to be on edge.
His daughter, however, seemed completely unphased.
"Mhm," Mattie Linder replied, not even looking at her father as she answered him. She was a small girl, small enough to be mistaken for a much younger child. Her expression was difficult to read, and this was partly thanks to the fact her eyes were hidden by a long fringe of hair. It was a wonder she could even see.
"And you have both mine and your mother's number registered in your Pokegear in case of emergencies?" the man continued.
"Mhm," Mattie said again. It was difficult to know what she was looking at. Maybe she was staring in the direction of the lab, where two teens were already standing outside, likely future trainers like Mattie herself, awaiting the chance to recieve their first Pokemon. Maybe she was surveying the buildings, taking in the sight of this town, so much smaller than her own homecity of Ecruteak. Or maybe she was staring at nothing at all. It was hard to tell with Mattie.
"And you'll call of us if you need anything? Anything at all?" Mattie's father said, seemingly not noticing his daughter's apathy. Or perhaps he was just so used to it by now, there was no point in commenting.
"Mhm."
The man, Edgar, fell silent, and for a moment, he only looked at his daughter, surveying her for any signs of panic or anxiety, anything he could use as an excuse to talk her out of going on this potentially dangerous journey. While Mattie may be difficult to read for most, both he and his wife Sylvia were very sharp when it came to how she was really feeling. However, no matter how hard he looked, Mattie seemed unphased. In fact, she seemed to have no fear whatsoever, no concern, nothing Edgar could really identify, and he doubted there was anything he could say or do to deter her from choice.
Edgar opened his mouth to say something, though he was entirely sure what, when there was sudden beeping noise from Mattie's bag. That was the first thing to really get a reaction out of Mattie, albeit merely cause her to glance at her bag. Behind her fringe, Edgar could just see her blink, as if the noise had startled her.
"It's probably your mother," Edgar said hastily. "You should probably answer it."
Without a word, Mattie obediantly opened her bag and took out her the phone, flipping it open and holding it up to her ear.
"Hello?" Mattie said.
"My child!" a woman's voice called out of the phone, her voice so loud that even Edgar could hear what she was saying. "My crystal ball tells me that you have arrived in New Bark Town unscathed! This pleases me very much!"
"Yeah," Mattie said, unsure of what else to say to that.
"Your aunts, Grandmother and I did much praying for your safety!" Sylvia Linder continued. As if to demonstrate, she took the phone away from her ear for a second and Mattie could just about hear the sound of chanting in the background before Sylvia spoke again. "I am glad it has paid off. However, there is no rest for us! We will continue to pray for you every day until we see you again!"
"Okay," Mattie responded simply. "How's Phobos?" she asked, referring to the Haunter who had taken residence in their home years ago.
At this, her mother gave an annoyed hum. "Still upset. He attempted to run away today, probably to follow you, caused us a lot of trouble," she said, her voice a little less dramatic than before. "He's been confined to his Pokeball until further notice.
Mattie's usually blank expression turned to a dissaproving frown. "Mum, he's hates his Pokeball," she said. "May I talk to him?"
There was a pause on the other end, then a defeated sigh. "Okay," Sylvia said. "Perhaps you'll be able to calm him down."
In the background, Mattie could just about hear one of her aunts say, in a cynical tone, "Yeah. Perhaps." Mattie then heard an older voice scolding her for stopping her chanting, most likely her Grandmother.
"Hold for a moment!" Sylvia commanded, before she placed the phone down. For a minute or so, all Mattie could hear was the sound of her aunts and Grandma chanting, their voices surprisingly soothing as she waited with baited breath to hear a familiar, inhuman voice. After a moment, the calm was broken by the sound of a comotion, and the chanting abruptly came to a stop. There were several gasps, followed by her mother shouting and something breaking. Finally, there was scuffling noise as someone, or rather something, picked up the phone, and Mattie heard a familiar crackle on the other end of the line.
The smallest of smiles formed over Mattie's face. "Hello Phobos," she said. The crackling started up again, this time louder and almost resembling the sound of laughter, though not like any person's laughter Mattie had ever heard. "I heard from Mum that you caused a lot of trouble today." In response, the crackling became louder, a little angrier. "I know you're upset, but you know I couldn't take you with me."
Mattie sighed slightly as she thought could hear little sobs on the other end. She had wanted to take Phobos with her, she really had, but her parents had insisted she start with a lower level Pokemon, particularly one from Elm's lab.
"It will safer," her dad had told her. "And you'll be able to travel with kids your own age. I think it would be nice to make friends your own age."
"Phobos is far too unpredictable!" her mother had added. "And you're too inexperienced to control him. You must learn how to care for a Pokemon yourself before you'll be able to look after him."
Mattie understood their reasoning, even agreed with it to some extent, but that didn't mean she had to like it.
"Now, I want you to stop causing trouble for Mum, okay?" Mattie continued. "You can't keep escaping. There are very dangerous Pokemon out there. You could get hurt." Phobos tried his best to growl out a complaint, but Mattie was quick to stop him. "No excuses! The more trouble you cause for Mum, the less likely you'll be able to travel with me when I finally come back to Ecruteak. You do want to be part of my team, don't you?" There was no response. Mattie understood that as a 'yes'. "Good. Now I'm gonna call home every day, alright, and I better not hear you're causing trouble for Mum, okay?"
Another pause. Then finally, Phobos gave a reluctant growl.
Mattie's smile widened a little. "Good," she said. "Now cheer up. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Now, could you put Mum back on?" Phobos returned to his typical chuckling noises, to which Mattie replied, "Yes, Phobos, I love you too." There was another pause, followed by some scuffling noises.
Then Sylvia spoke again. "Well, that seemed to calm him down a little," she said. "I don't know how long it will last."
"I'll call you tomorrow and see how he's doing," Mattie said.
"Just one last thing, Mattie," Sylvia said as Mattie was about to click the 'Hang Up' button. "I have something very important I need to tell you."
Mattie paused, her thumb hovering over the button. "Yes, Mum?" she said, guessing this was one of her Mum's predictions.
"I see possible danger in your future," Sylvia's voice suddenly became very ominous, and Mattie felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle slightly. "I suggest you stay close to your companions, even though they may cause you many headaches. Remember, there is safety in numbers." Then, without warning, her voice became much lighter. "Also, remember to never wear green, and buy a pair of earplugs."
"Alright," Mattie said, still feeling a little wary, though she wasn't entirely sure why. "Anything else?"
"Make sure to put those talismans I gave you all around your tent or room at night," her mother advised. "You never know where bad energy may be lurking."
"Okay," Mattie said, though she had planned to do that anyway.
"And finally!" Sylvia said with dramatic flourish. "Always remember to be yourself. You're my daughter, and I love you no matter what you do. That is all I have to say."
Mattie nodded. "Okay," she said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." Then, slightly awkwardly, she replied, "And I... love you too Mum." She clicked the button, hanging up on her mother and placing her Pokegear back in her bag.
Her father, who had previously been standing quietly in the background, hands in his pockets, finally spoke as his daughter finished call. "So? What did she have to say?" he said, though he had pretty much heard most of it.
"Phobos is okay, though he misbehaved earlier today," Mattie said.
Edgar gave a chuckle. "What else is new?" he said, shaking his head. "Anything else?"
"Mum says I'm potentially in great danger," Mattie said casually. "And that I should never wear green and buy pair of earplugs."
Edgar frowned. "Great danger?"
Mattie nodded.
"Did... she specify what kind of danger?"
Mattie shook her head. "She only said it's possible, though," she added.
That didn't make Edgar feel any better, but he knew that if it was really bad, his wife would have demanded Mattie and Edgar to turn back. But she hadn't, so despite himself, he took a deep breath and gave a smile. "Well," he said. "Mother knows best. Just do what she says and I'm sure you'll be fine." He ruffled his daughter's hair.
The two then said their goodbyes, Edgar pulling Mattie into hug which she limply returned before they went their seperate ways, waving as Edgar made his way out of New Bark, leaving Mattie standing there, watching his retreating back until he had disappeared out of sight.
Despite her mother's warning, she wasn't all the scared. Even if she had been, she couldn't back out now. She had a mission, something she desperately needed to do. So despite any small doubts that may have been on her mind, Mattie eventually turned away from where her from where her dad had been and slowly made her way towards Elm's lab.
She twists and turns in her bed, ignoring the alarm that went off for the third time that morning. For about 2 minutes, she tried to ignore it before finally reaching her arm over and slamming her palm over the snooze button, glaring at the alarm clock. Too noisy. She then looked over at the boisterous grandfather clock that was hanging on the bland, white wall.
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.
It was only about 30 minutes later than the time she had arranged to get up so that wasn’t too shabby. Vrina groans as she feels her finger tips run feel paper. She looks over to her right and notices a note that was also occupying the small wooden table by her bed.
Dear Vrina
So you’ve finally woken up? I didn’t want to wake you when you looked like you were sleeping so comfortably. I have some breakfast in the microwave. Sorry, I had to go to work early today. I know that you are leaving but i’ll be home soon so could you just wait for me? Really! I’ll be back soon. Around 7:30 since I told them to let me out earlier.
However… If you decide you are to depart before I get back, I wish you safe travels and I want you to know I love you and to be careful. Oh, and have fun! I really enjoyed my time with you Vrina. A short time but pleasing, my love. Do your best out there.
-Rovern
Vrina narrowed her eyes as she read the note. He was far too attached to her. I’m not your daughter. I don’t need your “I love you”’s.
She’d never understand why he was so nice to her. She felt like a cat that he ended up picking up. Well, that’s an idiot for you. It made her feel a bit bad that he was one of her mom’s victims. I mean, somehow they usually thought she was a faithful woman before realizing that she was a lying slut.
Vrina got up out of the bed and walked over to the microwave. Opening it, the wonderful aroma of a plate of Rovern's delectable breakfast casserole made her heart waver as she took it out, grabbing a fork and slamming the microwave door closed with her left. Vrina gobbled it up quickly, satisfied with the meal.
She lazily stretched once she stood up from the table and put her dishes in the sink, washing them and placing them on the rack. Vrina then began advancing towards the restroom. With that, she washed her face and took a quick shower, refreshing herself. Once she had on her blue one piece along with the white blouse under and was ready for the day, Vrina glanced over at a digital clock on the dining table. 6:30.
“Guess i’ll start heading over there.” She said, grabbing her bag which was already overrun by all of the things that she had put inside of it. She did think twice about simply leaving before Rovern got back but… She didn’t like good bye’s so it isn’t something she would be doing. Besides, knowing him, he'd probably say unnecessary things to her that she doesn't want to hear. He's not her father for god sakes.
“Thank you. Goodbye." She whispered as she wrote the words out on a sticky note and stuck it onto the table. That should be enough. Before she left, she went through a small cabinet where Rovern usually held his cigarette packs. Gone. “Shit.” she murmured, clicking her tongue at the disappointing sight as she closed the cabinet. Well, i’ll find some somewhere. Vrina already had on her gloves, a contrast to the white and blue with white sneakers that she had on. She opened the door, not looking back at the house as she left. Oh well. That’s done and I guess it’s time for something new.
--
Arriving at New Bark, Vrina had a bored expression on her face as she walked around. She didn’t actually need to interact with anyone right now and that meant she didn’t need to smile. Vrina had an air of innocence around her which was practically nonexistent but due to her looks, was still apparent. She smiled at the people that looked out of her out of habit, giving a little wave to those who seemed to be simply out of it. Keep your eyes in front of you, damn it. I don’t care if it’s an accident, ‘s fuckin disgusting to have people look at you.
Not too bad a place. I mean, the buildings most definitely weren't better than her mother's boyfriend's houses but I mean, oh well. She didn't care about her surroundings. It didn't matter either way. The place looked quite uneventful in her eyes to say the least. Dull and monotonous. Then again, that was her outlook on most things so what did she know? She could very well be the vanilla ice cream that was simply blinded by her own unwillingness to change.
The first thing she did when she got there was look for a cigarette. She needed one. Oh, and to find Elm's lab. But cigarette. Ok, no. I’m not an addict. She had heard all of the reasons not to do them and even read a book about it when she was bored. Cancer, heart attacks, strokes, yada yada yada. She kept hearing the even more not-so-pretty stuff leaning towards guys though. Premature ejaculation, lowers your libido, and what was it… Oh yeah! Erectile dysfunction. Well, not that it wasn’t shitty for both genders.
Vrina continued to wonder if anyone had any on them, already playing with her small black lighter in her pocket. Soon, she saw two people that were talking on the bench. A girl and a boy that she had no opinion towards. Not important. Her eyes then wandered over to the other man that was there. He was of importance to her. He had a cigarette.
Vrina walked over to him, looking up and staring him dead in the eyes with no care for who he was. She didn’t care if he screamed asshole if you judged him based on his looks. She wanted to smoke. “Excuse me but do you, by any chance, happen to have another?” She asked, looking down at the cigarette to indicate that she was talking about it and back up at the stranger with a smile on her face. Her imfamous fake smile that took people a while to perceive that it was in fact fake.
Please do. I fucking swear. Because you know, I need one of those toxic things in my system right now. Who cares about the things that go along with it? Death by cigarettes. Oh, the tragedy. I'll take it.-New Bark Town-
Noah saw her out of the corner of his eye, the short, smiling chick with the giant knockers. He hadn’t been explicitly watching for anybody, but he could feel her presence from a mile away. As a proper lecherous young man, he had a sort of internal mammary radar.
TITDAR™
As it so happened, it was blaring right about now. When he slightly turned to her direction, he saw her eyes were fixed on him. Which seemed about par for the course for such a dinky little town. Most of the older folks had given him disapproving glances before dismissing him. He wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up on the front page of their shitty little newspaper. Urban Youth Terrorizes Town!
Heh...Noah straightened back up and pulled the cigarette out, making like a smokestack, releasing a little cloud of poison air that was swiftly taken up by the wind and carried harmlessly away.
…
A chill ran down the boy’s spine. Something was wrong. Something was way wrong. It felt as if Death itself had come up behind him, pulling him into a gentle embrace and whispering into his ear-
“Excuse me but do you, by any chance, happen to have another?”
Noah was startled out of his thoughts. For a brief moment, he was confused, but then he felt TITDAR™ going off something fierce. From…
Noah looked down and saw the girl with the huge knockers looking up at him. She...didn’t seem threatening. Pretty small girl, overall. Long hair. Sweet smile. The hell’d he get so worked up over? Did...did that fucking Bear lace his cigarettes?
…
No, he felt fine. Maybe he was just finally losing his shit. Why not? He’d seen it before. Hell, Big Vic went to crazyville overnight. Dude was normal one day, and the next he was ranting and raving about having microchips under his skin, that the government was reading his thoughts, and that the police were out to get him because ‘he knew the truth.’ But the dude was also pretty hooked on huffing Nikki’s spraypaint, so uh...that may have played a part in the whole paranoia thing.
The punk frowned.
On one hand, he only had the one cigarette left, and fuck knows when he’d be able to get some more.
On the other hand, titties.
…
Noah reached into his pocket and pulled out the lighter and a small white stick. It had a messy look to it, but it was packed full. Old Ursaring back there rolled his own. Respect. The guy looked down at it and quietly mourned, but eventually he held it out towards the girl.
“Lucky girl. It’s my last one, so...you’ll owe me.” he offered with a smirk. With his other hand, Noah popped his own cigarette back into his mouth and took a drag.-Yuu Nozomu : New Bark Town-
Oh, so that was the case then! Yuu nodded in acknowledgement, understanding the facet of why she remained outside versus immediately going inside. Of course, who this friend was he knew not, but still, another companion to join them on the journey at least. Yuu could only ponder on what they could be like, but eh, seeing as this girl had a bit of a friendly demeanor, maybe her friend might be just as swell? Bit to early to judge as his soft smile lingered about...
While speaking, the girl displayed some fleeting anguish, worrying ever so slightly over her friend who had yet to make a formal appearance. The wilderness was dangerous and getting here by foot was dangerous, considering you went alone. His eyes became unnoticeably wider, his lips wavering in their astute grin as she dismissed the negative stance, noting her... friend was ok... huh. While the boy didn't show it, he was taken slightly aback by the name she mentioned, seeing that it was a bit familiar to an "acquaintance" of his.
"Abigail, eh," he muttered under his breath, as if it was a simple curse word of sorts. Generally speaking, whenever that name came to mind, one vision popped up - purple hair like his, except longer, a bit snobbish and prideful, dismisses faults as flukes, and a hardworking individual. Of course, he and Abigail graduated from trainer school at the top of their class, and it was very likely she set off on a journey a year ago.
Reminiscing on the past, his eyes glazed over for a few seconds before snapping back to reality when the girl began to talk, pointing out that he failed to introduce himself... despite the facet that this conversation was comparable to a brisk question. "Customary, yes, I agree, but this is... well, was comparable to a person questioning another on over directions before replying with a simple thanks." Though, there was the other actuality of the professor not being in attendance, so they could as well be put on the same boat, so her words warranted validity.
As she continued on, Yuu raised an eyebrow in curiosity over the girls rational over categorizing people from small towns as knowing everyone... of course, there was also a pause when she said quaint, so the girl might of been a bit socially unaware. Of course, she could possibly remedy it over the course of this adventure, make new friends, learn new things she never thought of or knew, etc. "Anyways, it's a pleasure to meet you Cerise, I'm Yuu Nozomu," Yuu replied with a cheerful glint, a smile to return hers.
"... though I will not everyone here knows each other... it is rather rare to see an adult or child roaming around town, especially with the feral nature of pokemon - quite heart-wrenching really." Yuu completely came to a halt, delaying himself before he went on a tangent over the news, seeing as the girl might not be in the mood... but speaking of news...
The girl came off as slightly haughty, but it was difficult to distinguish that, considering that her voice emanated with a tone that would be puzzling to resolve as anything but altruistic... though, he could shake off this minuscule, but jittery feeling. Was it the adrenaline of whimsical and horrific adventures awaiting him, or was it something else? Dismissing it for now, Yuu continued to return her smiles and grins with his own real amiability. Tapping his chin, he tilted his head, attempting to recall the name, before swinging his head left and right.
"Cerise Fontaine... unless I've missed your name on some important articles, research, or news involving pokemon, can't say I have, sorry," he frowned slightly after listing off a couple of facilities, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. Whoever she was, this girl was an unknown factor, another person, a face in the crowd. Cerise could be any number of things, from cousin of a researcher or possibly the kid of some rich CEO... or maybe she was just acting like a hotshot?
...
...
Nah, too quick to denote such a thing at this point, especially since there were myriads of Abigail's in this realm, but who knew. Breaking eye contact, the scent of smoke unsettled the air for a mere couple of seconds, much before a brisk gust purified the area. Looking by him Yuu noticed a boy that was an inch or three taller than of him... and had a piercing on his ear, along with the odor of nicotine and tar near him... eh, to each and their own?
Either way, that frightening giant of a man didn't seem to faze him, nor was it the causation of the previous tense feelings he forgot about temporarily. Though, he was more like a lumbering statue, with numerous patches of bands on the back of it, like 'Own Tempo..." Eh, the dude might have caustic breath with death sticks, but at least he had some good taste in music. Regardless, he continued listening to the younger lady's remarks, which affirmed some inability to interact due to a rather crude jab.
One of his eyebrows shot up incessantly, while a slight, indistinguishable frown formed. "Uh, Cerise? I know you're trying to be friendly, but that came off as... somewhat rude, to say the least." While there was some tinge of annoyance, it wasn't exactly full blown animosity; his tone of voice seemed to lean on the more neutral side of things.
"Further more, this is the style of clothing this jacket has... I won't lie, it is a bit worn about but still," Yuu said, crossing his arms with a pout, tapping his elbow in a rhythmic pattern, before giving the lady a small smile to display he wasn't angry at all. Letting his arms fall to the side, his tone of voice returned to the familiar state Cerise was introduced with. "But still, looks you have slightly different tastes than that of me, but oh well."
There was another thing that piqued his interest, as it was blatantly obvious that this girl was not from around this area, much less this region considering her distinct accent. Considering he lived in Johto, Unova, and Hoenn for quite a while of time, it was neither of those regions. There were also places like Orre, Almia, and other places to consider... but for now, his best bet was placed on... "Cerise, you're someone from Kalos, correct? From what you spoke about earlier, you've most likely haven't moved here..."
Yuu planted a coy smile on his face as he gazed over the girl. "That, and your largely different accent too is a large indicator." Despite this all, he was interested in learning a few things, mainly over the topic of how her region was faring, especially with the inordinate actions of pokemon and how they were more violent than ever.
"So, I've got a question for you," Yuu spoke with a quizzical look on his face, tapping the side of his hip as he almost appeared to be staring off into space. "Quick question about Kalos - how is it faring with the aggressive pokemon?" From what he recalled, most of this was spread out, far and wide, affecting many a region. Yuu did have a theory over why this was happening, but it was seemingly farfetched to the point where he would need empirical evidence.
"I mean, I have done studies and investigated it a bit, but having first hand knowledge and experience over this predicament is certainly useful... so, mind telling me a bit about news in Kalos; mainly the shared crisis?"~Cerise Fontaine~
Upon hearing him utter Abigail's name, Cerise immediately narrowed her eyes, just a tiny bit suspiciously. That sounded like he had said her name with quite a bit of disdain. Almost as if he knew Abigail, and didn't think too much of her. To Cerise, such a thought was deserving of capital punishment. A death sentence. Of course, she didn't say anything for now. That would be uncouth and tactless. So instead, she idly listened to him chatter on about things she didn't exactly care about. She instead, thought about how this barbaric swine could know Abigail.
A rival? If so, then she should simply eliminate him and get rid of any competition for Abigail. No one would miss such a hideous excuse for a human being. Perhaps just an acquaintance? A much less severe crime in that case. She'd simply continue doing as she was now - putting on a facade of friendliness, just to avoid unneeded conflict. However...there was one scenario she didn't wish to consider. One that was probably the worst out of all the possibilities she could ever imagine.
This sorry meatbag...this...abomination, affront to fashion, useless sack of skin and bones...was...possibly...
Abigail's Ex.
The thought sent a slight shudder through the redhead. In an instant, her delicate little world was shattered by the mere thought of Abigail having possibly dated anyone other than her. Her mind tried to cope with the thought, but failed spectacularly to remain calm and collected. Cerise internally growled, as various images of the best way to kill this cretin. Death by stabbing was quick and efficient, but she didn't have a knife. Besides, it'd be too easy. He should burn. Death from being tossed into a thousand fiery suns! Blown to bits! death by slow poison! In fact, death at all would be too good for him. He should suffer.
"Uh, Cerise? I know you're trying to be friendly, but that came off as... somewhat rude, to say the least."
"Oh...? Uhm, I apologize," Cerise replied apologetically as Yuu's voice brought her out of her internal rage, the only evidence of her thoughts was a small, single twitch that formed on the edge of her lips. She gave a small bow of her head as her mind finally caught itself and managed to allow words other than those wishing death upon this freak. "I-it was meant as a light jest. I realize not everyone has the same sense of style, but..." Her voice was somewhat quiet, appearing as if she was a little hurt that she was being told she was rude. She simply shook her head and moved on. "But to answer your question, Yuu, I am indeed from Kalos."
Hmm. Perhaps this cretin was more intelligent than he looked. Not that a Kalosian accent was difficult to place, but one would probably at least have an IQ of a slowpoke to recognize that. Still, that question wasn't exactly something she could answer knowledgeably about. She wasn't exactly and expert on pokemon, and she had very little dealings with the creatures. The only ones she vaguely knew were the psychic types from Kalos. She had always wanted a cute little Espurr as a darling little pet, but she had never been able to obtain one legally.
"I have to apologize again, Yuu." Cerise sighed. "I am...not the one to ask about the problem with pokemon. Though, I have heard that the problem is worse here in Johto than in Kalos, but I cannot say for certain." The redhead fidgeted a bit uncomfortably as she cast her gaze towards the ground, appearing somewhat embarrassed. "To be honest, I...do not know much about pokemon in general. If, uhm, Abigail hadn't helped me I doubt I'd even have been able to get my license."
A small lie. While she had mostly used...money to get her license, Abigail had helped a little. She still had to take the tests, after all. Abigail helped her get an...acceptable score that was close enough that she could bribe the officials with a bit of money and charm.
"Ah, but that isn't relevant I suppose." She offered him another friendly seeming smile. "You should probably head inside, Yuu. The professor is probably waiting and I'm going to wait until Abigail arrives. I haven't seen her since last summer."~Abigail Blanchett~
While she wasn't exactly one to shy away from physical activity considering her morning routines, this walking was getting annoying. Not to mention there wasn't exactly a whole lot to see in this little town. She wondered where Cerise was? The other girl probably had gotten here before her, and was already probably attempting to chat up whoever had decided to speak to her. The little brat couldn't just keep her mouth shut sometimes. Not like she really had much room to talk on that front...she'd probably end up making sure the red-head didn't get lynched by the time she got to the lab.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a rather distressed sounding flock of spearow not to far from where she was. She turned her head towards the sound of the commotion, though she probably shouldn't get involved. Chances were, it was just some poor pidgey wandering into the wrong neighborhood. Still, she was a bit curious as to what it was, and perhaps this could be a good opportunity to see some actual pokemon up close. She with a confident smirk, she headed towards the sound of the commotion. It didn't take her long to reach the source thankfully, and when she got there, she couldn't help but to burst out in laughter.
A boy that looked around the same age as her was covering his head from a flock of spearow. She wasn't entirely sure how he had gotten stuck up there, but from the looks of things he tried to launch himself into the stratosphere with his bike, and ended badly. The spearows were relentless in their attack, causing him to lose his balance and cause him to hang upside down from his legs, like he was trying to mimic a Zubat
"Well," She shouted up to him, making sure he could hear her. "Did you forget the training wheels? Or are you just an idiot?" Really though, it looked like he was having a bit of trouble getting those Spearow off of him. Getting down in general might be a bit of a problem for him....well, she was in a good mood and well, it's not like it would hurt anything in helping him down or something. Besides, despite her making fun of him that was really a dangerous position to be in. She might actually feel bad if he got seriously hurt and she didn't do anything.
"Need some help getting down from there?" She added as her laughter died down. "If not, just say so and I'll let ya be food for the spearow. I'm late anyways so I could really care less."~Cerise Fontaine~
Upon hearing him utter Abigail's name, Cerise immediately narrowed her eyes, just a tiny bit suspiciously. That sounded like he had said her name with quite a bit of disdain. Almost as if he knew Abigail, and didn't think too much of her. To Cerise, such a thought was deserving of capital punishment. A death sentence. Of course, she didn't say anything for now. That would be uncouth and tactless. So instead, she idly listened to him chatter on about things she didn't exactly care about. She instead, thought about how this barbaric swine could know Abigail.
A rival? If so, then she should simply eliminate him and get rid of any competition for Abigail. No one would miss such a hideous excuse for a human being. Perhaps just an acquaintance? A much less severe crime in that case. She'd simply continue doing as she was now - putting on a facade of friendliness, just to avoid unneeded conflict. However...there was one scenario she didn't wish to consider. One that was probably the worst out of all the possibilities she could ever imagine.
This sorry meatbag...this...abomination, affront to fashion, useless sack of skin and bones...was...possibly...
Abigail's Ex.
The thought sent a slight shudder through the redhead. In an instant, her delicate little world was shattered by the mere thought of Abigail having possibly dated anyone other than her. Her mind tried to cope with the thought, but failed spectacularly to remain calm and collected. Cerise internally growled, as various images of the best way to kill this cretin. Death by stabbing was quick and efficient, but she didn't have a knife. Besides, it'd be too easy. He should burn. Death from being tossed into a thousand fiery suns! Blown to bits! death by slow poison! In fact, death at all would be too good for him. He should suffer.
"Uh, Cerise? I know you're trying to be friendly, but that came off as... somewhat rude, to say the least."
"Oh...? Uhm, I apologize," Cerise replied apologetically as Yuu's voice brought her out of her internal rage, the only evidence of her thoughts was a small, single twitch that formed on the edge of her lips. She gave a small bow of her head as her mind finally caught itself and managed to allow words other than those wishing death upon this freak. "I-it was meant as a light jest. I realize not everyone has the same sense of style, but..." Her voice was somewhat quiet, appearing as if she was a little hurt that she was being told she was rude. She simply shook her head and moved on. "But to answer your question, Yuu, I am indeed from Kalos."
Hmm. Perhaps this cretin was more intelligent than he looked. Not that a Kalosian accent was difficult to place, but one would probably at least have an IQ of a slowpoke to recognize that. Still, that question wasn't exactly something she could answer knowledgeably about. She wasn't exactly and expert on pokemon, and she had very little dealings with the creatures. The only ones she vaguely knew were the psychic types from Kalos. She had always wanted a cute little Espurr as a darling little pet, but she had never been able to obtain one legally.
"I have to apologize again, Yuu." Cerise sighed. "I am...not the one to ask about the problem with pokemon. Though, I have heard that the problem is worse here in Johto than in Kalos, but I cannot say for certain." The redhead fidgeted a bit uncomfortably as she cast her gaze towards the ground, appearing somewhat embarrassed. "To be honest, I...do not know much about pokemon in general. If, uhm, Abigail hadn't helped me I doubt I'd even have been able to get my license."
A small lie. While she had mostly used...money to get her license, Abigail had helped a little. She still had to take the tests, after all. Abigail helped her get an...acceptable score that was close enough that she could bribe the officials with a bit of money and charm.
"Ah, but that isn't relevant I suppose." She offered him another friendly seeming smile. "You should probably head inside, Yuu. The professor is probably waiting and I'm going to wait until Abigail arrives. I haven't seen her since last summer."~Abigail Blanchett~
While she wasn't exactly one to shy away from physical activity considering her morning routines, this walking was getting annoying. Not to mention there wasn't exactly a whole lot to see in this little town. She wondered where Cerise was? The other girl probably had gotten here before her, and was already probably attempting to chat up whoever had decided to speak to her. The little brat couldn't just keep her mouth shut sometimes. Not like she really had much room to talk on that front...she'd probably end up making sure the red-head didn't get lynched by the time she got to the lab.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a rather distressed sounding flock of spearow not to far from where she was. She turned her head towards the sound of the commotion, though she probably shouldn't get involved. Chances were, it was just some poor pidgey wandering into the wrong neighborhood. Still, she was a bit curious as to what it was, and perhaps this could be a good opportunity to see some actual pokemon up close. She with a confident smirk, she headed towards the sound of the commotion. It didn't take her long to reach the source thankfully, and when she got there, she couldn't help but to burst out in laughter.
A boy that looked around the same age as her was covering his head from a flock of spearow. She wasn't entirely sure how he had gotten stuck up there, but from the looks of things he tried to launch himself into the stratosphere with his bike, and ended badly. The spearows were relentless in their attack, causing him to lose his balance and cause him to hang upside down from his legs, like he was trying to mimic a Zubat
"Well," She shouted up to him, making sure he could hear her. "Did you forget the training wheels? Or are you just an idiot?" Really though, it looked like he was having a bit of trouble getting those Spearow off of him. Getting down in general might be a bit of a problem for him....well, she was in a good mood and well, it's not like it would hurt anything in helping him down or something. Besides, despite her making fun of him that was really a dangerous position to be in. She might actually feel bad if he got seriously hurt and she didn't do anything.
"Need some help getting down from there?" She added as her laughter died down. "If not, just say so and I'll let ya be food for the spearow. I'm late anyways so I could really care less."Ryley Grisdoe: New Bark Town
It was always nice, being able to relax on a peaceful day. Warm sun shining on the earth, a slow, cool breeze whispering through the trees, and a general sense of calm settling over the land. Well, that third one was being questioned inside Ryley’s mind at the moment, but an hour ago that felt very true.
The teenager slowly reflected back on the day so far, to try and find a sense of order again. It started off with his desire to find out the truth of the recent troubles spreading across the land. It was hard to live a comfortable life when one was restrained to a prison created by the Pokemon once considered peaceful.
In order to try and deal with this problem, he had decided to start a journey of his own. The trek to New Bark Town wasn’t too far, so getting to the lab where most trainers started their own travels was easy enough on its own. However, the main problem were the new laws in place restricting trainers from going by themselves with no verification. Not that he disagreed with them completely, they were well founded, but he just wished they would be a little more lenient.
After having set up a time for him and some others to start things off, he simply waited until the fated day, being today, arrived. He had arrived early of course, partially due to his father’s insistence, partially due to the travel guide’s schedule, and partially due to his own desire to be there with time to spare. The combination of the three led to him arriving a couple of hours early, giving him time to sit back and relax.
Ryley had to admit, this town certainly had its own special feeling to it. Life must have been really peaceful for these people, living simple daily lives. He could attest to that slightly, having accidentally dozed off in the grass as he tried to pass the time. He simply couldn’t help it, the pleasant environment soothing his mind. However, when he started to rouse from his rest, the peace of the moment was tested a bit.
From his current resting spot, now in the shade of the eastern wall of a house, he could hear voices in addition to the breeze and soft, shifting waves. There were quite a few to be heard, but with time he could sort them out well enough.
The first one he sifted out from the many was a girl’s voice, sounding fairly formal. He wished his analysis could have ended there, but sadly, he picked up more. The voice had an unconcealed loftiness to it, carrying the tone of self prestige with it. Something else tugged at his consciousness, but he passed it off for now, not wanting to judge too much based on a voice alone.
The second voice, on the other hand, had a relatively calm voice, pacing itself in an orderly fashion. The words carried with it seemed to be logical, each thought seeming to have some basis behind it. Ryley had to admit he liked that part personally.
Then came the third voice. He didn’t hear much of it, but from what he could pick out, it seemed to be a smooth, slick voice. If the second voice he heard was calm and logical, then this voice was calm and clever by comparison. It wasn’t his most accurate assessment, but it was the most he could gather at the time.
Last but not least was the fourth voice. It had an oddly sweet connotation to it, even if there felt like there was something else to it. Like the third voice, he didn’t hear too much, so he couldn’t make the best conclusion, but it would have to do.
The voices all together sounded fairly young, making Ryley conclude the voices must mostly belong to the group of trainers he was told he’d start out with. Which was one of the reasons his sense of calm was being questioned.
If what he could gather from voices alone was true, it would be a bit of a headache to try and get through introductions and all, the personalities he had temporarily assigned not meshing together all too well.
This was also leaving out the fact there were only four of them, he was sure the group would have more. Well, excluding the possibility that anyone else about to start their journey had met an unfortunate encounter in their trek to this town. But the chances were slim, unless anyone was unprepared or simply horribly unlucky.
Ryley rested his head back on the ground once again as his thoughts calmed down enough, slowing to a gentle stir. It wasn’t much use dwelling on slim possibilities at the moment, it would be a waste of energy. Instead, he decided to enjoy the environment as much as he could, even if there was a small tinge of cigarette smoke drifting his way now. All he’d do for now was wait a bit longer, to hear if anyone else was going to show up. He could get up now and go into the lab, but after a quick check of his X-transceiver, confirming he still had some time before they had to be there, he’d rather not be the first one on the scene.-Yuu Nozomu : New Bark Town-
The moment Yuu informed the girl of her slightly inconsiderate attitude, there was a regretful sleight teeming over the cute red-head. Looking to the side briefly, the purple-haired teen felt a pang of remorse, but in away, it was for the best to an extent. Considering she might incorrectly interact with someone, resulting in a less than stellar response from the opposition, learning now would be the best solution. Rubbing the back of his neck, Yuu returned his gaze to the girl whose voice now displayed tinges of guilt.
"Er..." Yuu frowned a bit, showing some regret in his eyes as he gazed over the petite lass. Mybe he should of been a bit more considerate and alleviating the tone of his slightly despondent voice (maybe make it a bit more friendly)? "Sorry for saying it a bit abruptly; I do understand it was a light jest, but at least try to keep an eye out for what you say..." Yuu offered the girl a gentle smile, one that could be approachable to say the least.
"After all, some people could take a harsh turn for the worse... but then again, I'm sure you understand that." Yuu was probably worrying over nothing - most people wouldn't stoop so low to assault some traveling trainers over a simple quip... then again, considering there are anti-pokemon supporters, it could escalate possibly. He was praying that wouldn't be the case. Scratching the side of his neck, he gave a huge smile after she confirmed the obvious.
This was astounding! Maybe he could get a little more input from a Kalosian who possibly had some encounters with the daily news over the problem concerning pokemon! This was exciting - gods if he had some pen and paper right now...well, if she wanted to speak about how they were reacting from other regions... but still, he did have other reasons for wanting to know about Kalos. It was beautiful on the outside, and attracted hundreds to thousands of tourists most likely wanting to bask in the allure. If Yuu could recall, it did have the unofficial nickname of "The Region of Love."
I mean, he did already learn most about Sinnoh from another person, albeit, acting somewhat more exhilarated than his calm and cool demeanor, save for a glint of curiosity in his eyes.
But enough gawking over another region, he was going to get into the beef of things, the truth behind the way these pokemon act... well, sort of... I mean, that was one of his objectives on this trip.
Breaking from his trance, Yuus ears perked up at the maidens words, grasping onto everything she spoke of - after all, this information was key to his endeavors. Raising a hand to his mouth, Yuu began rapping on his lip, transcending into some deep thought. "So that's the case then for your place then," he uttered softly, going off on a mental tangent. It would of been somewhat difficult to bring him back if Yuu delved any deeper.
But thankfully, at the mention of not knowing about pokemon that much, he snapped back to attention, a bit surprised at this notion... but it was understandable, considering that Cerise was at Elms Lab, which meant she performed well on the exam to get a license. Him? Yuu scored with flying colors, so yeah. "This Abigail chick you keep mentioning sounds more and more pleasant the longer you talk about her... a lot different than the purple haired chick I knew attending trainer school."
Chuckling a bit, Yuu cleared his throat before getting back on the subject, seeing as Abigail was not of any importance currently... after all, he was positive this girl was talking about a different girl. Willing to help, not a crude thought or brazen word over her... Anyways... "Anyways, back on the subject of pokemon acting a bit too vicious - same can be said for Kanto too as these regions are the biggest hot spot for violent pokemon activity... I mean, we even have groups protesting for trainers to release them, stating them to be 'barbaric savages,' ignorant bastards..."
Yuu honestly held some hatred for them, especially certain people who reported, shoving forth their own political ideals and agenda. He found them vexing to say the least, finding them as a bit ignorant. They took the basic premise of something, not bothering to wonder if there was another problem causing this inbound... something like destroying their environment, people raising them to act a certain way before releasing them, etc. It was perplexing, but Yuu had a farfetched theory over why, considering his mom and dad were empirical evidence, along with Lucy too! She was a sweet Gardevoir who wouldn't harm a Durant!...
Unless said Durant attempted to chew off a leg or straight up devour one of her family members.
...
Earth to Yuu, cute lady still talking!
"Er, sorry about that short rant," chuckling nervously as he looked at the ground, albeit awkwardly. This was not one of those times to go off on a tirade over how stupidly biased an moronic certain people were. Eventually, the girl spoke of him going inside, to which Yuu took as Cerise wanting to be left alone for now. "Hmm? Trying to get rid of me Cerise? I'm heartbroken!" Yuu pouted, frowning for a fleeting moment with a single shed crocodile tear. Maybe he might elicit a giggle with his false overreactions? Eh who knew. After all, it was best to keep the party feeling positive since he was certain they were all going to be traveling together due to laws and regulations...
After all, this journey wasn't just going to be all sunshine and rainbows.
"... heh, I can take a hint," Yuu spoke gently, giving her a small smile, displaying his understanding. While it was best to learn more about his companions, prodding and hanging around them when they want to be alone or spend time with a specific person isn't exactly all ideal. "I won't bother you any longer, even though it's the best decision to learn about each other now since we might not garner the chance later on... but I'll talk to you later, and maybe teach you a thing or two about pokemon if you want...
Giving the girl a wink and smile, Yuu began observing the other people encompassing the area, noticing the guy with bleached hair now had a blue companion adjacent from him, who apparently had some interest in smoking also... well, lung cancer might be apparent in this journey, but whatever. Some times you let a person reap what they sow, other times you made an intervention if they were your friends... currently leaning on the former, however. There was a stroke of ignition though, one last thing he forgot to say to Cerise as he swiftly tilted his back to get a glance at her. ".... also, one last thing if you don't mind - maybe you could introduce me to that friend of yours in the future, as I would enjoy meeting your friend, as she seems to be charming... like you!"
Well, so far. This lady was acting quite nice, but he probably did not know her fully yet... Of course, that was sentenced to change as they traversed the familiar, and yet forlorn lands of Johto.
Observing the other two, Yuu waited for an appropriate moment to intervene (after they revealed their names), seeing as the duo were in the middle of introductions and it would be blatantly rude to chime in on a moments notice. After listening to the two, he repeated their names in his head, staring at the misty rings floating in the air... before brisk wind carried the tar and nicotine away. "Noah and Vrina, Noah and Vrina..."
Pausing, he waited... seconds disappearing each moment he stood there blankly...
...
...
Now was the time to cut on in! Walking to the two, he gave an affable smile to the lady in the blouse and the older boy with a black t-shirt. As soon as he got a glimpse of the dude, holy crap! Metal everywhere on his face! Like, woah dude, a bit much in his opinion, but lifestyle choices - those were his to make he guessed... "Excuse me, mind if I join your conversation?" Yuu sounded pleasant, lacking rudeness in his tone per usual. Whether or not he was allowed to join, it was up to them as if he was excluded, Yuu figured his next destination was into the belly of the beast, herself - Elm's Lab.
New beginnings were on the horizon.-New Bark Town-
Noah nodded when the girl thanked him. For the next few moments, he remained pretty quiet, just enjoying his cigarette. It’d be even better if the chucklefucks behind him would shut the fuck up. He had tuned out most of their conversation but...geez. The guy was a chatty little bastard, and the girl’s accent made him want to shove spikes into his ears. In a fair and just world, he’d spontaneously combust and she’d be crushed by a falling crate of smokes. And Tits McGee’s shirt would burst. And it would rain money.
…
Noah pulled the cigarette away and glared at it. He needed more smokes ASAP.
A few floating rings snapped Noah from his daydream. Huh. So the chick knew some tricks. Good on her. He knew a couple himself but uh...well, he wasn’t in the habit of wasting good smoke. He didn’t have much left and he’d be damned if he burned it all trying to impress some street bimbo he’d never see again. Speaking of which…
...he could feel her eyes on him. She was staring at him. Which wasn’t a problem. He got stares pretty frequently. Especially outside of Goldenrod. But people usually had to look away after their brains had comprehended what they were looking at. Or, y’know, shut down due to shock. She hadn’t. She keep observing him. Studying him. Judging him.
...well fuck her too.
“I forgot to introduce myself! My name’s Vrina...Meriana. It’s nice to meet you. Your name?”
Oh come the fuck on! He had already given her a cigarette. Now she wanted...what? Small talk? Fuck. That. Noise. Was it really too much to ask for a nice, quiet smoke? Uggghh…
“Noah. Just Noah.” he answered curtly, giving her another glance. A few moments passed by in silence, true silence since the chucklefucks presumably left to go make babies somewhere else. Well...the future was fucked, but at least they were out of his...hair...and…
…
Noah picked up on the presence of a third into the New Bark Smokers’ Lounge. He turned slightly just to spot…the purple-headed chucklefuck. Joyous fuckin’ day, hallelujah. Just what he was hoping for. The freak just sort of stood there watching them for a few seconds, which was creepy as fuck, before he strolled forward and...asked to join the conversation. As exciting as that sounded, Noah had an appointment with some geriatric asshat, and he’d rather get his Pokemon before the old man keeled over and died.
Noah brought the remaining sliver of cigarette to his mouth and drew out the final drag. He drew it deep and held it before turning to the boy and blowing the smoke out towards him. And just to add insult to injury, Noah tossed the butt at his feet.
“Knock yourself out, buddy.” Noah answered with a chuckle as he turned and left the little triangle, heading towards the short path up to the lab’s front door.
...at least he hoped it was the lab. He glanced at the nearby sign and frowned. No pictures...well...fuck it, it had to be the lab, right? It was the biggest building in the town to his knowledge, and unless it was some kind of museum of banjos and incest, he couldn’t imagine what else it could be.
Noah decided to take a gamble and strolled right up the short path with a bit of a swagger to his step. And when he finally reached the door, he give it a quick tug, and slipped inside.
As soon as the old fuck gave him his slave ‘bestest fwiend’ he’d be on his merry little way.
Y’know, to beat up nerds and take their lunch money.Zeph Bagley: Just Outside New Bark Town
As Zeph continued his attempts to shoo away the flock of angry spearow, an endeavor that was seeming more and more difficult by the second, he became aware of someone else being witness to one of his less glorious moments.
Or, to put it less dramatically, he heard their laughter from below, followed by an extremely snarky comment.
"Well, did you forget the training wheels? Or are you just an idiot?" Against his better judgement, Zeph glanced down once again to see a girl about his age standing under the tree, just next to where his bike was lying in a crumpled heap. The first thing that struck Zeph about this newcomer was how pretty she was... which made him all the more self-conscious about his current situation. So instead of replying, he just stared down at her dumbly while she spoke once more, "Need some help getting down from there? If not, just say so and I'll let ya be food for the spearow. I'm late anyways so I could really care less."
Cold. But while Zeph would normally have refused help of any kind out of pride, especially if the person was being as rude as this girl was, he wasn't exactly in any position to refuse.
Plus, even if she was little mean, she was also kind of cute.
...
Not that that had any bearing on his decision.
"Err, yeah..." Zeph managed a weak little laugh as he distractedly swatted at the spearow. "Yeah, I guess I wouldn't mind some help. I mean, as long as it's not too much-" But he didn't get to finish, as the branch he had been clinging to started to give an unsettling creak, following by a slow, drawn out snap. His weight had finally taken its toll on it, and before he could properly react, both he and the branch went hurtling down to the ground, hitting many other branches on the way. Without thinking, Zeph started waving his arms around madly.
"Catchmecatchmecatchme!" he shouted as he starting falling towards the girl.Mattie Linder: New Bark Town
By the time Mattie reached the lab, there was already a small gathering of people around the building. While she gathered most of them were soon-to-be trainers like herself, it surprised her that most of them seemed to be older than her, and she was uncertain about whether she should attempt to start up a conversation with any of them. Her mother had told her to stick close to the group, after all, but most of them seemed to be having their own conversations and Mattie felt it would be rude to butt in.
Plus, all of them kind of intimidated her.
People in general had that affect on her, but these guys in particular made her feel overwhelmed. Maybe it was simply because it had been so long since she had been around others close to her age, having primarily been surrounded by her family, their Pokemon and her ghost friends, but she just didn't want to talk to these people. However, her mother wanted her to make friends with at least some of the group, and Mattie didn't want to disobey her mum's orders, especially if there was great danger ahead and she would need to depend on them.
Like a frightened animal, she glanced around looking for someone, anyone, she could sit with until it was time to enter the lab and recieve her first Pokemon. A minute or so passed before she finally caught sight of a fifth person she hadn't noticed before: a boy, a little way off from the lab, who was lying in the shade of a building. He wasn't talking to anyone, and he seemed much more peaceful than anyone else here. Probably would take a lot less effort to converse with as well, considering how laidback he seemed.
Timidly, Mattie approached him. As she reached him, she hoped she didn't end up startling him. According to her father, she had this tendency to 'creep up on people'. She didn't mean it, but she knew it could sometimes startle others, and the last thing she wanted was for the boy to be scared before she even opened her mouth. After taking a moment to gather her courage, Mattie finally ask, "Is it okay if I sit with you?"~Abigail Blanchett~
Well, since asked, she wasn't really in any position to refuse helping him. She was in a good mood anyways, so she might as well. Chances were he could be a new trainer going to get a pokemon anyways, and while she wasn't to thrilled about traveling with anyone...letting her potential partner get offed before even getting a pokemon was just stupid. Unfortunately, the branch snapped, and Abigail didn't get much time to react to Zeph falling from the tree.
She ran forward, though she didn't really know why. She should have just let the guy land on the ground. That would have been funny. Still, him getting hurt would probably be a bad idea...and well, she was awesome so letting him get hurt on her watch was bad. She wasn't fast enough to catch, him though and in an attempt to dive forward, her foot got caught on a loose rock causing her to trip. Instead, she slammed into the falling kid at full-sprinting speed.
"Ooooowww..." Abigail groaned. She must have hit her head pretty hard when that twerp landed on her. Aside from a bruise though, she'd probably be fine. The boy though...where was he? She should probably get up. Unfortunately, as the slight dizziness subsided, she found something...or rather, someone was on top of her. The kid from earlier must have somehow ended up on top of her when they fell.
...and she was pretty sure he was getting a handful of her chest.
"G-get...off!..." Despite her face being a shade of red, she still remained mostly calm and composed. It was an accident, after all! No sense in getting all flustered about it. Wasn't like it actually meant anything, after all! Still though, she attempted to shove him off of her.~Cerise Fontaine~
"Er...Sorry for saying it a bit abruptly; I do understand it was a light jest, but at least try to keep an eye out for what you say...After all, some people could take a harsh turn for the worse... but then again, I'm sure you understand that."
Of course she understood that. That's why she said it. She was in fact, hoping he'd get a little annoyed or upset by it. That way, she could mess with him a little by playing the victim. Unfortunately, it didn't work out so well and she was subjected to hear more of his annoying voice drone on and on. He was certainly a chatty little parasite, wasn't he? At least she could take solace in mentally stabbing him over and over again.
"This Abigail chick you keep mentioning sounds more and more pleasant the longer you talk about her... a lot different than the purple haired chick I knew attending trainer school."
...no, chances were that was the same person. She didn't really know many other people with a natural hair color like Abigails. Which only made her dislike this parasitic cretin more. From what he was implying, he didn't like Abigail. Which was just fine as backwater heathens like him didn't need to even acknowledge her existence, but...how dare he imply she wasn't the best thing in the world! She was good at everything! Still, all she did for now was offer Yuu a smile as he droned on more and more about pokemon.
She could honestly say she cared less about the troubles of pokemon, though...since Abigail liked them so much she supposed she had to at least be...accepting of them.
"Hmm? Trying to get rid of me Cerise? I'm heartbroken!"
Cerise giggled at his antics, watching quietly as he left, returning to her seat upon the bench outside of the lab, glad to be able to return to her own thoughts. She was honestly unsure if she could have kept talking to that cretin without vomiting. Ugh, she was going to need three showers just to get this backwater smell off of her clothes.
So for now, she kept her mouth shut and hoped no one else spoke to her as she waited on Abigail.Ryley Grisdoe: New Bark Town
Settling back down on the cool ground, closing his eyes, Ryley let out a small sigh. If how the surrounding area had changed over the last half an hour or so was any indication, this would probably be the last peaceful moment he had for quite some time. He may as well try and enjoy it as much as he could, despite the lingering scent of smoke and drifting voices. At least he could bask in comfortable solitude before he was paired up with a mishmash group.
At least, those were his thoughts before an unexpected fifth voice greeted his ears. It wasn’t the fact that there was a fifth voice that was unexpected, but rather, how close the voice was. Ryley’s eyes snapped open, head turning towards the source of the voice, only to see a person standing right there, right next to him.
Truth be told, he couldn’t help but be a bit startled, body tensing up a bit. However, his tense form eased up fairly quickly when he caught a better glimpse at who the voice belonged to. Ryley’s initial inspection of the redheaded teen led him to quickly realize the redhead was a lot more startled than he was. Well, maybe not startled as much as scared? Cautious, timid? In any case, Ryley felt sheepish for even having been startled in the first place. Plus, he needed to respond, if that question was indeed directed at him. There weren’t any other people sitting around he supposed.
“Ah, I don’t really mind. It’s fairly nice here actually,” Ryley responded. Even though he had been robbed of his solitude, he tried to stay polite with whom he could only assume was either a member of the town, or a new trainer to add to the mixing pot. Well, at least this boy didn’t seem to be too out of place, besides his lack of presence.
Or… wait, was he a she? The redhead’s voice was fairly soft, and the redhead could either be a boy just entering puberty, or a young girl… Looking over at him/her, he couldn’t help but feel she was a girl. Something just felt that way to him. In either case, it was a lose lose situation, either having assumed she was a boy initially, or changing his assumption from right to wrong, the redhead being a boy all along.
Ryley mentally shook his head, trying to throw those thoughts away. He had gone off on a tangent, forgetting the girl was right next to him still. He felt as though he should say something else, not wanting to turn the situation awkward. Not that he really had much to talk about besides the weather… In the end, he settled for a small, not-so-small question instead, hoping to spark something that way
“So… what brings you here, if it’s okay to ask? Starting a journey at the lab like me?” Ryley’s eyes turned to the girl for a moment, before turning to the lab, realizing it would be a bit awkward to just stare at her. However, his attention turned back to her once again when he realized something else he could say. “I’m Ryley by the way, nice to meet you”. Couldn’t forget about introductions. ...Even if he had nearly forgot there.Mattie Linder
“Ah, I don’t really mind. It’s fairly nice here actually.” Well, if Mattie had startled the boy, he was very curteous about it. Any caution she may have had evaporated, and she sat herself down next to him.
There was a moment of silence between Mattie and her new companion as the redhead struggled to get comfortable before finally settling in a rather tensed pose, her legs pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on her knees. She didn't look relaxed at all, but instead as if she was preparing for something and scream "Boo!"
"So..." the boy finally spoke again. Mattie made no movement, not even looking at him to show she was listening, but she was, and intently so. "What brings you here, if it’s okay to ask? Starting a journey at the lab like me?” He paused before adding, “I’m Ryley by the way, nice to meet you."
So he was a soon-to-be trainer too. Mattie had thought so, though since he had been sitting further away from the lab, she had been uncertain. Knowing her assumption had been correct made Mattie a little calmer, especially since that would mean there was at least one quieter person going on the journey with her.
She took a moment to reply, before muttering in response, "Mattie. And yes, I'm also starting today."Zeph Bagley
Upon finally landing, Zeph momentarily blacked out. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but it left him very dazed and confused when his consciousness returned, and he had to take a moment to remember what exactly had happened. When the fog cleared fog eventually cleared from his mind, he realised that besides a few scrapes and bruises from his way down, he didn't feel too bad considering he'd fallen from quite a height.
He also realised that ground felt a lot softer than usual. Almost kind of... squishy.
And then he realised he hadn't landed on the ground at all.
Zeph's face turned a bright red and he quickly jumped to his feet, taking a couple of steps away from the girl he had landed on. "Oh Arceus, I am so sorry!" he blurted out. "It was... I... I didn't..!" Any attempts he made to excuse himself trailed off into nervous gibberish as he attempted to apologise. After a couple of seconds, he eventually stopped talking and realise that perhaps the best way to make up for his mistake was to help the girl he had accidentally knocked down up again.
So, with his cheeks still blushing like crazy, Zeph approached th girl once more, leaning down and offering a hand. "Err, here, l-let me help you up!" he stammered.~Abigail Blanchett~
"Oh Arceus, I am so sorry! It was... I... I didn't..!"
Blubbering idiot. At least if he was going to do something stupid he could at least do it with confidence. Meh, at least he apologized so she wasn't going to kill the guy. She was, well, going to kick his ass later since he was probably a soon to be trainer as well. For now though, she was going to show him mercy and let him off easily enough this time.
"Err, here, l-let me help you up!" He said, extending a hand to help her up. Abigail simply glared up at him as she sat up. Like she needed his help in standing up. Especially after what just happened...maybe she could file a sexual harassment charge? Heh, that might actually be funny. Well, whatever.
"Tsk," She huffed, face still a shade of red. "I don't need your help, birdbrain." The girl swatted away Zeph's hand and stood up on her own, brushing some dirt off her clothes as she did so. It'd take a little more than someone falling on top of her to hurt her anyways, she wasn't some delicate little flower, after all. Without saying another word to Zeph, she stretched her arms, making sure that was true, though. She didn't feel like she broke or majorly bruised anything aside from a small bump on her head from landing, but that'd go away in an hour or two maybe.
With that done, she took a quick look in her bag to make sure everything was more or less in its place before setting off back towards the lab.
"If you're a new trainer," She said briefly addressing Zeph. "Might want to hurry. We're already both a little late." Abigail then left Zeph standing there. Any further attempts at communicating would be met with a cold silence on Abigail's part.~Abigail & Cerise~
After that little incident, it didn't take much longer for Abigail to reach the lab. From the look of the other people gathered outside, it looked like a rather...inept looking group of trainers gathered. She scanned each person, looking for someone with at least a little bit of talent, and was only met with disappointment. Most looked like they didn't have a single clue on how to handle a pokemon. She did however, take note of Yuu. She knew him quite well, though she didn't entirely enjoy his company, he was at least somewhat competent in the pokemon department.
That said, she still didn't like him, and she would love nothing more than to look forward to kicking his ass. She didn't have much time to ponder that, though. A bright head of red hair was already moving towards her.
"Abigail!" Cerise said, quickly walking up to her with a bright grin on her face. "It's been ages mon amie!" The other girl a brief, but very obviously affectionate hug. Abigail simply returned it, albeit a little awkwardly. She wasn't really one for things like that, after all. Thankfully, Cerise knew this and didn't wish to embarrass her that much.
"Cerise." Abigail simply stated, though she did give the other girl a small smile. "It has, hasn't it? Last time I saw you was last year during your trip to Olivine, wasn't it?" Cerise nodded in agreement, confirming her statement.
"Yep!" she brightly replied. "Thanks again for helping me with the trainers license thing, too. I...uhm, well, you know I'd probably not have been able to without your help." Abigail simply huffed at the statement, ignoring it for the most part.
"Yeah, yeah...uh, look, Cerise," Abigail began a little slowly. She eyed the other girl, studying her before she looked towards the pokemon lab. "You know this isn't gonna be a walk in the park, right? Someone...of your skill is probably going to get hurt. And I mean badly. You should-" Cerise simply giggled, interrupting Abigails little speech before it could get started.
"That's fine." Cerise interrupted. "I don't mind! You're going to be with me after all, so I'm certain we'll be alright." Abigail sighed. There was very little she could do to probably convince Cerise not to come along at this point. Honestly, she should have not agreed to help her, but...well, that'd just make it worse. Cerise may be a spoiled little brat with a terrible personality, but if she wanted something...well, she tended to get it.
"Well, whatever. Just don't slow me down and we won't have a problem." With that, she brushed based Cerise, and headed for the lab, ignoring everyone else. Cerise simply nodded, and followed after her.-Professor Elm’s Lab-
The punk was met by a wave of icy air as he entered the building. It was as if he had just stepped into a giant freezer. His body was in protest, but Noah pushed on regardless. The cold would pass. It always did.
He had found himself in what seemed to be a waiting room of sorts. There were a number of cheap looking chairs off to his right, wrapping around the walls. A small maple end table bearing a potted plant, a fern, joined the two rows in the corner. A number of magazines were spread out beneath the fern.
The walls were painted white, with wood trimming along the center. A number of photos and important looking news-clippings and certificates sat in gorgeous frames placed seemingly at random. Across from the entrance was another door. Beside it, underneath a large, digital clock displaying the time in jumbo red numbers, was a half wall. On the other side was a desk, computer, filing cabinets, and mountains of paperwork. A few framed photos and doodads were scattered about as well, not that he could really get a good look at them.
Noah crossed the room, to the heavy looking door. He grabbed the handle and gave it a tug.
Nothing.
He pulled again.
Nothing.
Pushing, then?
Nothing.
“Oh what the fuck, man…” he muttered to himself. The old man’s letter said to be here at...Noah glanced up at the clock...two minutes from now. Unless Nikki read it wrong...but that was unlikely. It was more likely that the old fucker was just going to be THAT anal about the damn meeting. It was bullshit. Complete and utter shit straight from the Tauros’ ass. He looked around, hoping to maybe see a button or something that would open the door. No dice. He did see a black pad on the wall by the door...but he didn’t have any kind of keycard. If he recalled correctly, there wasn’t anything with the letter, either. Damn…
Oh?
There was a note on the door. A small, yellow sticky note with light, yet neat, looping handwriting. Noah stared at it for a few moments, frowning. Useless. Fucking useless. He took a few steps back. So...what? He was just supposed to stand here with his thumbs up his ass until the old man decided to stop screwing around? Grrreeeaaattt…
Urge to burn building to the ground, rising.
Noah managed to contain his inner arsonist and looked around. Maybe there was something else that could help him. But...he was turning up nothing but blanks. Unless he wanted to take a chair to the door, which he doubted would do anything, he was seemingly shit outta luck. He was getting kind of pissed...but he caught himself. He pulled out his ligh-
…
…
Where the fuck was his lighter? He had just had it not even fi-
Oh fuck. He never got it back Tits McGee. Great. Just fucking great. Congratulations, world. Doing a damn fine job of pissing a guy off something fierce. Noah plunged his hand into his pocket and started rolling his knife around in his hand. It was soothing. It was doing a damn fine job of getting his head back together.
Think, Noah…
Hmm…oh!
There was a bell on the half wall. He approached it and tapped the top of it.
DING!
DING DING!
…
Nobody came. He looked around the area some more. There was one of those rolling chairs that every receptionist seemed to have. The computer was...big. Bulky. A box sitting on another box, with a smaller third box in front of it, holding rows of even smaller boxes. Whatever, man. Noah never was much of a tech guy. The paperwork was covered with tiny print. The most important part, however, was the door. Unlike the large, heavy door on this side, the door on the receptionist’s side was just a nice, flimsy wooden door. With a window. With a window…
…
DING!
Noah rang the bell a couple more times. No answer. Again. If nobody came soon, he’d jump across the fucking wall, kick down the fucking door, beat the shit outta fucking Elm, take the fucking the Pokemon, then-
“Avery, so help me I will cu-Oh!”
Noah was startled out of his thoughts yet again. A small, slender, woman in...maybe her late thirties, early forties had emerged from a third door in the waiting room. She was drying her hands with a paper towel before she tossed it into a bin and let the door shut behind her.
“I’m sorry...can I help you?” she asked, a bit of hesitation in her voice. She was obviously a bit off-put, but she was at least remaining professional. Good on her.
“Yeah, uh, I’m supposed to meet with the professor? Something about picking up a Pokemon…?” he explained. Was he supposed to believe that the old fuck was really so busy in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere as to warrant having some broad answering his calls and filing his papers? Suuure. Well, whatever. If the only way the old man got his rocks off was by paying some old broad to touch him, then kudos to him for at least still getting it.
The woman gave Noah a slightly confused look.
“Oh...did-did you not see the note the on door? The professor is running a little behind today. Something came up. If you want to just take a seat right there, he’ll be with you just as soon as he can.” she said with an obviously forced cheerful voice. Noah nodded and crossed over to the chairs, taking one right by the fern, facing the only wall without a door. The woman strolled around and badged her way past the large double doors and was soon in her comfy chair, tapping away at her keyboard.
Welp. If nothing else, if he SHOULD decide to burn the building down, at least Little Miss Personality over there would warm up a bit. That’s gotta be enough karma to cancel out arson, right?
...probably not. Fucking laws…
Well...it looked like he’d be waiting. Bitching about it wouldn’t do anything other than piss him off even more. Oh well. He grabbed one of the magazines and frowned at the cover. A sharply dressed woman was on the cover, riding a Rhyhorn with a few other Rhyhorn in the distance behind them. Large block letters sprawled across the top of the picture, spelling out...something.
It’d have to do.
Noah flipped through the magazine, checking out the pictures. And waiting.
And waiting.
And fuming.
And waiting.
And plotting the murder of one Professor Elm and Bitchy Fuckbuddy.
And waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.-Yuu Nozomu : New Bark Town-
Well, the turn up could of been better - this guy had some great taste in music, but harbored an attitude that could be comparable to his lungs in a couple of years. One of Yuu's eyebrows shot up in curiosity as the man known as Noah drew out the last of his cigarette, leaving the butt behind... what transpired next was like sand to the eyes, er smoke per say. The man exhaled a gray cloud of tar and nicotine right in his face. Fanning the puffs of smoke away, Yuu got a whiff of the guys breath... and regretted it instantaneously as there was a tinge of vulgarity sown into this man. Did he lack manners or something?
As the blotches were aired away, Yuu caught another glimpse of the guy tossing the last part of the cigarette at his body. Was that supposed to bounce off him or something, because that was a downright embarrassing throw as it didn't even make contact with any part of his body, even his shoes. That smile was replaced with a minuscule frown in an instant. Like really, trying to be friendly here and you are just playing the insufferable jerk card for no exceptional reason.
And he was going to be possibly traversing Johto with him, excellent first impression bud.
Keeping himself under control, Yuu glared at the boy, sizing him up from bleached follicle to torn jeans. If anything, this guy was fitting the bill for a wannabe punk rock star stereotype... which he would attempt to remedy because unless 90% of the group was composed of people like him, then that was going to be his job... possibly. As Noah responded, Yuu faintly shook his head with minor points of vexation, taking note of the sarcasm in his voice.
And then the laugh that came afterwards.
Like, really, laughing like Yuu was a unfortunate soul... welp, how worse could this day turn out to be? The guy left the vicinity, leaving two unusual hair colors near the lab. "Ugh, friggin' prick," Yuu grumbled with disdain, uncaring if he heard it or not. Either way, failed communication with Negative Noah out of the way, maybe he could chat up the well-endowed maiden... who was also had a cigarette planted in her mouth... well, no worries... she was probably nice... maybe. Eh, who knew?
"That was rather abrupt, wouldn't you agree," Yuu spoke softly, staring into the girls blue eyes as he addressed her whilst attempting to present the girl a smile. While it was obvious he was irked, it was in small visages rather than encompassing his entire being. "Exciting isn't it; danger around every corner for this interesting group of trainers, agreed?"
Yuu chuckled lightly at the statement, though, he did consider the smallest of foes to be dangerous, which was terrifying to say the least. A simple congregation of Spearow could run them through on a moments notice, leading to a bloody end... Shuddering at the thought, Yuu quickly dismissed it, but not before hearing another exclamation emanating from Cerise. Breaking from his trance-like state, the connection between both eyes were severed as Yuu stared at the 'Abigail' she... oh god.
No.
No no no no no no no no no.
NONONONONONONONONONONONONONO.
OUT OF ALL PEOPLE WHY THE HELL IS SHE HERE?! Wait, there's no way that that's the Abigail Cerise mentioned, right? A shade that was similar to his own hair, beautiful emerald green eyes, and a taut body that he could tell beyond the clothes. Yuu had to do a double take, even glancing behind her to discern if that was truly the Abigail she meant. No one behind her, and the only figure around for miles was that girl with a crude attitude. This whole group was in gritty trouble with this lady around.
Connecting glances with her, Yuu's nasty gaze lingered on the girl, his glimmering orbs flaring with irritation. If anything, he would have to refine her manners and shut Abigail up with a couple of battles so she didn't bully the group into submission over the course of the journey... after all, she responded with a crude attitude towards everyone she met, even returning some adoring fans with a similar ill-mannered reply. If anything could truly split the fuse and light the fire within him swiftly, it was this chick.
... though, as much as he distaste admitting it, Abigail probably had to have a good heart to befriend someone as sweet as that cutey Cerise... her skills, determination, and hard-work were a given. Plus, it was over a year since he attempted to have a polite interaction with her in any shape or form, so there was a possibility that her personality had metamorphosed, making her more pleasant in the mean time.
One could only hope for that outcome.
His gaze softening, Yuu could only watch as the excited red-haired girl display much more vividness than when he was interacting, a bit... overbearing, maybe? Eh, probably seeing things as the girl with a Cheshire grin expressed her gratitude towards her companion over the test, to which Abigail replied... in a much more delightful manner than when he was attending school with her. Yuu was downright flabbergasted, his mouth agape a tinge, his eyelids half-squinting. Did she truly change or did the mask come off? It was myriads of things, but regardless, it left Yuu in utter shock.
Why couldn't she of been this amiable in trainer school?
Turning a blind eye to that conversation, Yuu refocused on Vrina... who was still having a smoke... eh, it seemed she really didn't care for his presence... could be an apathetic lady, who knew? "Apologies for that... just an taking note of an... acquaintance... yeah, lets go with that," Yuu awkwardly fumbled with his words as he scratched the back of his neck before launching an arm into his backpack and pulling out his Holo-caster. The functions were a bit peculiar to him still since his father bought this recently, but he was getting used to it swiftly... a lot different than his Pokegear.
Checking the time, Yuu felt it was somewhat necessary to wrap this up and finish this exchange later, but not before ending with a simple introduction. "Sorry, but maybe you could introduce yourself later? I'm Yuu Nozomu; apologies for making this fleeting, but it's almost time and I prefer to be punctual... so seeya inside!" Lagging behind Cerise and Abigail, Yuu removed his backpack, placing the item back in the specific compartment he assigned it to.
Gotta stay organized because anything could uneventfully take place on a moments notice.
Waving to Vrina, he disappeared into the lab, behind Abigail and Cerise. Certainly it wasn't just them currently, right? Maybe there were others who were running late... or... well...
Positive thoughts, don't let the group down!
Smiling, Yuu kept a chin to the heavens and a heart of gold holding on to hope... because in a hapless realm like this, it was in scarce supply.
[IC] [CLOSED] Pokemon: Shadow of Nemesis -- The Reboot!
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8 yrs ago
Ryley Grisdoe: New Bark Town
Ryley’s attention remained on the redhead as she replied, taking note of how she settled down. Or lack thereof, he couldn’t really tell for sure, the girl hunched over. He knew he did that sometimes when in deep thought, his head being given a resting place on his knees. However, the way she held herself felt a bit different, her body tensed up slightly. At least, that’s what it looked like from the outside.
"Mattie. And yes, I'm also starting today."
Mattie, huh…? Ryley was fairly certain that was a girl’s name, though if he was wrong he’d be mentally slapping himself even more than before. In any case, he felt a bit more confident in his assumption Mattie was a girl. A bit.
She didn’t say anything else, which wasn’t unwelcome by any means in Ryley’s book. It gave him some peace of mind, not having to deal with any of the small talk he could muster out. Afterall, when two people aren’t good at small talk, it’s a lot less awkward, and even comfortable, to simply stay quiet and enjoy each other’s company. And with introductions out of the way… the time for relaxing returned.
...Or, at least he would have thought that if the voices in the distance didn’t take a different tone. There was a new voice in the mix, talking with the aloof girl’s voice. This new one had a similar tone, but felt a bit more… self-confident, he supposed?
In either case, the two seemed to know each other, which was good and bad. Good in the sense that they weren’t going to all be complete strangers, but bad in the sense that sides could be formed quickly over time. Ryley supposed he’d have to wait and find out what that brought.
However, the new voice wasn’t what ruined his illusion of relaxing, but rather, how they cut off. He could only assume they went inside, which meant… Ryley checked his X-Transceiver once again. Turns out there was less time than he had thought. And with his excuse of not wanting to be the first one there shattered, the moment of truth was pushed closer to him.
“Well… looks like it’s just about time. I guess we should see what awaits us there”.
Ryley slowly got up, a small grunt leaking out as he did so. It was always annoying, that moment when one’s body complains about getting up after taking a break. Luckily, it didn’t last long, a small stretch able to squeeze it out of him.
He glanced at Mattie, the thought of offering a hand to stand crossing his mind, but he shook it off, feeling as though it would be a bit awkward given the fact they had just met. Instead he simply gave a small nod and smile before turning towards the sun, striding out from the shade. The lab wasn’t too far off, and in a few moments, Ryley was entering the lab, hopes high, but expectations of what would follow kept to a careful height.Mattie Linder
Mattie waited for further questions from Ryley, but the boy simply fell silent after her response. She wasn't sure whether to feel relieved that she didn't have to speak, or worried that she had made him uncomfortable. For the first time since sitting down next to him, she turned her head slightly in his direction and surveyed him closely.
Body language wasn't always easy for Mattie to understand, but he didn't seem visibly uncomfortable to her. Still, she felt the need to say something, some kind of casual comment to lighten the mood. However, she couldn't think of anything, so it seemed she'd have to dig out her failsafe earlier than expected.
Slowly so not to draw attention to herself, Mattie turned her bag and started fishing through it. While her father was no psychic, he had incredible foresight and had provided his daughter with a pack of cards, each with some kind of conversation opener or line of small talk scribbled on them. Her mother had said there was no need for such things, but Edgar had insisted Mattie take them with her. And it seemed like now would be the perfect moment to get them out! Now... where were they?
Pushing aside a very thick, leather-bound book and rifling through multiple paper talismans, Mattie found herself deeper and deeper into her bag. Of course, they'd seemed to have buried themselves at the very bottom, and just as Mattie felt her hand clapse around them, Ryley spoke at least.
“Well… looks like it’s just about time. I guess we should see what awaits us there." Mattie turned her head to see the boy standing up. Again that same mixture of relief and worry bubbled up inside her, and she wondered if she had made a good first impression. If she hadn't, she wasn't entirely sure what she could do to remedy that. However, before heading off in the direction of the lab, Ryley turned and smiled in her direction. Then he went on his way.
Was that a good smile, a fake smile or was he simply smiling to be polite? Mattie wasn't sure, and she pondered this as she got to her feet, brushing the dirt off her jeans before following after the boy and entering Elm's lab.Zeph Bagley
"Tsk, I don't need your help, birdbrain." The girl swatted away Zeph's hand, causing him to blink in surprise. Quietly, he took a few steps back as the girl stood up, partly out a politeness... and partly because he didn't want her to bite his head off.
After a few minutes, the purple-haired girl started to leave, but not before claling back to him. "If you're a new trainer," she said. "Might want to hurry. We're already both a little late." As she walked off, Zeph was left to stare as her words sunk in.
... trainer... late...?
Oh no.
Oh no no no!
She was one of the new trainers, wasn't she? She was gonna be travelling with him, and now she hated his guts. Zeph started banging his head against a nearby tree. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he said to himself, muttering the word everytime his head made contact with the tree. He did this a few times before his vision started getting all weird. Then he decided it was probably best to stop.
Once his vision had returned, Zeph took a deep breath. Okay, get it together Zeph! If you don't hurry, you're gonna be late to the lab, and then you'll look even more like a loser. Zeph took a few more calming breaths before running in the direction the girl had gone to. He was a pretty good runner, so it wasn't long before he made it to the lab, just getting there in time to see a couple other people heading in. Quickly, he swung open the door and headed in after them.
After all, his Pokemon partner was waiting.~Professor Elm~
Professor Elm was in the back of the lab, with the egg and Alfred. He hadn't even heard the new trainers come in. He was too involved in observing the egg, taking notes, and making sure he wasn't misreading the instruments. It normally wouldn't have been that difficult of a task, had it not been for his thoughts being divided between the egg and reminding himself that the trainers should be arriving any moment. At least, trying to remind him. It hadn't yet reminded himself to check the clock. Thankfully, he had Alfred for that.
"Uhm, professor the trainers should have arrived by now." The young boy said, tugging at Elm's sleeve to get his attention.
"Oh? Ah! Is it time already? Goodness, I completely lost track of time." He chuckled quietly as he looked at the clock. Sure enough, he was the one who was going to be late at this rate. He'll check the readings later. For now, he had to give a fresh, young, new group of trainers their new pokemon! He couldn't help but get a little excited at the prospect of it, even as old as he was and as many pokemon he had given out over the years. It felt a little special this time, though, since he hadn't had the chance to do it in such a long time. Ever since the new laws passed, well...trainers had become rarer over the years, and it left a lot of pokemon without a trainer. Perhaps it was better than being in the wild though.
"Alfred, get the pokemon ready would you? I'll go and bring the new trainers back." With a small nod of confirmation from Alfred, Elm made his way to the front of the lab.~Cerise & Abigail~
The girls made their way into the lab quickly. Cerise was glad to be out of the...rustic air of Newbark and finally in some place that looked at least a little sophisticated. The redhead was also glad to be out of the relative heat - she was never one much for warm weather. She much preferred to be inside in a nice, cool temperature. Abigail didn't mind one way or another, she was getting a little impatient, Cerise could tell. She had every right to be as well. From what she knew Abigail waited an entire year after graduating to go on this little journey. She had never wanted to go on one herself, but she knew Abigail had wanted to for a long time. Her waiting for something must have been quite difficult.
Maybe she could ask? Eh, Abigail had her reasons, she was sure so she wasn't going to bother her.
For the moment, Cerise walked over and took a seat on a nearby chair. It wasn't the most comfortable of things, but she wasn't going to stand the entire time it took the professor to arrive here. She wondered if all professors in this region had a habit of being late? Wouldn't surprise her...rude little heathens.
"Oh, I am glad to be inside." Cerise sighed. "The...air was starting to get to me."
"Well You didn't have to wait." Abigail replied, leaning against the wall next to Cerise's seat. She didn't make an effort to get to know the other trainers, she had no reason too after all. She just wanted to get this pokemon thing over with and head out with Cerise. She hope these other trainers weren't going to slow her down. While she didn't want to travel with them, it was likely they were all going to be traveling the same route anyways, so she was going to have to tolerate them regardless.
"Silly, I haven't seen you in ages! Of course I waited~" Cerise giggled, offering a bright smile to Abigail, to which the purple haired girl simply sighed and turned her attention back to waiting. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long.
The door to the back of the lab opened, and Professor Elm walked out carrying a stack of papers and other things. He looked like he was busy doing something, and quickly stopped whatever it was but was still in the middle of doing it. She heard rumors of him being quite...scatterbrained, but this was a bit more than she had thought.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I hope I haven't kept you young trainers waiting long!" He greeted them cheerfully, a single sheet of paper falling from the stack he was carrying as he walked over to a nearby desk and sat the papers down. "I've been rather busy! I just got a pokemon egg hand-delivered from Sinnoh and I'm making a little progress as to why the pokemon may be behaving as they are." He turned from the table and back to the trainers that had gathered, realizing he was probably about to go off on a tangent. "Ah, but never mind you all are here for a pokemon! So if you'll follow me into the back, I'll hand you your license and let you pick your pokemon."
Motioning for the trainers to follow, he returned to the back of the lab.-Professor Elm’s Lab-
And waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
Tap. Tap tap tap. Tap tap.
Noah sighed deeply and closed the magazine he was holding.
Tap tap.
He slowly folded it up and slid it back onto the end-table.
Tap tap tap.
He got to his feet and brought his hands together, pushing down and cracking his joints.
Tap.
He grabbed his head and pushed it first to the right, then to the left, eliciting another snap from both sides.
Tap tap tap tap.
He turned to the receptionist and took two heavy steps in her direction, rolling his head around to get that last crack in.
”Would you mind? That’s sooo annoying.” the receptionist shot out, giving Noah a nasty look. She then refocused on her work. And the tapping resumed.
Tap. Tap. Mothafuckin’ tap.
Noah stood in front of the women, the only thing separating them being the tiny half-wall and a desk. The boy’s eye twitched, and he could feel a vein throbbing in his forehead. He was deaf to the world, hearing only one thing…
Tap. Tap.
He grabbed the the lip of the half wall, fingers trying their damnedest to dig into the wood, veins in his arms starting to pop out. He was seeing only red. That was it. That was fucking it. She was going to die. He was going to break her fucking hands then force-feed the fucking keyboard to her. Elm could go fuck himself. To hell with Pokemon, he was going to make the world a better place.
The receptionist looked up at him, visibly annoyed and wholly ignorant of her impending doom. She rolled her eyes and sighed. “What is it now? I told you that the Professor is busy.”
Noah moved to speak, but the sound of the door crashing open behind him caught him off guard. And then it happened.
The goddamn circus rolled into town.
Noah turned around to see some purpled haired fuck strolling in with the ginger fuck from earlier, the two of them chatting up a storm. One bitched about the air. The air. Really. She was with a different PHF than last time...Gingersnaps got around, apparently. But why the fuck were they in the lab?
...it didn’t end there. The discarded PHF came up behind the two. Loverboy got pushed aside, it seemed. He was so fucking pathetic that he turned his girl gay. Good going...also, why the fuck was HE in the lab?
A blonde guy and yet another ginger were next. Noah hadn’t seen them before. They had significantly less presence than the previous trio. At least it seemed like it. Blondie didn’t seem like much of a talker. Probably one of those book guys. Fuckin’ nerds. And the girl…
…
Fuck. If she hadn’t walked in with the other guy, Noah wasn’t sure he’d have noticed her. She was like...unnaturally pale. Like a ghost. Now, Noah wasn’t a fucking jackass - he didn’t believe in the whole supernatural bullshit...but uh...she was creepy. Also…
A smaller guy barreled in behind the duo. Brown hair. Somewhat out of breath, as if he were running…?
…
WHY. THE. FUCK. WERE. THEY. HERE?!
He didn’t like this. None of it. Shit was getting kind of sketchy. Were they also trainers? ...oh…
Noah calmed down a bit. Of course they were. Why else would they be here? In the middle of nowhere? It’s not like the Shitters had peeps this far out from Goldenrod. He was being paranoid. He was fine…
A nearby door cracked open and out of it popped some old fuck. Elm by the looks of ‘em. He rattled off some bullshit before turning around and heading back through the door. Noah followed behind.
It was a short walk through the white hallway, but eventually they made it to their destination. Elm swiped a key once more and another set of double doors opened up into…
The lab.
Noah followed the old man inside. It was...expensive-looking. Across the room was some kind of tech set-up attached to large monitor. Off to the left was another, equally expensive looking set-up, but that monitor was currently on and a bunch of letters and numbers were flying past the screen.
There was a desk nearby with books and papers cluttering it completely. Not exactly the most organized dude, this old fuck.
A table was set up in the middle of the room, with a number of balls lain out upon it. Small white cards were set up by the balls, presumably stating what kind of beast inhabited the ball. Noah frowned. That was...annoying.
Off by the table was a kid. On a smaller table, the kid had laid out a number of plastic cards, each having a number of helpful looking bottles and cans around ‘em. Potions and the like. Noah looked around the lab, but as more and more people filed in behind him, he got uncomfortable. He didn’t like this whole ‘follow-the-leader’ thing. He was burnin’ daylight in here.
So, without waiting for anybody else, Noah crossed over to the smaller table and the boy. He looked down at the cards until he found the one with his picture on it. He looked absolutely pissed off in the picture. Accurate.
“So, what...we take all this shit too?” he asked the boy, gesturing to the other items by his ID. When he sort of stammered an answer, frowned, growled out a quiet curse before removing his bag and shoving his rations, as they were, into it haphazardly. He checked out his ID. Fancy little shit, eh? He pulled out a wallet from his back pocket and shoved the fucker inside, before returning the little leather square to ass protection duty.
From there, Noah rotated to the larger table. He approached it, then gave Elm and the other ‘trainers’ a glance. What, were they just going to stand out diddling their thumbs and talking about their fucking feelings? Fuck that noise. He turned his attention back to the table.
Twelve balls on the table. Twelve pokemon.
...fuck.
He looked over the balls some more, before choosing one at random. It’d have to do. Hopefully it didn’t suck. If it was something stupid like...a bag of trash or a floating ice cream cone, he’d have to kick somebody’s fucking ass.
From there, Noah moved away from the table, back towards the exit of the lab. He paused before leaving though. He kind of wanted to see what he had got...and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a little bit curious as to what the other options were. So, separating himself from the group just a bit, Noah tapped the ball and released the beast in a beam of bright red light.
And it was…
…
“Whoa...metal as fuck…” Noah muttered as he looked at the black pooch. It gave him an intense look. Noah returned the look. For a few passing moments, man and beast were engaged in a silent battle, a war of wills. The Houndour was intimidating...but…
The black pooch sagged back a bit, conceding defeat. Noah nodded, then approached it. It took a step back, but Noah dropped down to his haunches and held out his hand, palm up. Houndour was hesitant at first, but after another few moments, it approached Noah’s hand, sniffing it...then licking it.
Noah gave the dog a pat on the head with his other hand, before giving him a scratch. It started out behind the head, lead to beneath the chin, and soon enough, the Houndour was laying on it’s back, enjoying Noah’s belly scratching. It’s tongue was hanging out of the corner of it’s mouth. Truly, this was paradise.
Noah, meanwhile, kept an eye on the table. Might as well see what the chucklefucks pick, eh? Because he had obviously gotten the best one. No doubt.
…
It’d need a name. Spike? Rex?
…
“Bowser?”-Yuu Nozomu : New Bark Town-
Putting a hand on the door, Yuu kept the entrance open as the duo did not bother assisting him. Eh, probably did not notice him or something. So far, the only people who were truly present in the lab was a receptionist who seemed to be focused on the guy who referred to himself as Noah. The lady looked quite bothered by his presence, almost as if she wanted the metalhead to go away... possibly because she was busy and had to organize some files or schedule appointments...
Though, Noah on the other hand appeared to be ready to fracture someones spine with that look on his face, like really. Hands attached to the booth did not exactly help this guys case... of course, he was expecting for it to mellow out over the course of a couple of seconds, but from what was discerned, Noah appeared even more disgruntled. Not a people person, or really irritated that other people interrupted his session with the wall. One of Yuu's eyebrows shot up as he silently judged the man, visibly mouthing an "oooookkkk..."
Turning his gaze adjacent to the guy, Yuu took note of Cerises complaints about the air. A bit delayed; possibly the girl was sickly and had some sort of illness which made her susceptible to the air? Probably not, considering they were in a lab outside the vicinity. Inside person? Not much for the flora and fauna? Eh, to each and their own, he supposed as he took a seat afterwards. He didn't exactly have much to talk about... and Abigail was here too, so trying to address her would only lead to a flurry of insults.
Still surprising how a pompous brat like her could be friends with a sweet lady like Cerise... More than meets the eye, if anything. Maybe he could attempt conversing with Abigail later? Every signal in his head was blaring no, red lights flashing, caution tape cautioning him, brazenly telling him to simple letters - NO... meh, screw the warnings, attempt number fifty-three was a go... though, maybe later.
Pondering for a moment, Yuu began to rap on the side of his face before grabbing one of the stray magazines, swiftly looking at it... ugh, politics and a less than desirable publisher. Glaring at it with contempt, Yuu tossed the dubious read to the side, not bothering to slave himself to understanding the incoherent bias. Eventually, others entered into the lab; future trainers to be.
One was a boy around his age, maybe older who was dressed in simple slacks and shirt; looked like he got out of bed late this morning and didn't bother brushing his hair... or maybe it was a style? Next was the girl whose eyes were obscured by her red-hair; not as imposing or bright as the latter, but had some color. They were both were pale to a pint, the girl more so than the other... Above all, the blonde youth and his short, red-haired lady friend appeared rather affable. Striking up a conversation would be excellent right about now...
Before he could initiate, the lab doors burst open, a face he was accustomed to displaying its wrinkly old self. Must of been busy researching over an egg or the case of feral pokemon. Giving the man a patient smile, Yuu shoved himself up from his seat, lending his ears to the mans words. It wasn't shocking to him that the old man was rather chipper, seeing as most of these people could of gotten their trainer licenses online and request what pokemon they wanted before procuring them from the nearest pokemon center...
... eh, to each and their own, though it was much more logical than going out of their way to traverse to a town in the middle of the wilderness.
But old fashion was cool too, especially since you got a glimpse of the technology and lab equipment; if lucky, the professors might bestow some parting wisdom to the newbies. Yuu did not even notice the other trainer that joined and increased the number of trainers. Seems like a fairly good group size in his opinion. The professor beckoning, Yuu followed behind the other trainers, staying near the unfamiliar red-head.
It was a fleeting walk as the synonymous group traversed deeper into the belly of the beast, arriving to see all the wondrous machines whirring almost in sync. While the myriads of screens appeared expensive and equally major, nothing could exactly measure up to the egg encased in what was evident to being an incubator. The set-up looked to be taking temperature, heart-rate, and other arithmetical features which monitored the development of said creature.
Yuu wanted to inquire more, but for now it was time to make a decision - twelve pokemon ranging from Natu to ... that thing. Nudging the seemingly apparitional girl with the veiled eyes, he gave the lady a small, upbeat smile before whispering to her. "Exciting, isn't it? Not a lot of opportunities to get a pokemon these days, much less visit a lab to get one out of all places," he perkily chirped softly.
Oh, right, he should converse with the girl later and chat with the lady on the road. It would be more adequate to speak here and make a few new friends and acquaintances, but from the looks of it, time would be a wasting if he dared converse a tinge longer. As he was about to start his approach, the slightly taller trainers who blew some smoke in his face earlier decided to be the first to take the plunge.
Well, ok then.
Cursing was completely unnecessary here, but whatever, he wasn't going to give him a full blown lecture on not to swear. The kid appeared somewhat unnerved, with complementary stuttering and mumbling to boot. Glancing over, Yuu frowned a tad bit as the guy acted crudely towards Elms assistant... before seizing and shoving some potions and other items into that makeshift bag of his, albeit, systematically. Yuu could only seldom imagine what the inside of his bag looked like, slightly cringing from the horrible thought of disorganization. While the inside of the lab did not bother him as much, it could be arranged in a better format.
"Apologies for cutting this short, but you wouldn't mind if we spoke later, no? I mean, the clocks ticking and I'm sure none of us want to be scrounging around Route 29 at night," Yuu murmured to the girl, taking one step forward before tilting his head back. "By the way, the name is Yuu." With a dimple of joy, the boy gave the girl a small wave and beamed to her before stepping forward from the mix of individuals.
Since Noah was taking his sweet time over what pokemon to take, Yuu took the appropriate measures and procured his card from the amassed others. Looking down, the pictured showed his unwavering resolve... though, next time he could of smiled instead of looking so darn determined. Shaking his head, Yuu turned his head towards Elms young assistant, giving the boy his signature, pleasant smile. "Thank's for the trainer card."
Hopefully that would brighten his mood a bit.
Gazing to the side, Yuu discovered the guy made his choice of a Houndour. The boy shifted a bit away from the table, glaring at the mutt like it was a hellspawn delivered from the depths of the realm... or distortion world. Why Elm would ever let even one of the pups of that perverted creature as a choice, he certainly wouldn't know. Yuu's eyes widened with slight contempt, his mouth diverging itself into a slight, though unnoticeable frown.
"Doesn't that dude know what he has done? Now he can raise it into one of those damn things! Out of all pokemon, why, just why did he decide to choose that destructive dog?! I mean, look at the terror it's invoking with its beady little eyes, waiting for the right time to strike!" In truth, all it wanted was probably a belly rub like it was savoring right now, maybe some scratching behind the ear. Sucking it up, Yuu approached the table, ignoring the other guy. If he wanted to get eaten by a mangy beast, so be it.
Staring at the remaining options, Yuu moved casually from side to side, before picking up two pokeballs - the Nidoran and Eevee. Weighing his options, Yuu inquisitively studied them for a moment as if this was a life threatening decision, forever altering his life. Like a scale, he weighed them for a couple of seconds before setting one of the two down.
Pressing the button, the ball ejected the pokemon he chose; another bright red beam glowed within the laboratory, the form shaping up to be a familiar pokemon probably everyone knew of. Brown fur, big adorable eyes, and a usually chipper personality. While the pokemon seemed to be awaken, it searched the lab thoroughly, before turning its attention to the colossal shadow above it. Kneeling over, the lavender haired boy shined an affectionate smile to the ball of adorable fur which he waved at.
"Apologies if I awoke you from your slumber Eevee, just wanted to meet my partner for this journey." The Eevee blinked for a moment, watching the likeable man speak to her, watching the swift movements of his hand weave back an forth. Curiosity overtook the girl as she put a paw up to the mans hand, touching the tip of his index finger. The boys smile became pleasantly wider, his eyes softening. It was then at this moment, the Eevee knew...
"Vee... Vee!"
That she liked this trainer a lot. One moment she was standing there, the next she was bouncing upwards, displaying her somewhat hyperactive personality with a resounding "Veeeeee," upon launching herself five feet into the air, surprising Yuu somewhat... and landing on his purple hair, precisely in the center before lying, belly-first on the top of his hair. Staring down from her perch, the Eevee stared cheerfully at the boy, prompting him to look up, scratching behind her ears, letting out a euphoric chirp, calming down.
"Boy, you're a hyperactive one, aren't you," Yuu chuckled, looking up at the relaxed Eevee lying on his head. While his heart was pumping, with that little action of his, the duo calmed down quite considerably... heh, either way, he liked the girls bubbly attitude; his day was brightened slightly with this encounter. Just him and his companion against Abigail, other trainers, pokemon.
Because for him he was happy.
"My name is Yuu, and I look forward to our future friendship... so, how does Sylvie sound for a name to you?"Mattie Linder
As Mattie entered the lab, she felt the nerves which had been bubbling up inside slowly settle as she took in the atmosphere of the place. For some reason, this building made her feel very... safe. She wasn't sure why, she never truly sure where the feelings she got about people and places came from, but all she knew is she much calmer here than she had outside.
And from the back of this calming building popped round the head of an equally calming individual, an aged man in a lab suit for whom she could only assume was professor Elm. He came in carrying stacks of papers and other miscellanea. After setting down the stack, he addressed the group with a friendly smile.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I hope I haven't kept you young trainers waiting long! I've been rather busy! I just got a pokemon egg hand-delivered from Sinnoh and I'm making a little progress as to why the pokemon may be behaving as they are." Professor Elm then paused as if to stop himself saying anything more, and quickly change the topic. "Ah, but never mind you all are here for a pokemon! So if you'll follow me into the back, I'll hand you your license and let you pick your pokemon." He motioned the lot of them to follow him through the door he had just entered through, and quickly, they all complied. Mattie stay near the back of the group as they entered, along with another boy who had just entered the building seconds after she had, a brunette who's face was plastered with bandaids. He seemed eager to follow after the other and quickly pushed past her, nearly knocking her over in the process.
Mattie didn't call him out on it. She wasn't the confrontational type, and she could somewhat understand his enthusiasm. Of course, she was eager to see what kind of Pokemon the professor had chosen as starters, though she doubted he would have any ghost types. They were an elusive species of Pokemon and known for their mischief, something you wouldn't really entrust to a new trainer.
Still, one could hope.
As the group all adjusted to the new room, taking in the sight of several large machines for which Mattie had no idea what any of them did, Mattie was suddenly nudged in the side and nearly jumped out of her skin as she glanced at a boy with purple hair. He gave a smile as he said to her quietly, "Exciting, isn't it? Not a lot of opportunities to get a pokemon these days, much less visit a lab to get one out of all places."
Mattie stared up at him dumbly, trying to find words but unable to form a response. She hadn't really prepared for anyone to try and talk to her, especially so soon after her last conversation. Most of the time, she blended into the background and few people ever really noticed her. Other people may not be happy about that, but for Mattie, it was perfect. No one bombarding her with questions or disturbing her while she was thinking, but now it seemed this boy had noticed her and was trying to strike up a conversation.
Mattie desperately tried to think of something, anything to say but just as she opened her mouth, the boy spoke again. "Apologies for cutting this short, but you wouldn't mind if we spoke later, no? I mean, the clocks ticking and I'm sure none of us want to be scrounging around Route 29 at night." The boy started to move away but not before adding, "By the way, the name is Yuu."
Mattie dumbly as the boy moved ahead, likely to pick up his Pokemon. Cut this short? They hadn't even really been having a conversation! He had spoken to her when she really had just wanted to have some peace and quiet before starting out on their journey, which her mother had stated would be a chaotic one, and then he had ran off before she could say anything. The redhead shook her head slightly. If this was the kind of stuff she would have to put up with on the journey, she wasn't entirely sure if she could handle it. Other people could be so.... random.
She shook her head again, as if attempted to shake away the stress that had started to build up, and focussed her attention on something else, namely the trainers going forward to pick their starters. The one at the head of the queue was a boy Mattie had noticed from outside, very large and covered in piercings. Mattie made a mental note not to speak to him unless spoken to first, and watched as he picked out a Pokeball labelled 'Houndour'.
Oh boy, a dark type. This kid was certainly never going to be welcomed into her family's house, that was for sure. Mattie had nothing against dark types personally, but her grandmother had long since reinforced the opinion that training dark types was a dishonourable practice.
In fact, Grandma Linder had a lot of opinions which she voiced on a regular basis about 'other types of trainers', and Mattie had them memorised. Dark trainers were dishonourable cheaters blah blah blah, Fighting trainers were idiotic brutes blah blah blah, Dragon trainers were proud fools who were afraid to lose blah blah blah, Ghost trainers were a poor man's Psychic trainer blah blah blah, Steel trainers were afraid to take risks blah blah blah, and Fairy trainers...
Well, they didn't really talk about Fairy trainers.
Mattie sighed as she watched the brutish boy release his new Houndour and shook her head slightly at the flack she was gonna get for associating with Dark type trainers.
The redhead then turned to see the purple-haired boy from earlier, Yuu, grab his license and choose out his own Pokemon, an Eevee. A much safer choice, and one she knew her family would approve of. Her mother, after all, had an Espeon which was pretty much her main Pokemon. It was strong, incredibly loyal, and one of the few Psychic types that didn't shudder everytime Mattie approached it and would actively let her pet it. Of course, Yuu could choose to turn it into an Umbreon, but he didn't seem like the type. And besides, an Espeon would be purple, just like his hair! It was a perfect match!
Mattie scanned the other Pokeballs with only mild interest. She had planned to simply wait until last and simply pick out from whatever the others hadn't chosen. Perhaps she'd pick the Natu? One of her aunts owned a Xatu and it was a fairly reliable Pokemon, also doubling as a flying type which was pretty useful. However, Mattie then remembered that that same Xatu became absolutely still every time she entered the room, and would only move once she had left.
Yeeeeeaaaah, maybe not.
Mattie eyed the other Pokeballs. There was the classic trio of Cyndaquil, Chikorita, and Totodile, all very charming in their simplicity but not particularly appealing to Mattie as a person. Then there was Nidoran, Slugma, Tyrogue... her eyes passed over each choice with indifference, until she noticed the very last one.
Misdreavus.
Her eyes widened. No way... a ghost starter? How did Professor Elm get his hands on one of those? Mattie glanced at the group in front of her, of which she eyed each person, trying to figure out who else would be interested in a Misdreavus. There was the purple-haired girl, the other redhead, the boy with the plasters, Ryley.... Mattie eyed each of them, biting her lip as she thought of one of these strangers taking away her Misdreavus. After a few seconds, she found she couldn't take it anymore and quickly rushed forward through the crowd, snatched up her license and made her way over to the table, of which she made a grab for the Misdreavus. She then quickly took the Pokeball and returned to where she had been standing before, only breathing a sigh of relief when she was back in place. Then she tossed the Pokeball and released her new Pokemon.
A flash of light came from the Pokeball, and out came a small teal ghost that was floating in front of Mattie. Mattie stood there, practically gaping as the Pokemon opened its large red eyes.
"Mssssssssss...." The little ghost glanced at its surrounding sleepily, as if it had been in deep slumber. It saw a lab and many people and pokemon and...
Its eyes stopped on Mattie. It blinked once. Twice. Three times, as it's mind slowly crept out of the haze and focussed on this strange girl in front of her. For some reason, she felt... strangely familiar, like an old friend from a long time ago.
The Misdreavus floated over to Mattie, sniffed her, then tugged at the girl's overly long fringe. Then, rather suddenly, it gave a giggle, like a small child that had just seen something new for the first time.
Matite started giggling as well, a strange snorty, unusual sound. The two of them were like a pair of friends sharing some secret joke.
"Hi!" Mattie said cheerfully to her new friend. "I'm Mattie. It's nice to meet you!"
In response, the Misdreavus turned itself around in midair so now it was hanging upside down, staring at Mattie, half with curiousity, and half with glee.
"Do you have a name?" Mattie asked.
The Misdreavus tilted its head to the side. "Mss?"
Mattie laughed as if she understood. "I'll take that as a no," she said. "How about I give you a name?" She frowned thoughtfully as the Misdreavus began spinning around in the air playfully. Mattie knew this Misdreavus was a girl. Don't ask her how she knew, she just kind of... did. Just like she knew a lot of things when meeting ghost Pokemon for the first time.
"How about...." Mattie watched the Misdreavus. "Blair?" Yeah, this Misdreavus kind of looked like a 'Blair'. As Mattie spoke, the ghost Pokemon stopped spinning and looked at her trainer thoughtfully. It then nodded with a cheerful giggle.
"Right," Mattie said. "Blair it is then."Zeph Bagley
Zeph managed to rush into the lab just before the door slammed shut, making him the last trainer to arrive, but certainly not the least. There already was quite a gathering of people here, including the purple-haired girl from before who was chatting with another girl a few feet away. Remembering their embarrassing meeting earlier, Zeph quickly averted his eyes so not to make eye contact. The last thing he wanted was her calling him out in front of all these people. He wait until later, when she was by herself, and try to apologise for the earlier incident. If that didn't work, well...
Well, he'd cross that bridge when he reached it.
For now, though, he didn't have time to worry about her or any of the others because the door to the back room opened, and an aged dude in a lab coat came in, carrying a stack of papers. Was that the Professor? Maybe, or maybe it was one of his aides. After all, wouldn't the professor have a bunch of white coats working for him, like Rowan back in Sinnoh? The man eventually turned to them and after making some excuse about his lateness involving some Pokemon egg from Sinnoh etc etc, he motioned them to follow him into the back so they could receive their starter.
A huge grin formed on Zeph's face. This was it! His first Pokemon was just in the next room, waiting for him! Without another word, he rushed after the rest of the group, nearly knocking over this short red-haired kid who was being too slow. Whoops! Well, he could always apologise to them later. But right now, he had bigger things to worry about, like picking out his Pokemon!
Once the group had moved to the next room he was all ready to push to the front of the group and choose his Pokemon. After all, it was first-come-first-served, right? That was until he caught sight of the guy in front, a big guy covered in piercings...
Yeah, maybe he should wait until that guy was out of the way. Zeph watched as the guy picked out his Pokemon, a Houndour. Zeph then made a move as if about to get his Pokemon, but then another guy with purple hair stepped forward.
Uh oh, purple hair? Was he that chick's brother? Zeph didn't know many people with that hair colour, so they had to be related! Well, that chick already hated his guts, no way was he gonna piss her off even more by messing with her brother. He waited impatiently, tapping his foot all the while as he watched this second boy pick eevee as his Pokemon.
Aww, Zeph wouldn't have minded an eevee. Then he could turn it into a Jolteon. Electric types were super fast, and Zeph couldn't see any other Electric types among the starters.
Oh well, surely there had to be one other good Pokemon in the selection, and since he would be the third to pick---
However, he barely made one step forward when that red-haired kid he had nearly knocked over earlier came rushing past him and snatched another Pokemon. Cutting in line? Rude! Well, no way was he apologizing to them earlier after that. They could just consider them even now.
Once the kid has scarpered to the side, Zeph finally bolted forward, stopping only to pick up his new trainer ID before heading to the table. "Coming through!" he shouted, not really caring if he knocked anyone over this time. Once he reached the table, he paused, glancing at each choice with a huge smile on his face...
And then he frowned. Which... one? Which one should he choose? There were so many good choices! Tyrogue could evolve into three different forms and was a fighting type, but then Nidoran evolved into Nidoking, who was really cool! And there was the classic trio!
Argh!
His hands got his head and he looked like he might tear his hair out. "Too many choices!" he shouted aloud. He stared from Pokeball to Pokeball, reading each of their names and finding himself getting more and more indecisive. After a few moments, he realise he was probably holding up the line, and people would start to get irritated with him.
Shit! There was only one thing to do then: he would leave it to fate!
After taking a deep breath, he took a step back from the table and shut his eyes. After a moment, he pointed his finger and began to speak a familiar rhyme, his finger moving to each choice with each word he spoke.
"Ip dip dip,
My little ship,
Sailing on the water
Like a cup and saucer,
But you are not in it."
After a moment, his finger was pointing at one of the Pokeballs, and, still with his eyes shut, he edged towards it, picking it up and moved quickly to the side so not to be in anyone's way.
Once he was at the side again, he smirked, making sure to cover the name of the Pokemon. He wanted this to be a surprise, but he was sure he had something good. Slowly, taking a deep breath, he counted.
"Three... two... one..." He then released his Pokemon with a mighty cry of, "Pokemon, I choose you!"
There was a bright flash of light, and Zeph had to quickly shield his eyes as his partner materialized. Then, after a second, he heard a small murmur of "Piii...."
Not quite the noise he expected his badass new partner to make but he was sure he could improve on that. He quickly uncovered his eyes and gazed down on his new partner...
His smile dropped.
His new partner stood before him, not even the same height as his knee, very small, fluffy and.... pink.
" Are you serious!?" Zeph shouted as his new partner, a small, bemused Cleffa, stared up at him. "Cleffa!? Really? Cleffa!?!?" Zeph started stomping his feet like an angry child, and was this close to attempting to tear his hair out again... when he felt a small hand on his knee.
Zeph blinked and glanced down to see the Cleffa standing next to him, gazing up at him with a small smile. "Pi!" it said cheerfully.
For a moment, the boy and the Pokemon stared at each other. Then, after taking a deep breath, Zeph kneeled down and patted the Pokemon's head. "Yeah... I guess you'll do."~Abigail & Cerise~
Abigail followed Elm and the other trainers to the back of the lab, with Cerise walking happily along beside her. A few thoughts were running through Abigails head, though none of them taking notice of the other trainers. Mostly, they were about which pokemon she wanted. A good, sturdy pokemon. Ground, Rock, or Steel type would have worked best. She did her research, and with a little effort she discovered Elm was going to have a Nidoran, Slugma, Phanphy, and Swinub available. Either of those would work well, though she had to admit she was partial to a Nidoran.
Cerise, though, had no idea which pokemon she possibly wanted. She could hardly name five of the creatures, after all. There was the darling little Inkays and Espurr's she adored so much back home in Kalos, but she didn't think they'd be available here. Ah...what should she do? She didn't wish to appear to incompetent in front of Abigail, but she was going to have to ask, wasn't she? On the other hand, she'd be being taught things by Abigail, so she couldn't really count either as a loss~
"Ah...uhm, Abigail?" Cerise questioned, getting the attention of her friend. "I uhm, am quite unsure as to which pokemon I should be choosing." The redhead continued. Abigail simply sighed, and gave Cerise a slightly annoyed look.
"Well, there's probably psychic type up there. I dunno which one though." Abigail replied. As she spoke, Cerise watched a few other trainers go about their business, getting their licenses and pokemon. A rougher looking guy was the first to go. He chose...a houndour. She had to admit, the little dog was...adorable. She wouldn't have minded one herself. The boy from earlier chose some sort of...rodent thing? It was just as hideous as he was. Fashionably inept trainer chose fashionably inept pokemon. She smirked a bit at that, but quickly dismissed it. Abigail seemed to grin mischievously at that, though, and Cerise had to look up at the older girl with a curious look.
She knew what that meant. Abigail was about to do something incredibly hilarious.
Like putting that fashionably inept piece of backwater trash in his place.
"Sorry, get your license. I'll help you after I do something." She said, walking over to the table and quickly finding her license. Cerise simply nodded, and went to the table and got hers, watching curiously as to the events that were about to unfold.
Abigail walked over to the table with the pokemon, picking up the one with the Nidoran in it. A smirk was visible on her lips, as she released the pokemon from the ball. The Nidoran appeared in the usual flash of red light...except it was laying on it's back, apparently sleeping, making the most adorable little snoring noises.
...
Abigail simply gave a small huff, kneeling down next to the pokemon and giving it a gentle poke on its stomach. The purple pokemon let out a small, surprised cry as it scrambled to it's feet, completely surprised by the sudden action. Unfortunately, it ended up tripping and falling flat on its face instead, earning a small chuckle from Abigail who helped the small pokemon up.
"Well, you're an energetic one, aren't ya?" She chuckled, petting the pokemon on the top of its head, it leaning into the petting. "So how does Tyrian sound for a name? I think it suits you." The Nidoran simply continued to lean into the petting, letting out a small cry of approval as Abigail reached down with her other hand and began petting him behind one of his ears. "Ahaha, good! You're a cute little guy, aren't ya?" She smiled brightly at the pokemon, and picked him up in her arms.
Meanwhile, Cerise was over at the trainer cards appearing slightly jealous.
Abigail paid her no mind though.
Instead, she walked over to Yuu, Tyrian resting on her shoulder, taking in its new surroundings like a wide-eyed newborn. A confident smirk was displayed on her face as she carried herself with her usual air of confidence and poise.
"Hello, Yuu." She started. "Fancy meeting you here, huh?" She looked down at the pokemon that he had chosen. An Eevee. Not a bad pokemon in reality. In fact, Eevee was probably one of the better pokemon out there, simply from the sheer amount of different types it could evolve into. "I'm surprised...I wouldn't have thought you'd ever actually be able to graduate with that mediocre skill of yours." Her smirk only grew as she gave Tyrian a little pat on the head. "I'm even more surprised you chose an Eevee. I mean really, you were staring so hard at little Tyrian here, too! Should have gone with the Nidoran, Yuu. That little runt is gonna get ya killed before we even get to Cherrygrove."
Cerise's looked absolutely surprised as she listened to the conversation. Not that she was shocked that Abigail would say something like that, no. More so at the fact that she was trying to hold back laughter at Yuu's expense.-Yuu Nozomu : New Bark Town-
As Yuu spoke of the name, the Eevee stared at the boy inquisitively as she processed this new information. The purple haired boy stopped scratching the behind of the young pokemons ears, he peered upwards at the girl, giving her a patient smile filled with warmth and acceptance. The small one chirped gleefully, a sign that she agreed to the name. Squeezing his head, Yuu took it as a way of hugging him as he stared into the pokemons big, shimmering eyes.
"I'm glad you enjoy your name," you responded with an even more upbeat tone before resuming scratching her ears once again as a response to her unique embrace. He felt no need to remove her from her perch, especially since she enjoyed the view, gazing over the lab somewhat lazily with now glazed over eyes. Wonder how she would respond to belly rubs? Regardless, he looked to the crowd of people, pondering on who might step up to the plate? Who might be courageous to take the next steps to officially becoming a trainer? Who wo-
In an instant, the one chick with obscured eyes darted forward, swiping her card in an instant. Woah, was she that hellbent and excited on getting this over with, or was she somewhat nervous with everyone's eyes possibly being on her? Either way, she was fleet in her step, dashing by Yuu as the girl procured her pokemon, leaving an empty space where a Misdreavus pokeball used to be. Huh. She was quick in deciding; there was a possibility that she really was fond of ghost types or something.
A question for a later date, he supposed.
Yuu was somewhat bemused though, and eyebrow raised to the skies, his own poke looking bewildered too as her ears twitched, her mouth slightly agape. His head tilted back and forth between where he last noticed Mattie and where she was now; maybe she was identical to a psychic type and knew teleport? Regardless, Yuu tried to watch and see how the girl would respond to her newfound friend, but couldn't since his own Eevee accidentally covered his eyes with her paws, leaning forward trying to get a better glimpse.
Removing the paws from her lids, he kept focus on the girl as Sylvie's paws were set into his hands. Her arms wriggled for a moment, before obtaining balance once more... and a better viewpoint. It was a staple to make sure the pokemon and trainer were on good terms when they first met, lest their bonds would probably result in the worst transpiring.
... so far, it all appeared well, considering the pokemon recently awoke from its slumber; it had a somewhat tired demeanor as it floated around... before playing with the girls bangs after energizing her/his self. Bending to the side, Eevee gave a rather pronounced "Vee," pointing a paw at the duo before going on to ruffling the side of his hair - or at least attempting to and instead rubbing herself all over the top of Yuu's head. Chuckling for a moment, Yuu lodged his index finger upwards for Sylvie to see. Curios, the pokemon remained distracted, looking almost in awe such as a person would salivating over diamonds and pearls.
As she attempted to tap it with her paw, it immediately pulled itself away, shocking the small pokemon just a tinge before it looked down to find her friend smiling widely and the finger near his face. Putting it up at the same position, the Eevee attempted this time to grab it. She failed once more as the finger was pulled downwards once more. Furrowing her eyebrows, Sylvie smirked, determined to grab his finger as she cried "vee," in a resonating matter.
This little act continued for a while as the pokemon let go of it's competitiveness and attempted to grab onto it just for fun, giggling entirely like a newborn child when playing peek-a-boo. Eventually, she managed to snag his index finger and brought it to her mouth. In an instant, his finger felt a soft tongue licking it, with some saliva in the process too. Yuu was a bit taken back by this, his eyes widening in surprise as the young pokemon squeezed tightly onto his hand, but eventually settled on letting her interact with his finger in a child-like way.
The Eevee had no intentions of letting this go away... until a bellowing trainer came crashing through, pushing his way through the crowd. Sylvie momentarily stopped holding onto the finger, looking at the incredibly hyperactive trainer. Yuu batted an eye, frowning as he shoved his way through the group instead of deciding to wait if another decided to come through... maybe he was just like that one red-headed chick and her Misdreavous? Excited to procure and meet their pokemon?
...
And then he bellowed loudly right into Yuu's ear, causing the boy to slightly wince in pain, his left eye squinting shut whilst barring his teeth. Yeouch; imagine if he had something to amplify his voice - ear bleed city... The poor Eevee's ears flattened, cringing somewhat as she covered her eyes with both paws. Backing away so the boy didn't attempt to harm his ears even further, Yuu decided to interact with the girl in red... there was a couple of other people, but to be fair, Abigail wasn't the nicest person around and Cerise was near to the arrogant gal...
Shrugging, he pushed his way back to where the bowl haired girl came, smiling brightly at her as the teal ghost giggled euphorically. "Looks like you two enjoy each others presence, glad to see that," Yuu looked up at the small floating creature, giving s/he a quaint smile. Sylvie on the other hand attempted to balance herself on Yuu's head, three paws down as the small pokemon attempted to reach out and touch the ghost, before recomposing herself with all paws on his head.
"Uh, Sylvie, what are you trying to do," Yuu asked quizzically, scrunching his face as the small poke pulled on his hair just a bit. Her eyes were focused directly on the ghost, Yuu worriedly staring up at the Eevee. Her eyes were furrowed, her target set. With a valiant battle cry, Sylvie almost launched herself at the ghost, if not for the anguished howls of disappointment from the brunette boy procuring a Cleffa.
Yuu tilted his head back, giving the boy a dirty look as he appeared annoyed. He was rather piqued that he verbally spoke about his choice in pokemon, seeing as he disliked it. The purple haired boy looked down at the pokemon, almost fawning over how adorable it looked as the boy stomped angrily into the ground. Yuu gave the Star pokemon a small smile, hoping that it would make up for the lack of integrity the kid have.
"Really, getting irked over what you chose? Come on, you should be happy and stuff... I mean, you did choose him or her..." Returning his head to Mattie, the small pokemon on top was struggling to balance herself again, readjusting where each paw went before finding a comfortable spot to stand... which obscured most of his face with the tail, tickling his nose somewhat.
"H-hey, watch it," Yuu giggled as the tail weaved back and forth before his face became full again with the force of an Eevee launching herself off the back of Yuus head. Feeling some minor recoil, his head bobbed forward a bit before coming back to its original spot. Turning his head back, he found the small pokemon landed near the Cleffa, standing on one of its hind paws, striking a pose with a pronounced "vee," looking at the star... before tipping over.
"Looks like, she wants to play; won't stop her, buuuut..." Walking towards the girl, Yuu pivoted around, standing by her side as he looked at the brown ball of fur wave and waggle, attempting to get the Cleffas attention. A small smile stayed on his face as he looked to the red haired chicks side, giving the girl a similar taste of his cheerful visage. "I prefer to keep some eye on her... just in case something happens, y'know..."
Lets see, what's a good conversation starter? Names for one would be nice, maybe a reasoning for why she chose Misdreavous as her first pokemon? That should get the ball rolling surely! Next thing you know, they might be speaking about their favorite bands or tv shows!... maybe. "Apologies for earlier, miss, I didn't exactly give you a chance to talk; I should of been more patient," Yuu scratched the side of his neck, speaking to her with a chipper boost to his voice.
"Say, what's your name, and why did you go with the adorable looking Misdreavous?... other than it looking cute." Yuu chuckled as he awaited an answer, eyeing Sylvie from time to time to make sure she wasn't causing any trouble due to her rather bold nature. Of course, fate was fickle, because the two were interrupted by a person he knew too well... and to be quite honest, he didn't want to know her in the slightest. Turning his attention to the purple haired hellion, Yuu eyed the cute lady and her floating poke, uttering a "sorry about this," before completely heeding her defining (and haughty) existence.
Yuu glanced over with dull eyes, his smile dissipating into a frown, one that screamed for her to go away... but he already knew the answer to this event. Narrowing his eyes, he made eye contact with the girl, shifting around for a few seconds before speaking. "Aye, your appearance was unwarranted; thought you would be off with some other trainers, but hey, life is full of surprises." There was a tone of indifference, thought the surprises came off more as if he spat on the ground.
Though here came the kicker - insulting his skill and then his choice in pokemon? Gonna have to prepare a rude awakening for this girl... Chuckling, Yuu shook his head before jamming one of his hands into his pocket. "Wow, there are so many things wrong with those statement, especially my ineptitude in battle... considering that I managed to outdo you in some of the mock battles we had, what does that exactly say about you? Also, no excuses about it being a fluke by the way. Just like you, I won our spars with pure aptitude and trust."
Confidence surged, Yuu drew his hand from his pocket, crossing his arms across his chest, leering at the girl with a condescending smile on his face. "Next, you're criticizing me on my choice after you literally chose the pokemon I was looking at; won't deny he looks charming in his own special way, however..." This is when the smile broke down and his eyes were gleaming with fire, almost vexing to boot. "You chose that Nidoran mainly to spite me, right? To try and gloat after a victory, saying I chose poorly before going on with your callous claims over how you're better than me at everything, despite evidence stating otherwise, including your comment over Sylvie being a runt."
Yuu dropped his arms back to the side, judging the girl, preparing the final nail in the coffin. "Choosing a pokemon just to try and rub it in your opponents face is immature... however, this means you probably see me as a somewhat legitimate challenger." Chuckling for the most part, Yuu took a glance over her head, making sure Sylvie was faring well before attending to Abigail with one final comment. "Still, I can't deny the fact that I might be incorrect in judgement too; heck, you might have chosen him because you liked the little guy... he does look tough and somewhat adorable to boot, like you!~" Yuu smiled like a cat before winking at Abigail, hoping to somewhat unnerve the toxic gal a bit and see her blush...
But he might fail too... hopefully Cerise would be willing to talk to him afterwords, as he honestly wanted to apologize to her over his reaction to her friend and clear up any smoke. Yuu prayed that she might understand...
Using papa's head, I launched myself over the standing menagerie of titans, short and tall, girl and boy, something and something! Bracing for landing, I roll before striking a pose, standing in one hand and legs up in the air! Hey, hey, why isn't this cute pink guy listening to me? What sounded like cute little "ee, eee vee's," was more of her saying hey, you over here! Of course, she couldn't stay erect like that, and toppled over to the side. Wow, it really likes rubbing that guy. No, wait, petting, petting him? Silly star thing, you can't pet him like that! You have to scratch behind his ears! Everyone enjoys that.~
...
Walking over, Sylvie started performing all types of tricks to try and garnering the small pokemons attention, ranging from instinctual maneuvers to just waving and saying hey... in pokemon language. Regardless, after a while, she finally cajoled the small creature, gaining its attention. With wide eyes and curiosity at hand, the Eevee slowly eased its way forward, eyes wider than the moon itself. Raising a paw, Sylvie continued forward, slowly, steadily, until finally...
She poked the fluffy pokemon's face with a small paw.
Sylvie stopped completely, before hopping around the Cleffa briskly, spouting excited "vee's" in every direction before stopping completely, noticing something shiny that contained a spherical thing! Looking at it in bewilderment, Sylvie trotted forward, but not before swiftly stopping and looking behind her. Motioning a paw to the adorable Cleffa, Sylvie wanted the small pink star to join her on this little venture to identify this thing-a-ma-bob. The pokemon seemed genuinely excited, but whether the star agreed to join her was another question.Mattie Linder
"Looks like you two enjoy each other's presence, glad to see that."
Once again, Mattie almost jumped out of her skin as she heard a familiar voice from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see the boy from before, the one with the purple hair, standing nearby with his newly-picked Eevee sitting on his head. Mattie's smiled drooped slightly, her shoulders tensing up to her ears as she glanced back at Blair, who was currently staring at the boy's Eevee curiously.
What should she do? Mattie wasn't really sure what to say to the boy's comment, and she had been far more content simply playing with Blair. Maybe she should just ignore him and he'll go away. But then she might be seen as rude. The boy might not want to talk to her later if she didn't speak to him now, and her mother had implored her to stick with the group and at least form some sort of connection with them.
Shifting her weight awkwardly from foot to foot, Mattie gave a small utterance of "Erm..." as she tried to think of what to say. Meanwhile, Blair's curiosity was slowly turning to amusement as she watched the eevee attempt to paw at her. Of course, its little paw felt nothing solid. At best, it would feel as if it were dipping its paw into icy water, or touching a puff of mist. Seeming unsatisfied with this, the eevee made as if it were about to pounce, and Blair couldn't help but giggle. If the Eevee were to jump now, not only would it go right through the spectral Pokemon, it was likely to bump into Mattie, possibly knock her over even unless the girl was savvy enough to get out of the way. While Blair had quickly warmed to the redhead, feeling strangely drawn to the girl the moment she laid eyes at her, Blair certainly wasn't going to spare her from any mischief.
Fun was fun, after all, no matter who's expense it was at.
However, the Eevee got distracted by the shout of another trainer, a boy with a Cleffa, and quickly leapt off its trainer's head to go investigate. Blair gave a dissapointed frown, but it only lasted for a split second before transforming back into an impish little smirk. No matter. Blair could make her own fun if others weren't willing to participate.
"Looks like she wants to play," Yuu spoke again, glanced as his Eevee dashed off. Mattie glanced at him again and slowly turned her body to face him, though she was still uncertain as of what to say. "Won't stop her, buuuut I prefer to keep some eye on her... just in case something happens, y'know..."
With a little nod, Mattie mumbled a "Yeah..." in returned. She then glanced at Blair again, as if to make sure the ghost also hadn't wandered off. Luckily, Blair seemed to be content with simply watching Yuu's eevee attempt to react with another trainer's Cleffa, smiling at its efforts to get the other Pokemon to play. Blair was tempted to join in, but decided to wait in case a better oppotunity for fun presented itself.
"Apologies for earlier, miss, I didn't exactly give you a chance to talk; I should of been more patient," Yuu continued. Mattie looked at him again. Well, at least he was aware of himself. She accepted his apology with a small shrug.
"It's okay..." Mattie said quietly.
"Say, what's your name, and why did you go with the adorable looking Misdreavous?... other than it looking cute," Yuu asked.
Now that was something Mattie could work with: a question. An actual question, not awkward smalltalk that she had to work around. Forcing her shoulders to relax, she opened her mouth to give an answer. "I'm..." but she was unable to finish because another newbie trainer, a girl with purple hair and confident smirk that made Mattie feel uneasy, approached the pair of them.
"Hello, Yuu. Fancy meeting you here, huh?" the newcomer said. Mattie glanced up at the girl, then back at Yuu. Friend of his? They seemed to know each other, though how friendly they were quickly became up for debate, as Yuu glanced in Mattie's direction and muttered a quick "Sorry about this," before returning his attention to his... 'friend'.
The two then began trading insults, at least that's what Mattie guessed they were doing. Her shoulders tensed up again as she looked from Yuu to the new girl and back. "Erm... do you... two want me to leave or...?" Mattie asked quietly, though she wasn't sure if either would pay her any heed.
Mattie was so preoccupied with the awkward tension, however, she didn't notice Blair fading out from beside, only to reappear behind the purple-haired girl. The little ghost Pokemon was staring at the girl's purple locks as if entranced.
Then Blair smiled, picked up a tendril of the girl's purple hair in her mouth, and gave a strong tug.Zeph Bagley
"I guess I should give you a name," Zeph muttered as he knelt by his new Cleffa, patting it on the head absent-mindedly. "... but I can't think of anything..."
"Pi?" With a little smile still on its face, the Cleffa tilted its head to the side curiously.
"Hmmm..." Zeph looked the Cleffa up and down, searching for any trait of the creature that could inspire him. All he could see, however, was pink. Soft, bright shades of pink everywhere.
"How about... Pinky?" he muttered to himself. He then shook his head. "No..."
While Zeph was in thought, muttering uncreative name after uncreative name under his breath, the Cleffa noticed something bounding towards it and peered round as an Eevee, another one of the starter Pokemon, starting waving and jumping in an attempt to get Cleffa's attention. Feeling a little intimidated by the energetic Pokemon, Cleffa took a couple of steps back so he was hiding slightly behind Zeph's leg. However, Cleffa still eyed the brown Pokemon curiosly, and after a few moments, shyly took a few steps towards the Eevee...
Before getting poked in the face.
The small push was enough to get Cleffa to fall onto its back, and due to its rather round form, it took a few moments of rolling and random struggling before it got back onto its feet again. During this process, it noticed the Eevee prancing around it but once Cleffa was on its feet, it noticed the Eevee had gone still and was eying something a little ways off.
Cleffa followed the Eevee's gaze to a large container which held within it a strange ovoid object.
Cleffa blinked and took a small step towards it. The Eevee seemed pretty curious too and made a little motion inviting the Cleffa follow her. Cleffa blinked again, more slowly this time, before glancing behind it to where Zeph was still deep in thought. The boy didn't seemed to have noticed that Cleffa had wandered off. Cleffa hesitated before glancing back at Eevee.
Well...
It would only be away for a couple of minutes. Surely the boy wouldn't worry.
Nervously, Cleffa waddled as quickly as it could after the Eevee.~Abigail~
"Aye, your appearance was unwarranted; thought you would be off with some other trainers, but hey, life is full of surprises"
And here she had thought he would have already been off on some adventure or something. She had actually been watching the pokemon league last year. She wouldn't admit it, but she was hoping to hear some of his accomplishments...and then he went on about him being better than her and some other flimsy arguments.
Wow. He was really grasping at straws there.
"Woooow, being called adorable by you makes me want to vomit." Abigail visibly grimaced a bit to emphasize her point, but it was quickly replaced by her usual confidence and bravado. She gave Yuu a grin as she continued. "You say there are so many things wrong with my statements, but there are so many more wrong with yours." Abigail laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Really, I can't believe how stupid and naive you still are. You winning wasn't a fluke, genius. Or do I need to remind you who the queen of the school was? Spoiler alert, I let you win, Yuu." She went silent for a few seconds, her confident grin never wavering as she continued as she let her words sink in.
"After all, winning all the time would be boring. You catch more of an audience with a bit of a show, after all, and winning all the time only makes for a boring outcome. So you didn't win with 'pure aptitude'. You won because I let you win, since I kinda liked the other kids worshiping the ground I walked on. That, and I took pity on you. Trying so hard yet always just a cut under me. It's kind of adorable." A bit of an exaggeration to be sure, but she was considered one of the best in school and she often had other kids ask her for advice. Not that she ever gave it, most 'advice' ended with her giving them a practical lesson in a mock battle, since that's how one learns best in her opinion. "Not to mention I beat you in almost every other subject. Type match-ups, move sets, everything. Especially in physical education. Or do I need to remind you the time I arm wrestled that Machop? Which I almost won by the way." She gave a satisfied huff, obviously pleased with her answer.
More on point though, he was attacking her choice in pokemon too. Well, that wouldn't do. Tyrian was going to be a top little pokemon one day. Or rather, a tough Nidoking that could punch a dragonite in the face and come out unscathed. She wasn't gonna have anybody insult her little friend, here.
"And please, if you think I chose Tyrian to spite you, you're even more of an idiot." Tyrian gave a cute little cry at hearing it's name, and Abigail gave the pokemon a pat on his head in response. "I wouldn't stoop so low as to something like that. I've had my eyes on him ever since I saw the list of pokemon available, but I doubt you even checked that, didn't ya? You remember the type of pokemon I like right? Sturdy ones that can take a beating and give one. Well, maybe you've forgotten what Nidoran evolves into, eh? Nidoking. That's right. One of my favorite types. Ground." She continued with her grin, placing a finger on the boys chest, giving him a hard poke.
"So you might wanna re-think your assertions there, Yuu. They're all completely unfounded and wrong. Just like you saying you're a good trainer." And that was the truth as far as she cared. As for a competitor? Well, she had to admit Yuu was a fairly good trainer, but she was better. That's just how it was. it was then, another voice near her made her jump slightly. She turned her head towards the sound of it. She hadn't noticed the girl there earlier, as much as she didn't want to admit such a thing. How did she sneak up on them? Or was she already there? Tyrian seemed completely unfazed though, and offered the girl a bright smile.
"Erm... do you... two want me to leave or...?"
"Oh sorry, was I interrupting something with your girlfriend?" Abigail asked Yuu. "I'll admit, she seems just like your type. Quiet, weak, and definitely not gonna make it to the-GAH!"
Before she could finish the sentence, she felt someone tug on her hair, causing the purple haired girl to shout rather loudly.~Cerise~
Cerise, was laughing. Or at least, she was laughing on the inside. The look on her face was a simple one of slight worry for the argument breaking out. It'd be difficult for anyone to tell what she actually was thinking.
Cerise watched Abigail and the boy from earlier at a distance. How dare he insult her like that. She had half a mind to make him regret it, but she didn't have any pointy or sharp objects on her. A little bit of an error in judgement on her part, but that was that. Besides, her interfering would likely only anger Abigail and throw her off her game, and from what she was saying she was pretty sure Abigail just killed the guy in their little verbal debate.
As funny as it'd be to watch Abigail completely slay the guy in a verbal debacle, she had other things she had to do. So she turned her head towards the table with the licenses. She couldn't rely on Abigail for everything, after all...so she might as well try to do this herself.
Maybe she'd impress her and get praised~
Thankfully, finding her license was easy enough. She took an adorable picture if she did say so herself. Next up, was a pokemon. She tossed a look back to Abigail and Yuu. They were still going at it. Yuu still spewing nonsense. Ugh, that was just making her want to do something to him even more. Maybe she could dig up some sort of information or something on him...wrap him around her little finger with a threat of something so he wouldn't be a hindrance to Abigail.
...thoughts for later. Now, pokemon.
She was the last one to get hers, she thought. She didn't see anyone else that wanted one, so she couldn't be sure. Not that it mattered, she was getting hers now so she didn't care who was left. So the redhead walked over to the table full of pokemon, and studied their names. None of them clicked though, except for one. Natu. She didn't know the pokemon, but she was vaguely familiar with the name. She was fairly sure it was a Psychic type. Abigail gave her a bit of a lesson on some more common psychic types in johto, but most of the information didn't stick.
well...why not? She didn't see any of her darling Inkay or Espurr here, so she might as well go with it. She picked up the pokeball, and released the small round psychic type. The pokemon was released from its pokeball, and unlike the pokemon from the other trainers, did nothing but simply stare at her. This created a bit of an awkward silence between the two of them, with Cerise unsure of what she should do next.
"A-ah...u-uhm...Hello?" She said, though received no response from the pokemon. So, she reached out and attempted to pet it. And that's when something quite unexpected happened. The Natu avoided touching her. It actually hopped away from her. Cerise frowned slightly. Pokemon weren't supposed to do that, were they? She attempted to give it an affectionate pat on the head again, but it simply hopped out of the way again. That wasn't how it was supposed to work, was it? Pokemon were supposed to like being...petted, right? Abigails Nidoran looked like he liked it, so what was up with this runt?
A third try, resulting in a similar result. As frustrated as she was that her pokemon was being stubborn about receiving her affections, lashing out would likely ruin her image. So instead, she settled on a cute, frustrated pout that showed a mix of frustration and hurt.
"Ah...oooh, what's wrong?" She asked the pokemon, as it simply stared at her from where it stood. Ah! Maybe if she gave it a name it'd be more open to receiving her affections. Yes yes, that sounded like an excellent idea. Everyone else had given theirs one, so it might want one as well. Hmm... "Maybe you'd want a name?" Upon receiving no answer, Cerise took that as an uneasy yes before continuing. "How about..."
Ah! Abigail named Tyrian after a color, didn't she? So she could do the same! "How about Sage! How does that sound?" Cerise once again received no answer. In fact, the bird squawked loudly...and jumped right on her head, deciding it made a very good nest.
"A-ah! What are you doing?" Cerise shouted. This stupid runt! Did it not realize how long it took her to do her hair in the morning? Why was this pokemon being so difficult? Why couldn't it be a bit more calm like Tyrian seemed? "G-get off you runt of a- I mean, Sage! Get off!" She shouted a bit louder, her somewhat calm demeanor breaking ever so slightly.
Satisfied with that though, the bird seemed to take a new seat upon her shoulder. Ugh, she was glad that was over with. The Natu seemed to at least listen to her sometimes, but if this kept up she wasn't sure she was gonna keep this stupid ball of feathers. How was Abigail doing she wondered.
A scream from the other girl was all she needed to know. Cerise quickly rushed over to the scene, Sage holding on for dear life as the small girl rushed over faster than some might have thought possible.
~Abigail and Cerise~
"I'll admit, she seems just like your type. Quiet, weak, and definitely not gonna make it to the-GAH!" Abigail wasn't sure what happened, but something had just pulled on her hair. She quickly turned around, ready to completely murder the perpetrator of the crime, and would have likely done it too if her eyes hadn't landed on a mischievous little misdreavous. It was likely the pokemon of the girl. The one she called Yuu's girlfriend. Well, if that was a lame attempt at getting back at her or something, well then she'd have to try just a bit harder than that.
Abigail turned to Mattie, and gave her a glare.
"I dunno what the hell you or your pokemon's problem is, but you need to keep that ghost on a leash or something." She harshly replied. "If you can't control your pokemon, you might as well go home now. Or don't, and get killed or something at let the world be a better place since you suck so much that you can't even control this runt."
"Ah! I heard shouting! Did something happen? Abigail dear, are you alright?" Cerise's voice interrupted them as she approached, Natu still perched on her shoulder...who started to stare blankly at Mattie. Abigail simply gave Cerise a small tsk of annoyance, eyeing her carefully.
"Everything is Fine, Cerise. Just this little runt couldn't keep her equally runt of a pokemon under control." She replied with a smirk giving a small dismissive wave of her hand.
"Oh...I uhm, see." So...this trainer liked messing with her Abigail, then? Well. That was a problem. Because no one was allowed to upset her Abigail and live. Another one she'd have to deal with, aside from Yuu...hmm...she'd need to come up with a fitting end for all of them. Well, whatever. For now she simply offered a small smile to the both of them. "Abigail dear, don't you think you are possibly being a little...harsh? I'm sure it was just playing." At this, Abigail simply scoffed, folding her arms against her chest in an annoyed manner.
"Yeah, playing. Sure, tugging on peoples hair is considered playing." Abigail sarcastically replied.
"Oh dear...I know how you feel about your hair. Perhaps you'll let me do it for you later? I know you take excellent care of it but you are far from a professional, Abigail. Besides, it would look so cute in a braid."
"Not on your life, Cerise." this earned a small tsk of disapproval from the redhead, obviously a bit disappointed at the prospect of not being able to put Abigail's hair in a braid.
"At any rate...I feel as I should apologize for Abigail's behavior to the both of you. She can be a little...headstrong about things." Cerise continued with a small smile to the both of them, with Sage still staring quietly at Mattie.
While the three trainers conversed, Tyrian continued to look at his surroundings, eyeing the Misdreavous curiously. He had never seen a ghost pokemon before, so he didn't know what it was. There was an easy way to figure that out though...which was to hug it! Unfortunately, the poison type didn't know what ghost types were, or that tackling one wasn't going to work.
So the small Nidoran leaped off of Abigails shoulder, intending to give the Misdreavous the best glomp of the century...only to phase right through the ghost, and end up landing on his back, right on top of Matties foot. The Nidoran didn't entirely understand what happened, but he knew he landed on someone or something. He could tell from here! So, in an effort to receive hugs, he stared wide eyed up at the person, throwing up his paws in a playful manner.Mattie Linder
Mattie was genuinely surprised that the purple-haired girl even stopped to acknowledge her, though considering what she said next, she kind of wish she hadn't.
"Oh sorry, was I interrupting something with your girlfriend?" the girl asked Yuu. "I'll admit, she seems just like your type. Quiet, weak, and definitely not gonna make it to the-GAH!" The girl suddenly gave cry, cutting off her own sentence. Almost on instinct, Mattie glanced behind the girl to see Blair pulling on her hair.
Oh. Yeah. Misdreavus were hair pullers, weren't they? Mattie had kind of forgotten about that. In her excitement to get a ghost-type starter, all the knowledge she possessed specific to Misdreavus had vanished from her mind, but now it all came back in a flash.
Mattie grimaced. Well, this was gonna be fun. Taking a deep breath, Mattie called her Pokemon's name, "Blair." Blair looked towards her trainer and after seeing the slightly stern expression on Mattie's face, dropped the lock of Purple's hair and floated over to Mattie's side.
Purple, however, still seemed displeased about this and quickly let Mattie know her feelings on the matter. "I dunno what the hell you or your pokemon's problem is, but you need to keep that ghost on a leash or something," Purple said. "If you can't control your pokemon, you might as well go home now. Or don't, and get killed or something and let the world be a better place since you suck so much that you can't even control this runt."
Mattie's usually neutral expression turned into a little scowl, and funnily enough, Blair's expression mimicked her trainer's. It wasn't so much the 'the world would be better without you' comment, which stung a little but not as much as the comment about putting Blair on a leash. She knew the girl was angry, but Blair only pulled her hair. There was much worse the ghost could have done.
A second later, another girl, a redhead like Mattie, came over. She had a Natu on her head, who was staring pretty intently at Mattie. Mattie did her best to ignore the Natu's gaze, though every so often, she'd find herself glancing back at it. It was still staring each time.
This new girl, Cerise, seemed to know Purple, who was actually called Abigail, and the two started conversing about what had just happened. Even after Cerise apologising on her friend's behalf, Abigail was still going on about how Mattie couldn't control Blair, making it seem like she didn't know much about ghost Pokemon.
Thankfully, Mattie was here to educate her.
"Well, I'm sorry too," Mattie began with a nod to Cerise. She then turned back to Abigail and fixed her with a very intense stare that was only partially obscured by her hair. "But, erm, if you're gonna be travelling with us... you might have to get used to that. Ghost Pokemon in general are kind of mischevious, they have a rather strange sense of humor and playing pranks on someone is just kind of how they bond with people." Mattie then glanced at Blair as she continued. The longer she spoke for, the less nervous she sounded and quicker the words came out. "But Misdreavus in particular is one of the more extreme examples. See, while ghost Pokemon can eat normal food, they don't really need to and they usually feed off some other source of energy. Misdreavus..." Mattie glanced back at Abigail. "They feed off fear. They need to in order to survive, and it's likely Blair was pulling on your hair in order to get some kind of shock out of you because she's hungry." Mattie gave a smile, one that could possibly be read condescending. "If you're travelling with the rest of us, it's likely she gonna be doing much worse than simply pulling your hair. Misdreavus especially have a fondness for jumping out and screaming at people. She also might sneak into your tent at night and stop you from sleeping." She then grinned. "Luckily! I have just the solution!" Without another word, she opened her bag and started rifling through her stuff, all the while muttering "Not that one, no not that one either..." before eventually exclaiming "Aha!" pulling out a handful of rectangular pieces of paper and shoving them close to Abigail's face. "Stick these around your tent and the ghosts won't be be able to enter! Mum had to put loads of these around my room when I was younger because the ghosts kept on sneaking in to play pranks on me. I didn't mind too much, but Mum didn't want me to be tired the next day. You can have some if you want, I have plenty."
As Mattie was monologuing, she didn't notice how Abigail's Nidoran was eying Blair. Blair, however, did and started making faces at the creature, pulling her mouth open wider than should be normal and sticking out her tongue. Eventually, Nidoran tried to seemingly tackle Blair, much to the ghost's surprise. Once the Nidoran had phased through, it landed on Mattie's foot. Blair turned to look at the creature, blinking in surprise. Then she giggled.
When Nidoran landed on Mattie's foot, the girl simply looked down at the creature and blinked with only dull surprise, as if Pokemon flew through the air and landed on her feet all the time. "Hello," she said simply. She gave a small, shy smile at the creature before looking back at Abigail. "But yeah, I really do you suggest you take a talisman or two... five... possibly more. Depends how spacious your tent is."-Professor Elm’s Lab-
The dark pup looked over at Noah, still panting away. Noah could have called him ‘Anal Seepage’ and he’d be cool with it, so long as the belly scratching flowed freely. Well...cool. Bowser it would be. That was simple enough, and the little guy didn’t seem like he’d be too much of a pain in the ass, either.
Lucky, that.
Now with that settled, he was perfectly set to watch the circus of fuckery that was about to unfold.
First up was that purple haired fuckboi. His choice was...some big-eared brown ball of fur. Hardly intimidating. It ended up riding on the guy’s head, after proving itself to be a hyperactive little shit. And it seemed to be as fucking obnoxiously vocal as he was. Joyous fuckin’ day.
Maybe, if the universe was just so properly aligned, the little mutt would piss on Fuckboi’s head. Please, universe? Please?
Next up was the pale redhead. Seriously, where the hell did she keep coming from? Well...she wasted no time picking out her choice. A ghost. How fitting. Noah shuddered at the sight of the Misdreavus. Noah wasn’t one to get easily spooked but uh...ghosts? Fuck. That. Noise. The further away from Little Miss Undying he was, the better. Don’t fuck with the undead, people. Never ends well…
It giggled and sent a chill down Noah’s spine. Seriously...not fucking with that.
Up to bat next was a short dude. After some stupid chanting, he picked a ball. Out popped the most ridiculous looking piece of shit that Noah had ever seen. The boy must have agreed, because he whined pretty loudly upon seeing it.
Noah couldn’t help it. He laughed. Deep. Loud. Bowser gave him a curious look. The belly scratching had stopped. Ain’t nobody said it was time for the belly scratching to stop. The hell was he doing? The guy simply laughed for a few seconds, then got to his feet and held the pokeball out towards the pooch, returning it before managing to spit out a lovely bit of encouragement.
Honestly? Noah couldn’t care less about the dude or anything he did. But people like him got so worked up so easily...it was just too much fun to get ‘em going. Noah casually started to make his way towards the Cleffa’s owner, keeping an eye on the other drama going around as to not make his intent too obvious. He was already forming up a plan to fuck with the loser...
The Lesbians seemed to be up next. The purple chick chose the pink spiky rabbit and then went to shit on Fuckboi who was trying his best to hit on the Ginger Ghost. Damn...these kids were some catty mothafuckas. It was deliciously pathetic. Although, he had to give Bitchtits credit, the vomit comment? That was harsh and hilarious. Bitchtits was a bitch, obviously, but she was alright in his books. For now. Though she seemed to be the stereotypical man-hating butch, so...that probably wouldn’t last long. Oh well. She went on about some other shit, but Noah tuned most of it out. Apparently they were classmates? Whatever.
Bitchtits screamed then. Apparently Ginger Ghost’s little ghost decided to pull the twat’s hair. Awesome.
Her lover soon joined them. With a bird on her head. What was with these jackasses and wearing their pokemon as hats? It was...ugh. What. Ever. These people were starting to give Noah a headache. He had to vent some of his frustration soon, else he might start shanking mothafuckas.
And ain’t nobody wants that.
Luckily, the big guy found himself next to the tiniest dude in the room who seemed to be... muttering to himself. Noah heard the word Pinky at least. Was he thinking of a name? Hot damn...this was perfect. He approached the guy from behind and slinked up beside him, before giving the boy a hard slap on the back. Y’know, as a greeting. An aggressive greeting, but people did it. At least, that’s how he’d justify it.
“Good fuckin’ pick, spaz,” he offered in his friendliest voice, utterly oozing sarcasm as he leaned down to get on the shorter guy’s level. “It’s almost as small and pathetic as you.” he continued, pausing to give the guy his widest, shit-eating grin. “Oh? Thinkin’ of a name, eh? I think I can help you out. How’s ‘Pidgeyshit’ sound to you? Or ‘Worthless.’ ‘Pathetic?’" he grinned wider. "Oh! I know. ‘Weedlefood!’ Yeeeaaah...there we go. That one fits the best, I think.” he paused for effect. “I mean, with you in charge of it, the fucker’s gonna be dead and buried within a week.”
Noah finished by standing straight up, unleashing yet another booming laugh, and attempting to ruffle the little guy’s hair.
The bait was set and the line was cast.
Time to catch Noah a jackass.-Yuu Nozomu and Sylvie : New Bark Town-
As the boy smirked, he stared lazily over the girl, still pondering over what inclined her to hold herself back a year. Did she have family issues she was required to resolve? Abigail did seem like a problem child of sorts due to her attitude, but a friend and her excelling in school dissuaded any of that... still, he expected to read some of her possible accomplishments online, but everything was made clear on this very day.
But thoughts later, addressing the subject now and what she retorts is of importance to a degree.
Of course, his plan to unnerve her failed to an extent as the purple haired ball of negativity and hubris responded. Yuu couldn't help but shrug, and sigh; a hit and a miss to make her flustered, but it did not exactly matter now since she was predictably going into her stage where she spouted off anything to disregard what he saw.
As the girl spouted off about how stupid and naive he was, Yuu couldn't help but grunt and unnoticeable shake his head as she put up a new excuse and a familiar courageous front. Seriously, now it was letting him win versus claiming it was a fluke? Honestly, she was still arrogant and disregarding as he last saw her... still, he would believe her if she meant the unweighted battles that the students participated in for fun. Rolling his eyes, Yuu's lax smile dissipated, transforming into an annoyed glare, evidenced by his frown and him looking frustrated at each passing syllable. Yes, he was still giving the girl his undivided attention, but he distasted each word she said, finding it to be rubbish.
"Only queen because of how rowdy and assertive you were; garnered a great deal of attention with that stance," As Yuu thought as he noticed his Eevee jumping around the Cleffa who had tipped over and was struggling to get up. Nonchalantly, he smiled as bit, seeing Sylvie make a new friend - the Star Shaped Pokemon... or was it a rival... he couldn't exactly tell for the most part. Regardless, that smile dissipated as he went back to hearing Abigail out on what she had to say, though he also kept an eye on Sylvie from time to time. He trusted the Eevee, but did not want her to garner any injuries from observing the curiosities around the lab or playing with the Cleffa.
"Throwing away battles to humble yourself in a sense," Yuu blinked for a moment before huffing and shoving his hands into his pockets, continuing to note each fleeting comment. Shrugging, he chose not to believe those words for his own reasons as he spied over the two pokemon again before returning to Abigails mocking speech over how he was supposedly unrefined and her "facts" about how she reigned supreme. So competitive...
"I can only hope Miss Ghostie is fairing well, especially with this brazen speech," Yuu pondered as he looked at the unassuming girl and gave her a small smile to lighten her spirits before removing it quietly and going back to acknowledging Abigail with a solemn glare. "I don't flaunt my grades over everyone..." Honestly, Yuu disliked this straw man more than anything, his frown extending itself.
Physical education was both their fortes too if he recalled - honestly, is there a thing with purple hair that makes certain people really excellent in almost everything? Maybe it had to do with royalty or something? Regality? Eh, who knew as next was another topic she went on - her adorably small and lovable appearing Nidoran. Little guy had a quaint and quirky visage from the looks of it, even vocalizing itself after introducing him.
Really, it was truly adorable, even with the spikes on his back that could easily tear an eye out.
Here, he was somewhat willing to accept he was incorrect on some places, like her choosing the Nidoran to spite him. "But you'll go as low as to insult Sylvie, hypocrite." A simple tch edged out at this statement, finding it to be unjustified and indecisive. If anything, she at least didn't go with a ferocious Houndour; that line of pokes were vicious. Still, if he recalled, ground types were more family oriented, contrary to popular belief...
"She always did display an affinity for ground and steel types due to constantly boasting and gushing... but that's a logical fallacy to assume I forgot what the Nidoran's final stage is." Yuu looked at the little creature and its big red eyes - maybe he and Sylvie could be friends. Speaking of which, Yuu attempted to glance over and catch a glimpse of her as he leaned to the side. Before he could analyze anything, he felt some pressure on his chest, bringing him back to reality.
His shoulders shifted a bit in shock, but his eyes readjusted to the shorter girl rather swiftly, still unfazed by the womans lack of tact and proper facts to back up the bulk of her conversation. To Yuu, he was the Reshiram to her Zekrom; they were both trainers of equal caliber; that would always be the gist of it to him. Of course, the girl seemed genuinely off-guard as soon as the red-head beside him spoke, which evoked a singular eyebrow being raised and a slight jaw drop.
How the heck did she exactly miss this young lady? It wasn't like she was ethereal or metaphysical...
Shrugging, Yuu caught her questioning if the unknown woman was his girlfriend. Before he actually got any say on the matter, she went on to insulting her through him. Alright, he wasn't going to have any of this crap. Yuu could take it if she was denouncing his endeavors to boot and just acting like an overall jerk to only him - moment someone gets tangled in this, he was putting his foot down. Scowling, Yuu took a somewhat aggressive stance, returning Abigail a piercing stare.
"Hey, d-"
Before he could intercept the message, the Misdreavous "invisible" girl chose began yanking on her hair, causing the alpha bitch to screech in pain. Yuu did not expect this and winced as soon as she shouted in his ear. Still, at least her ghost friend was a great player, and Yuu began laughing a bit whilst giving a thumbs up to the ghost, encouraging the torment. That was definitely one way to stop her from acting completely like a jerk, but eventually she would pounce on the opportunity of verbally assaulting them again... and their pokemon.
...
And there it was. Honestly, that was way to harsh, and to him, he was really getting fed up of idly standing by while she basically tells someone to go kill yourself in a sense. She was overstepping her boundaries. As much as he didn't want to stoop down to her standards, Yuu felt the need to relieve some of his irritation over being simply useless and get Abigail off the red-heads case; no regrets. If his knives were eyes, dear lord, their sharpened edges would of slashed myriads of times.
As he was about to go and play the same game, Cerise made her debut with a small green ball known as Natu perched on her shoulder. Yuu paused, before slowly relaxing, easing himself bit by bit as she question what was going on. Crossing his arm, he watched how this all played out, his head lazily drifting to the side as the ravishing lady spoke.
Yuu frowned at the sight of Abigails smirk; not enjoying the inadequate retorts and comments. Still rude per usual and acting cocky. Well, the presence over her friend was... refreshing and allowed him to be somewhat tranquil with Abigail in the vicinity. Smiling, Yuu crossed his arms as he glanced at Cerise, jutting his head every time she said something, displaying his agreement with what she was saying. "I think Cerise just might make this trip bearable... no redirecting focus onto me for now, that'll operate as my last resort."
Of course, Yuu began letting out a few more hehs at the mention of Cerise braiding the purple hair. That was something promising that he would want to see. As soon as the whole spiel between the duo came to a close with the red-head apologizing for Abigails misconduct, Yuu stared at her directly in the eyes. This was probably the closest either of them would receive as an apology from Abigail, much to his chagrin. "I'm legitimately surprised she made a reasonable friend... but thanks for the apology, I appreciate it," Yuu spoke warmly, giving the girl a nod of approval and an amiable grin.
"I do second you braiding her hair, bet it would look great," Yuu winked, his grin widening as he failed at quashing some laughter which came in bits and pieces. After all that, the smaller girl at his side began speaking about ghost pokemon! He always enjoyed a good lesson, even if it was something he already knew; reinvigorated the mind and helps discover new information as well as recall, though he did not exactly understand how much this young lady knew. Maybe he could give her a little assistance if there was anything left out.
Standing and listening, Yuu was steadily hooked onto the girls presentation as she continuously gave the group more information over the creatures. While some of it was true, she did lack mentioning that there were other pokemon similar to Misdreavus, like Shuppet who hold a steady diet of negative emotions that strictly involve malice and other similar emotions... thankfully if he caught one, feeding it would be especially easy; wouldn't be surprised if it grew "round" in the process. It was interesting to hear her perspective, but even more so that she had first hand experience interacting with them. No wonder she spoke valiantly and with liveliness; kind of left Yuu briskly reeling for seconds. Though, he probably wouldn't mind the screaming, considering the maximum amount of sleep he would need was rather low.
Though, what came next was on the unexpected side, leaving the boy bewildered as she excitedly retrieved scraps of paper from her bag, exclaiming in victory. "Eh?" Yuu observed each rectangle as she shoved it towards Abigails face... what was it again? "Talismans, eh?" Taking a swift glance at the haphazardly bag lined on the floor, Yuu set it up straight... before noticing myriads of familiar items in the girls bag.
Blinking for a moment, the first outstanding thing he noticed was a book, or rather a Grimoire from his knowledge. This was probably the only thing he was truly familiar with, aside from the talismans which was said to ward off spiritual entities... and boy, was her bag stuffed to the brim with them, randomly showing up in different places that vexed him. While it was organized somewhat, it was these slivers of parchment that kept him from accepting the way it appeared. His left eye twitched momentarily as he saw some... candles and chalk? Ok, these items were strange indeed, and he did not understand a lick of why they had any sense to be there; more supernatural items if he had to guess Frowning and dazzled, Yuu tore himself away from the bag just as the occult lady finished offering Abigail a stack of paper.
Tapping the girl on the shoulder, Yuu began to pout as he reached the girls height once again, sticking his lip out for emphasis. "Wh-what? Why didn't you offer me any?" He acted slightly jealous as he quizzed the girl, before instantly sloughing off the remains of the joke and smiling again. "Just kidding; I wouldn't want your adorable little Blair to get hungry, so I wouldn't mind if it attempted to spook me or not; you did pretty good with the explanation over why you chose her!... however..."
Yuu spoke with a certain curiosity in his voice as he nudged the girl while jutting his head down at the bag. "It could possibly stem from an obsession with the occult too, no? My knowledge is limited on the subject, but if I'm correct, that is a Grimoire in your bag, right? Holds outlines over how to invoke certain beings and instructs you over how to perform certain incantations, right?"
Once the Cleffa started trotting along, albeit slowly, Sylvie decided to keep pace with the small pokemon, walking along side it. Her tail waggled briskly as the pokemon eyed the prize and then the Cleffa who was slowly making its way over. She was patient and wasn't going to rush her newest best friend of course! As much excitement was contained in the small ball of fur, the Eevee continued to tilt her head back and forth like a pendulum, saying "vee," in a cutesy manner along the way.
Eventually, her resolution payed off after leading the group of two, they were now at their destination... in front of a table that dwarfed the duo. Of course, this wasn't enough to stop the bold Sylvie,!... but her friend... maybe... She squinted at the table, long and hard before taking a glance at her surroundings. The only thing that brightened her up was a chair which she gleefully trotted over to with a triumphant smile on her face. Readying herself, she crouched, filled with determination, and launched herself upwards with a resounding "vee!"
Repeating this process again after landing on the chair, the small pokemon attempted to land with style, but when attempting to land on one foot, the rest of her body came crashing down. She instinctively set out on landing on the rest of her three other legs. Sighing, the pokemons ears wavered, flattening themselves as she looked at the object. Cooing to her partner, the pokemon turned and... found no one behind her... Slowly inching towards the edge, Sylvie found the poor puff ball struggling to even get on the chair.
Looking remorseful, the Eevee jumped down onto the floor in one fleeting move, landing on her two feet once more, much to her chagrin. Nudging the small pink pokemon, she let out a series of growls and chirps that could be identified by the Cleffa as urging it to get on the brown ball of furs back. Once the star shaped being mounted the pokemon, the Eevee would look back and give the puff a broadened smile.
"Vee! Eevee vee ee, vee," the sounds of excitement and warning were mixed in as Sylvie waited for the cute pink pokemon to hold on tightly. Once so, the pokemon would give a big hop that would rocket the duo past the chairs before landing on the table. Hopefully the force didn't cause the small pokemon to fly off, as that would cause some problems for the excited, chipper Sylvie...~Abigail & Cerise~
Abigail waiting for Yuu's response, but received none. Wow...was...was he ignoring her? And she was supposed to be the arrogant one! Way to be a hypocrite, Yuu. She scoffed lightly as she received no rebuttal from the guy. Well, whatever. She would take his silence as him not having a decent reply to her. Instead, she folded her arms on her chest as he changed the subject.
"I'm legitimately surprised she made a reasonable friend... but thanks for the apology, I appreciate it,"
How annoying and droll. If anything, she was surprised he knew what those words even meant. Not to mention, Abigail was perfectly reasonable. She was just concerned for the girl and her ghost pokemon. Needlessly concerned of course, since Abigail shouldn't even be giving them the time of day. If anything, Yuu here was the unreasonable one.
"I do second you braiding her hair, bet it would look great,"
And now he was saying she should do something to specifically annoy her best friend. Cerise's smile faltered only for a moment. Uugh, was he winking at her? She almost wanted to vomit like Abigail suggested earlier. For the love of all fashion, she almost thought he was flirting with her. Abigail simply scoffed at the thought, obviously annoyed that Yuu would even suggest such a thing. Not that she got much of a chance to ponder it.
A fistful of talismans was suddenly shoved in her face, causing her to take a step backwards. Okaaay...ghost girl might just take this a bit too seriously. But well, that wasn't any of her business what other people did in their spare time. If she wanted to make out with ghosts, that was her business.
"Wh-what? Why didn't you offer me any? Just kidding; I wouldn't want your adorable little Blair to get hungry, so I wouldn't mind if it attempted to spook me or not; you did pretty good with the explanation over why you chose her!...however...It could possibly stem from an obsession with the occult too, no? My knowledge is limited on the subject, but if I'm correct, that is a Grimoire in your bag, right? Holds outlines over how to invoke certain beings and instructs you over how to perform certain incantations, aye, nay?"
Abigail sighed. Typical Yuu, always being a clown. She wasn't sure what a Grimoire was, aside from a general definition, but she didn't care all that much. She was, however, pleasantly surprised this girl wasn't all that incompetent. Ghost types weren't her forte, though she did know that bit about Shuppet and Misdreavus. She had a rough knowledge of all pokemon, after all. Typings, move sets, etc. That was how she had bested Yuu in trainer school. Diligence, application of skills, and a little confidence.
He can say he bested her, and that she was the arrogant one all he wanted. That didn't make either of them true.
"Well, if you didn't know the definition Yuu, I'm surprised you even graduated." Abigail replied with a huff, giving Mattie a curious seeming look, her usual smirk displayed on her features. "Well, it appears your not entirely incompetent." Abigail said with a dismissive shrug. "You seem fairly knowledgeable about ghost pokemon, so maybe you're not an entirely lost cause. You're definitely right about certain ghost pokemon liking to make mischief, though not all of them do." She held a hand to her chin, thinking for a few seconds as she furrowed her brow, thinking about something. "Hmm...I'm no expert on ghost pokemon though. Steel and ground types are my forte, though I am also familiar with Fighting, Rock, and Poison types. If you're free sometime later, maybe I'll ask you more about them."
Woah woah. Abigail was considering asking someone for help in an area? Cerise was a little...shocked. Well, not that it mattered really. If Abigail said it was alright, then it was alright, but Abigail shouldn't admit her lack of knowledge so easily, should she? Cerise was conflicted. Abigail was perfect...there was no way this plebeian had anything to teach her!...unless Abigail was just going to be humoring her or something. That seemed much more likely. Well, Cerise could understand that.
"Anyways," Abigail said with a shrug. "Keep an eye on that Misdreavus. Might pull on someone's hair that doesn't like pokemon." Tyrian had been looking up at Mattie with the biggest eyes he could manage, still throwing up its paws like a dog wanting to have its belly rubbed. It let out a few cries of disappointment that Mattie hadn't picked him up and cuddled him, but well, that was quickly dissolved when Abigail knelt down in front of Mattie and picked him up, putting him back on her shoulder.
"Come on, Cerise. You got a Natu, did you?" She said walking away from the two of them.
"A-ah! Y-yes I did. His name is Sage." The two then began discussing the pokemon among themselves as they left, with Abigail likely giving a few small pointers about the pokemon to Cerise. Though, any serious teaching she'd be doing would be out in the field.~Professor Elm~
Looking at all theses trainers filled the aging professor with a little bit of pride. Even a few years ago when it was more common for trainers to receive pokemon like this, he always left feeling a little proud. Now thought, there was also worry. The world was changing, taking a turn for what some might call it worse. He prayed nothing happened to the young trainers, and that they all made their journey safely.
But of course, them dawdling about here in the lab wasn't going to help anything.
"Alright, since everyone has their pokemon I think its time all of you got going." He said to the group. He walked out from behind the table, Alfred following behind him. "It's already passed Noon! It would be better if you could go ahead and get at least halfway to Cherrygrove before dark."
Alfred waved goodbye to the trainers, before going back and gathering up placing the rest of the pokemon that weren't taken. They'd have to find someone else to give them too. Maybe a Daycare in Kanto or Hoenn. They'd keep them a few more days, of course, just in case there were any late comers, but they'd have to do something with them in the next few weeks.
So they were leaving, then? Finally. Abigail could hardly stand this lab and incompetent seeming people any more. Getting outside and with Tyrian and possibly getting some training done with him and Sage would be a nice change of pace. Without another word, she left the lab and made her way towards route 29, Cerise following behind.
(OKAY, THAT'S EVERYTHING AND DON'T POST ANYTHING I'LL WRITE UP A SUMMARY OF EVERYONE GETTING TO ROUTE 29 SOONISH
kthxbai)
GM
Nightmare Bunny An Organized Magical Girl
Member
Seen
8 yrs ago
~Sidney Garland~Ace reporter, coming to you form Goldenrod!
"GOOOOOOD AFTERNOOOOOOOON, JOHTO!" Those were the first words anyone listening would hear blast through their radio or television, likely also blasting their eardrums to shreds from the girls loud, somewhat obnoxious seeming voice.
The girl in question, Sidney Garland was sitting behind a desk wearing her usual work suit - though she was wearing dress pants instead of a skirt like her co-host, and the suit was a bit messy. What? She didn't like skirts and dressy clothes. Too restrictive. How could she climb a radio tower to get a good scoop in a skirt? Well, not that she minded people seeing what color underwear she really wore, but that was a different story. Point - she hated suits and dresses, but the network insisted she wore them. Well, she'd wear them her way then!
Her bright red hair had been cut short, her blue eyes were as mischievous looking as ever and she was wearing her usual grin. Currently, she was holding a stack of papers. Scripts, info and other things she was recommended to say and do.
...kek. Like she had ever needed a script other than her own.
"Welcome to the Garland Report!~" Sidney continued with a bright smile. "Name still pending by the way, if any of you have suggestions for a better name, send them in! I am curious as to your thoughts!~" The young looking girl then looked down at her script, ruffling through the pages as she hummed lightly to herself, looking for a juicy story or something to report on.
"So, so, moving on to today's topic! A new group of trainers have recently left Professor Elm's lab with new pokemon!" Sidney continued. That was likely to cause a bit of controversy for the viewers, since that was a bit of a touchy subject to some people. Not that she particularly cared in the long run. As long as she reported the exciting, juicy, truth, nothing else really mattered. "They should be almost to Cherrygrove now, if they followed the traditional routes! Or maybe they decided to be brave and trek all the way to Blackthorn! Who knows! We'll probably know in the Obituaries sometime next week!~" She laughed, a bit loudly at the rather dark bit of humor there.
"Right right, and moving on...a Company from Kanto has recently brought the land around Sprout Tower in Violet City! Word is, they plan to demolish the old tower and mow down the cultural site and replace it with some fancy mall or something." She paused for a moment, letting the words sink in. "Now, they haven't started yet and the purchase was just now completed, but...the residents of Violet don't seem all that concerned with it. It's well known in recent years since the laws banning pokemon, Violet has suffered quite a bit, and the company has been pushing to develop the area for quite some time. A surveyor from the company said that it'll be easy to take care of, and that the new mall that will bring new life to Violet."
She started clicking her pen, humming another tune as she flipped through the papers again.
"That's it for most of the major stories right now! All is calm everywhere else in Johto - ah wait, one more thing - The Mexatus corporations CEO has issued a statement saying that he will offer a large sum of money for anyone that can help with any insight into the issue of pokemon going feral, and has offered to give a large sum of money to any professor who needs it for research into the phenomena. And that's it for now! Moving onto the weather!~" She stood from her chair, moving over to a large screen behind her, a map of Johto displayed with various weather patterns and other things displayed for everyone to see.
"All is clear in Olivine and the other coastal regions of Johto! It's the start of summer, so be sure to wrap up warm and stay cool! Don't want any of my awesome loyal viewers getting heatstroke or anything!~" She leaned over after saying that, putting her face closer to the camera. "And if you do, just give me a call and I'll make a surprise appearance to whatever hospital you want to...cheer you up~" She chuckled mischievously before continuing, the producer face palming quite audibly and visibly. "Ecruteak and Mahogany have fairly normal temperatures for this time of year, and Goldenrod was just hit by a nasty rainstorm that's now moving to Azalea. It's predicted to finally subside somewhere over route 32!~ If you are one of the unlucky few that get caught, remember to take cover and have an umbrella with you! Colds are no fun, especially in the middle of summer!" After shuffling through a few more papers, she evened them out, laying them flat on the circular desk she was sitting at, and folding her hands on top of them in quite the professional looking manner.
"And that's all for this afternoon, my loyal viewers! Be sure to check in tomorrow for any updates any anything else happening throughout Johto! Good evening everyone, and stay safe! Especially you young trainers out there! We don't want to see any of your names in the Obituaries!"
And with that, the news program did its usual outro and switched to a commercial, signaling the end of the segment.~Abigail Blanchett~
~Route 29~
After leaving Newbark with the others, Abigail mostly remained by herself, taking the lead. Well, at least she was walking in front of the others, anyways. Whether she was actually leading them or not, was questionable and probably wasn't the case. Well, for most of them. Abigail's Nidoran, Tyrian was pouncing on random tufts of grass, not straying to far from her, like he was practicing sneaking up on some pokemon. She admittedly found him slightly adorable, but no one was going to know that. She was too busy making sure they didn't get pounced on by some violent pokemon themselves. While nothing on Route 29 would be particularly dangerous or hazardous...even a tiny mistake could lead to someone getting injured or hurt, and she would like to not be injured or hurt in any way, shape, or fashion.
Cerise, had decided to hang back with a few of the others. Not getting to far away from Yuu or Mattie, attempting to make some small conversation with either of them. She still didn't know what Cerise wanted with them, but knowing her, it wasn't that good. Well, if she wanted to make nice with everyone, she could.
Tyrian brought her out of her solitary thoughts as he nudged her leg. He was looking up at her with large, almost impossibly cute eyes. With a small chuckle, she knelt down, giving the guy a small pat on his head. He nuzzled her hand and placed his two front paws on her legs, tilting his head slightly.
"Nido?" He cried...and then both of their stomachs rumbled.
...seemed like they both agreed food would be good now. She picked the guy up in her arms, letting him settle before standing back up. She sighed, looking up at the sky. The sun was going down, and it'd be night soon. At this rate, if they made camp they'd probably be at Cherrygrove sometime around midday tomorrow. Plus, she was fairly certain she was getting hungry. Food sounded delicious right about now, actually. So much so, she could already smell the food she was imagining in her head.
...okay. yeah, camp sounded good. And food - mostly the food. She hoped someone here could cook well. Despite usually eating five full meals and various snacks all day, she was a terrible cook. Well, hopefully the others would agree with the idea. It would be better to set up camp either way, even if she was just wanting to do it mostly for food. Traveling at night would be a pretty bad idea. Pokemon in the day were easy enough to deal with - they could usually see them coming. But at night? They could sneak up on you fairly easily, if you weren't extremely careful, and she didn't fancy being food for a Noctowl or some other nocturnal pokemon.
"Hmm...I think it'd be best if we went ahead and made camp, here." She said, turning to face the group. "It's getting late and setting it up now, rather than later after the sun has fallen would be the best idea." Though she said that, it would still be a few hours before the sun actually set. Plenty of time for others to catch whatever pokemon they wanted too, as well, while others set about making camp and getting everything ready.
"This is a nice enough place, I think. Enough of a clearing for us to all set up a tent, and it'd be easy enough to deal with any pokemon that decided to mess with us." Tyrian nodded in agreement, though he was probably just doing that because it was Abigail who suggested it. The little guy probably didn't really understand anything other than camp meant sleep and food. "Besides, i think most of us are pretty hun-"
She didn't even finish the sentence before her stomach let out a rather loud rumble.
"Hungry. I think most of us are pretty hungry, so getting food would be a good idea, too." She finished, completely ignoring her stomach.~Cerise Fontaine~
~Route 29~
Cerise walked, doing her best to get acquainted with everyone in the group they were traveling with - though she kept close to Yuu and Mattie since Abigail seemed intent on walking ahead of everyone. She probably thought she was the leader. The thought made the red head giggle a bit. Typical Abigail - she hadn't changed at all since she last saw her during her graduation from trainer school. That was...what, a year ago? She couldn't exactly recall, but she was as full of confidence as ever.
That was just one of the many things Cerise admired about her friend. If Abigail wanted it, then she got it. And Cerise would help her in anyway possible.
In. Any. Way. Possible. She shot a glance over at Yuu. It wasn't a hostile glance - in fact, it was rather friendly. At least, to other people it would be. In reality though, Cerise hated the little man. He was a bit rude to Abigail, that much was obvious, and anyone who was rude to Abigail was...well...she would not allow. So far he had remained mostly...amicable, and if he remained so then she wouldn't do anything.
Of course, the voice of Abigail brought her out of her thoughts.
"Hmm...I think it'd be best if we went ahead and made camp, here."
Well, if Abigail suggested it, it was probably a good idea since she knew what she was doing. The sun seemed to be sinking fairly low into the sky as well - even she was smart enough to understand traveling at night was probably a bad idea. She didn't fancy being harassed by some Hoothoot. She had enough of that from that runt of a Natu earlier. Where was that thing anyways?
As if on cue, the little bird lighted on her shoulder. He probably heard Abigails suggestion, and was agreeing with her. Well, it seemed he wasn't stupid. Just annoying.
"Besides, i think most of us are pretty hun-"
Abigails stomach rumbled rather loudly, and Cerise couldn't help but giggle a bit at that.
"Hungry. I think most of us are pretty hungry, so getting food would be a good idea, too."
"I think you just want food." Cerise teased. "I mean, you think with your stomach more than your brain anyways, and you sound fairly hungry, Abby, dear~"
This earned a small glare from Abigail, before she gave a small sigh.
"And so what If I'm hungry? Its a fact its going to be late, soon, and walking at night is a bad idea." Abigail replied, with a bit of a huff. "Besides, its not like I'm the only one."
"Hehe, sorry, sorry, Abigail but it is a good idea, I think. Erm...I am a bit famished myself, and I'm certain Sage is as well."
"Aside from Cerise's incessant teasing...and me being hungry, I think its the best course of action to start making camp before night falls."
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8 yrs ago
Ivy Aspen“The No-Good, Very Bad, Terrible Day”
The truth was, Ivy Aspen was having a terrible day.
It started with her morning. She’d woken up to a text message from her mother: “Choose the grass type, honey!” That was frustrating, but fine. Ivy was used to her parents’ odd obsession with grass-types.
But then she’d gotten stopped outside the Pokemon Lab and asked to show her ID — apparently it was fairly common for small children to claim to be older than they really were in a desperate bid to obtain a Pokemon.
That had pushed her into the outer-reaches of her annoyance spectrum. Nothing annoyed Ivy Aspen more than being mistaken for a small child.
“I’m sixteen!” she’d snapped, wholly unimpressed, standing on her tiptoes for maximum intimidation factor. She straightened her collar angrily and, when that failed to have any effect whatsoever, she smoothed down her skirt for good measure.
In response, the gangly young lab assistant had crossed his arms and sniffed. “That’s what they all say, little lady. Now show me the ID.”
Her ID was valid, of course, because she really was sixteen. It wasn’t her fault that she was short and had a major case of babyface.
Then the professor had immediately assumed that having green hair meant that she wanted the Chikorita, which she most certainly did not, and when she’d told him that she wanted the Mareep instead, he’d had the nerve to ask whether she wanted to name it Fluffy.
“Fluffy?” she’d repeated, in a tone of deadened incredulity. No Pokemon of Ivy’s was ever going to be named Fluffy. “No thanks. His name’s Lord Tesla.”
So things would have been probably had been alright if that had been all. She’d tagged along with the first group of trainers that she’d found and gotten the hell out of there.
But then…
Then, of course, when they’d nearly reached Cherrygrove, they’d found the Onix. The rampaging, sixty-foot-long, frothing-at-the-mouth-crazy Onix. The Onix that had tried to eat them all, and perhaps had managed to eat a few of the trainers that she’d been with.
To be completely honest, Ivy had no idea what had happened to her companions. They’d gotten separated within minutes. There was no way that Ivy was getting eaten by some stupid Onix, after all. She had a bakery to start up.
So she’d run like hell in the opposite direction, and that was how Ivy Aspen ended up standing exactly three-quarters of the way between New Bark Town and Cherrygrove City at four o’clock in the afternoon.
She sighed. Forget the law: she'd probably prefer travelling alone.
After smoothing down her clothes and fixing her long green hair, Ivy looked as immaculate as always. Not a hint of emotion flickered across her face.
But underneath that blank-faced mask, Ivy was…
Well, Ivy was angry.
And then there came a sound. A rustling sound. Ivy froze, memories of the rampaging Onix still fresh in her mind.
With one hand on her Pokeball, she turned...
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-Yuu Nozomu : Route 29-
Of course it wasn't long before the purple haired boy followed suit, departing from the lab with the rest of his companions. Rather than take a front in the group, Yuu lingered near the middle to keep tabs on any prying pokemon that neared the bundle of greenhorns. Of course, as he did so, the taller boy removed his backpack, deftly retrieving his Holo-caster from its place before adorning his backpack again. Looking around the area, Yuu lowered the sound on the volume of the device before placing it near his ear. While this route wasn't considered to be too dangerous, one misstep could spell disaster, and something noisy could definitely attract unwarranted attention. As he placed the item by his ear, Yuu kept a close eye on his Eevee who seemed to be curiously following after the purple ball of spikes.
Her eyes were wide with excitement, her mouth open as she bit at some of the pieces of grass. Her tail swished as she zagged, playing with each tuft before running to the Nidorans side, attempting to get its attention. It was somewhat futile though, but she kept interacting with the environment. That a elicited a small smile from Yuu as she cooed at Tyrian, his gaze softening as the news began to start.
It wasn't at all difficult to keep up a conversation while the news was going on, but his attention was somewhat split between chatting with Cerise, watching Sylvie closely, and listening to Miss Garland. As it began, Yuu visibly winced, one of his eyes shutting in pain whilst his teeth began to grind briefly. The blaring screech of the Hellion was loud enough for a few people around him to hear, but not enough to garner any attention from any pokemon, aside from the few with him.
Listening, the boy was somewhat quiet to begin with, raising an eyebrow on the topic of a fresh batch of trainers departing from Professor Elm's Lab. To begin with, that was an item that would surely stir up the masses, and for another matter piqued Yuu's curiosity. How the heck did they catch wind of a group of novices leaving the lab? Frowning, Yuu pondered on the subject at hand, frowning as he kept his ears perked on the subject matter at hand.
"I can only imagine how they got that information so quickly out; maybe a person from New Bark Town gave em' the scoop?" Yuu shrugged as they went onto the topic of destroying the Sprout Tower and erecting a new mall from the ruins. It sounded nice on paper, but it was a historical site that had some relevance. Yuu felt the reasoning was because it was less dangerous? But from what he heard, Sprout Tower had ghost type inhabitants that would be lacking a home if it was demolished... could spell trouble for the people of Violet and possibly the mall itself.
He would poke around and say why not make room by cutting down trees, but it would disrupt the ecosystem a tinge; plus it sounded truly hypocritical. But still, in his opinion, he wouldn't even touch the tower... but he couldn't exactly impact the choices or make a difference. Sighing, Yuu continued to chat while listening to the news.
Next was the mention of a familiar company Yuu's father worked for. His face lightened up at the fleeting mention of the corporation and their support for figuring out the cause of this unruly circumstance of feral pokemon. That gave some hope for him, especially now that he thought back to Elm as he prattled on about an egg... one of which he had to take Sylvie away from. Poor girl was pouting at the boy for a bit, but understood after some explanation... if she truly understood the relevance.
Next came the weather which he doted on from time to time, keeping it in tandem just as preparation, though he did visibly roll his eyes as Sidney raised up the facet that she would make a surprise visit to cheer said viewer up... yeah, right. Afterwards, the program ended and Yuu pocketed the device before speaking about the subjects mentioned on the news, especially the ones involving them all.
"So apparently we're famous now..."
As Yuu finished up his explanation of Sprout Tower, the complacent group came to a halt at the mention of a hungry Abigail voicing her opinion on them setting up camp for the night. Yuu glanced up at the skys, frowning. The group could easily traverse twenty more minutes before settling down, but Abigail would probably stubbornly enforce her opinion before snobbishly blowing him off.
And then came the audible rumbling of her stomach. Of course, she was thinking for herself rather than anyone else. There was no general consensus, but not everyone could be hungry at the same time for the most part. Shrugging, Yuu shaked his head as her stomach continued to growl, growing louder at the moment. Yuu looked up, feeling that it was a better idea to set up at this point, considering that if they didn't shut her gut up, everyone would be endangered because of how alerting it was.
Of course, Sylvie came to a full fledged halt after Tyrian cried out and was picked up by Abigail. Sylvie continued to bounce up and down, attempting to get the small purple pokemons attention, but eventually gave up and trotted back towards her ally, to which she nuzzled his leg. This prompted Yuu too look down and give the Eevee a smile as he picked her up. As she soared, Sylvie managed to wiggle her way out and jump onto his shoulder. Chuckling, Yuu accepted that as the way she floated before addressing Abigail.
"Even though she is thinking more or less with her stomach, she does raise valid points with dusk being upon us. I prefer for us not having to deal with an incessant group of pokemon at late." Yuu tapped his lip with his free arm, squinting at the girl as he frowned. "Plus if we don't get you fed, that stomach of yours might draw trouble since it's rather noisy; not going to risk another twenty minutes because of that..."
Setting his sizable bag down, Yuu began to remove the parts for his tent from his arsenal, but not before looking up and smiling at Cerise. "Say, Cerise, you mentioned you needed some assistance going over pokemon right? Once I'm done pitching my tent, I could help you for a spell before searching for some twigs. How does that sound?" As he spoke, Sylvie began nudging a few rocks towards what Yuu considered the center of the camp. Whether she was playing around or not, it would be helpful for starting a fire pit.
Slowly and surely, Yuu began setting up his quarters for the night, whistling a familiar tune from the band Own Tempo. This would be more than enough to hold two people, maximum. Whatever various things people did, they could do it at their own discretion as long as they did their fair share, setting up where they would rest for the night. Even though the dark had not overtook the trainers, Yuu felt a sense of dread as he clicked his tongue, pausing for a few seconds as he glanced at the sky. Sylvie saw this and shivered for a bit, almost as if she understood the thoughts roaming throughout Yuu's head.
"Hum..."
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~Cerise Fontaine~
"Even though she is thinking more or less with her stomach, she does raise valid points with dusk being upon us. I prefer for us not having to deal with an incessant group of pokemon at late. Plus if we don't get you fed, that stomach of yours might draw trouble since it's rather noisy; not going to risk another twenty minutes because of that..."
At this Abigail's face turned a bright shade of red, not pleased and a bit embarrassed that someone called her out on her stomach. Of course it would be Yuu of all people. Unlike Cerise who she could take a bit of teasing from, Yuu she could not. Her eyes narrowed at Yuu, hugging Tyrian tightly to her chest as she frowned at him.
"My stomach is not that loud! If anyone is going to draw attention to us, it's going to be you and your annoying mouth." Whatever though, she didn't have to put up with Yuu at the moment. Needless to say though, she was obviously flustered and wasn't going to be responding well to any further jabs. Cerise simply laughed lightly at the scene, though internally she was a little ball of seething rage. She in fact, would love to off Yuu right now simply since he had angered Abigail.
So when he offered to teach her a few things...well. Why not? Maybe he could have an accident.
"Ah...if you wouldn't mind Yuu. I suppose it's rather obvious I have...no skill at all, non?" She laughed lightly at the jab she made to herself. She could endure the air this plebeian breathed for now. It would be beneficial perhaps as well, for her own skills. "I would be très reconnaissant if you wouldn't mind." With that agreement then, Cerise walked over to Abigail. One last moment of sanity before she had to deal with Yuu. She had walked off, deciding to place her tent a bit further out from everyone else's. Tyrian was trying to mimic Abigail and pick up part of the tent in his paws, before standing on two legs and trying to help.
"If you wouldn't mind, dear, could you put up our tent by yourself?" Cerise asked, Sage still perched on her shoulder.
"...Our tent? You didn't bring your own?" Abigail asked, looking at Cerise.
"I...uhm...well, came here on short notice and I didn't have much time to prepare..." Cerise simply gave Abigail the most innocent seeming, friendly, cutesy and sheepish grin she could manage. Abigail simply placed a hand on her forehead, a quiet groan escaping her lips as she mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'goddamn it cerise'.
"Fine, but when we get to a mart, we'll by you one. Mine can hold two, but it's not exactly comfortable." Abigail replied, before turning back to setting up the tent.
"Ah, merci!~" She gave Abigail a quick hug, but didn't linger and instead headed off to find Yuu again.~Abigail Blanchett~
After setting up their tent, Abigail decided to see if she could find any interesting pokemon to catch, or just train Tyrian against in general. Training was good, and if Cerise was going to get some help from Yuu, then that was just as well as if Cerise asked her. She didn't like admitting it, but Yuu was probably just about as skilled as she was. Again, not that she'd ever admit that...especially to him. Stubborn pride was a bitch sometimes, though not that she'd ever give it up so easily.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Abigail walked a bit of a ways from the group. She was confident she could handle herself, even if she was alone. Aside from the fact, that she knew her pokemon, hazards, and was fairly certain she already knew what Tyrian was capable of. Plus, if all else failed she could always run. Not that it was an option she was going to take unless she was going to be sorely outclassed and lose quite easily, though.
"Hmm...see anything Tyrian? Oh, Tyrian you silly thing." She said with a sigh and a small smile. The Nidoran was following right along behind Abigails heels, and unfortunately followed a bit too close and its chin got caught on Abigails foot as she walked. It stumbled backwards, looking a bit dazed from the impact. She knelt down, and gave the pokemon a pat on the head and a small smile.
"You really aren't the brightest one out there, are you?" She said. Not that it mattered though. She'd train him, and he would eventually be one of the best Nidoking's out there, if not the best. She was certain of it. The Nidoran simply let cried a bit in slight embarrassment.
"Oh don't give me that. One of these days, you'll be the best Nidoran in the region!" Abigail said, standing up. "But you've gotta train, and training means keeping a look out for any rare pokemon to catch and battle." She scanned the surrounding area, looking for any pokemon. After a bit of looking, she found a perfect target. Hanging by a thread from a tree branch...was a green little pokemon known as Spinarak. It was asleep, making it the perfect target to catch off guard. Some good experience for Tyrian.
"Alright, Tyrian." Abigail quietly said. "See that Spinarak? Use Peck on on it." Nidoran saw the Spinarak, and it pawed the ground, eager to prove itself now. Tyrian leaped into the air, its hind legs propelling its horn right into the low hanging, sleeping Spinarak.
Unfortunately, Tyrian was perhaps going a bit too fast. The spider woke on impact, sending Tyrian and it flying over a small shrub. Tyrian, being heavier fell just short of clearing it, tumbling through the branches onto the ground and landing at the feet of some girl Abigail didn't recognize. The Spinarak, though...was launched and landed right on the girls face.
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8 yrs ago
Ivy Aspen“A Date With Destiny”
A sound from the bushes. A rustling sound. Ivy froze, memories of the rampaging Onix still fresh in her mind.
With one hand on her Pokeball, she turned... and immediately got a face full of spider Pokemon.
She froze, accidentally dropping the Pokeball, and Lord Tesla burst out of his prison in a flash of red light.
The Spinarak squirmed on her face, its six legs twitching. And then, abruptly, it stopped moving, hypnotized by the sweet smell of baked goods that clung to its host. It paused for a moment, and then began to chew on Ivy’s cheek.
It took Ivy a second to process what was going on. First — there was a spider trying to make a meal out of her face. Next — there was a Pokemon at her feet, and it had started licking her stockings.
Finally, although it was difficult to tell with a Spinarak obstructing her view… there was a person in front of her. Another trainer, probably.
Well, first things first. With a muffled sigh, she plucked the Spinarak off her face to examine it. It looked fairly bashed up already, but not particularly hostile: perhaps it had been lulled into a sense of complacency by the smell of her hair?
Regardless, she dropped the irritating creature on the ground with a sigh. Lord Tesla, who seemed irritated by his abrupt entrance, snarled furiously and sent a jolt of electricity at the insect Pokemon. It squeaked in terror and fled into the bushes.
With the target of its ire gone, Tesla turned on the nearest convenient target: the Pokemon at Ivy’s feet. It was a Nidoran, Ivy noticed detachedly. The Mareep growled threateningly and pawed at the ground.
Things were just… not working out well for Ivy Aspen today, but at least it hadn’t been an Onix.
“Tesla,” she said, unable to muster up the energy to speak in anything other than a monotone. “It’s fine. Come here.”
She reached down and scooped up her crackling Mareep, wincing at the static shock. The Nidoran was still on her leg, so she raised it up and shook it off gently.
With the immediate problems settled, the only thing left to deal with was… the trainer. It was a tall girl, much taller than Ivy herself, with long purple hair and bright green eyes.
She looked… haughty. The Nidoran probably belonged to her — they weren’t particularly common on Route 29.
“You should collect your Pokemon,” said Ivy tonelessly. “The Nidoran’s yours, right? If you’re a trainer. I didn’t see you with the others, before we got separated by the Onix.”
She shrugged, and gave her Mareep a slow stroke. Lord Tesla baa-ed softly, and then gave the newcomer a venomous look.
To be completely honest, Ivy couldn’t blame him. There was something about this new girl that… ticked her off.
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8 yrs ago
~Abigail Blanchett~
Honestly, Abigail hadn't been expecting to run into another trainer all the way out here, let alone one who was by herself. She must have been with another group of trainers, then. It was the only logical conclusion to assume, here, after all traveling alone was considered...sort of illegal. So what was the other girl doing out here? Abigail had no idea, and she honestly didn't care a whole lot. What she did care about, was that something smelled delicious, which wasn't exactly good since she was already sort of hungry.
"Huh? Right. Right, uh, Tyrian." Abigail walked over to the girl, calling out to Tyrian as she approached. The purple pokemon fell onto the ground right on his back as he took a big sniff of the air, before rolling over onto his stomach and turning right back around to Ivy and waltzing right back over. Abigail managed to grab him before he could try chewing on the girls leg again, though.
"Uh, sorry about that. But yeah, I am a trainer, the Nidoran is mine." Abigail continued, turning a bit red. Something definitely smelled good. Something this girl had on her, maybe? Maybe she had just eaten or something. Whatever it was, it was throwing her slightly off. Not that it really mattered. Right. That Mareep was glaring at her, and it was making her a tiny bit annoyed.
"But what's a kid like you doing out here by yourself?" Abigail asked, her usual jerkiness finally finding itself again as she gathered her composure. "Don't you know that's illegal? And aren't you a little young to be a pokemon trainer anyways?" The girl continued with a huff. "Shouldn't you run home to your parents or something before you get hurt?"
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Ivy Aspen“Lead the Way”
"Huh? Right. Right, uh, Tyrian,” said the other girl, scooping up her wayward Pokemon. She seemed somewhat flustered, and Ivy dispassionately wondered whether it was because she was embarrassed by her Nidoran’s behavior. "Uh, sorry about that. But yeah, I am a trainer, the Nidoran is mine."
So she had been right, then— this was another trainer, and probably just as much of a beginner at her new occupation as Ivy was.
"But what's a kid like you doing out here by yourself?" asked the other girl, suddenly seeming to regain her composure, and Ivy froze.
At the mention of the word ‘kid’, any limited goodwill that Ivy had briefly possessed for the girl abruptly vanished. The look on her face turned chillier than Snowpoint City in late December.
"Don't you know that's illegal? And aren't you a little young to be a pokemon trainer anyways?" continued the girl huffily. "Shouldn't you run home to your parents or something before you get hurt?"
Run home to her… parents? If she wasn’t careful, Ivy was going to hit something. It was like this girl was trying to push all of Ivy’s buttons.
The following silence was so thick that it was almost stifling.
“I’m sixteen years old,” Ivy said frostily, her fingers clenching in Mareep’s fur. “Perhaps you should get your eyes checked.”
Calm, calm… she had to stay in control. She was alone, and everyone knew that travelling alone was illegal. It was dangerous in Johto nowadays, after all.
She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.
“Regardless, if you’re a trainer as well, then I will have to follow you, at least until we reach Cherrygrove,” said Ivy, her voice lapsing back into monotone. “I was unfortunately separated from my group by a wild Onix attack.”
She opened her eyes and gave Tesla one last pat before putting him back down on the ground. The Mareep pawed at the ground experimentally, and slunk off to stare maliciously at the other girl from behind Ivy’s leg.
“Anyway,” said Ivy impassively, feeling a little calmer now. “If we’re going to be traveling together, then I should introduce myself. I’m Ivy Aspen, from Ecruteak City. It’s a pleasure, I suppose.”
Honestly, as haughty as this girl seemed, it was probably a good thing that Ivy had run into her. Following the law was probably a good thing, after all.
She'd just have to... wait for this girl to lead the way.
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8 yrs ago
-Route 29-
Noah was silent. He had been silent for a very long time. Back at the lab, he had chosen silence rather than to taunt the smallfry. He had almost did it...even had ran through exactly how that little encounter would have went down in his mind’s eye, but…
Nope. Silence.
He had chosen instead to just leave. He had his pokemon, his license, and some supplies...but he hadn’t thought of one itty-bitty little wrinkle in his plan…
There was only one path from New Bark to Cherrygrove. Well, only one path that wouldn’t leave him bleeding and broken in the middle of the woods. And since there was only one path, everyone had decided to take it. Unfortunately for Noah, everyone had decided to take it…at the same time. Just fucking peachy. He could likely split from the nerds sometime around then...Violet at the latest. From there, he’d head to Goldenrod. He didn’t NEED to do the challenge bullshit. All he WANTED was to be able to drag around a couple pokemon without the law sticking it’s fat nose into things. Sure, he’d probably end up using them for some...less than legal purposes, but as much of his own ass that he could cover, he would.
But until then, he was stuck with somehow the most obnoxiously chatty human beings on the goddamn planet. PurpleFuckBoi and the Ginger (snotty slut Ginger, not creepy ghost Ginger) had chatted the entire time they had been walking. The entire time. Not just for a few moments here or there, no. The entire time.
The.
Entire.
Time.
It was grating, their voices. The endless, mindless droning nearly caused Noah to break. He had begun grinding his teeth, which helped at first, but those horrible voices just kept going on and on and on… nothing could stop it. A couple times, Noah started to butt in, to do literally anything to get even a moment of silence, but ironically enough, he couldn’t find his voice. Not because he was shy, nervous, or even hesitant about making a group utterly despise him, because fuck that noise. No, he couldn’t find his voice because his mouth was so desperately dry.
He had become so unbelievably salty that his frustration was literally dehydrating him. The man was salt incarnate, poised to rain down vile bile upon all who were unfortunate enough to stand in his way.
...seriously, forget Pipsqueak. Forget ButchBitch. Hell, even forget Tits McGee the Lighter Thief.
The two scumlords go down first. He’d figure out how later. For now, he would just have to be content thinking of things to shove into his ears. Glass, maybe?
So it shouldn’t come to much of a surprise to know that Noah hung back at the tail of the pack for the entire trip, offering nothing but scowls and glares to anybody who came near. The twat up front looked about as pleasant as one might expect from a psychobitch, so...no. Then of course, the scumlords and their pet ghost was next. Which left...who? Pipsqueak and...uh…
It didn’t even matter. Wasn’t gonna happen. Noah went solo. So he was the last to get the memo about group stopping for the night. But that was fine. He was cool with the idea. It was getting late, and he really just wanted to laze out for a bit. His hand went down to his side and touched the lone pokeball hanging from his belt. He had to admit, he wanted to play with the pooch a bit more as well. Honestly? The damn thing was pretty fucking cute.
-
Camp was made without any hiccups. At least, none that Noah had noticed. He had pitched what would have to serve as a tent...which was pretty much just a blanket propped up with sticks, covering a sleeping bag. To whoever left all that gear just lying in his unlocked car back in Goldenrod, Noah gives his most earnest thanks.
When he finished, he gazed upon the sloppy mess that would be his sleeping arrangements for the night and turned to check out the others. To his surprise and disappointment, they hadn’t ended up hanging themselves with their own tents. Yay? Oh well. Maybe next time.
Still...the campsite did seem a bit...quiet.
…
Quiet?
…
Noah scanned the group…
…
Welp. The scumlords were gone. Off to make the most obnoxious babies imaginable, eh? Noah wept for humanity. Well...maybe they’d get mauled by a passing Ursaring? Yeah, yeah, probably not, but a boy could dream, couldn’t he?
Pfft…
The quiet was nice. Hot damn, was it nice. Goldenrod was never quiet so this...this was a nice change. Noah gave the camp one last scan before heading off, unknowingly, in the same direction that the scumlords had walked some time beforehand. As he strolled out of camp and into the wilderness, he casually sent out Bowser to get some air and exercise. The Houndour gave him an understandably confused look, but when Noah returned with his trademarked glare, the pooch fell into line, following at the man’s heels.
Nipping at them.
It was somewhat annoying, and made walking more of a chore, but he didn’t mind too much. Not yet, anyway. The little guy was obviously just a pup...and this was their first day together. He’d break the dog soon enough. For now, might as well let it have it’s fun. Besides, he didn’t want to discourage the aggressive behavior TOO much. What use would there be in a fucking hippie dog? Like...just covered in flowers and shit. Ew. No.
So on they marched, man and beast, into the unknown, blissfully unaware of the traumatizing horror that lay ahead.
…
Noah really needed a goddamn cigarette.
Fuck Tits McGee.
GM
Nightmare Bunny An Organized Magical Girl
Member
Seen
8 yrs ago
-Yuu Nozomu and Cerise Fontaine: Battle Ship-
Yuu snickered for a concise amount of time after that minor jab, giving Abigail a small untraceable smile as he continued setting up his tent. He was glad the girl agreed to learning from him as she seemed curious on their journey here. As the boy continued to swiftly set up his tent, Sylvie had finally finished setting up a stack of rocks. Backing up, the small ball of fur began circling it, focusing on it with the intent of battling it... before pouncing onto it, causing the pebbles to scatter.
Yuu noticed this as the pokemon looked up at him, gazing with glee while smiling playfully with an agape jaw. Yuu smiled back, displaying his affinity for the pokemons actions. With his approval from what she was concerned about, Sylvie slowly bounced over, delighted as she rubbed her head against Yuu's legs. Briefly pausing on the part of the tent he was working on, he knelt down petting Sylvie. "Thank's for the affection Sylvie, but I don't want to accidentally hurt you while setting up the tent... could you wait a little bit longer?"
Looking up, the Eevees ears flattened and she gave him a nod, somewhat sad at the moment. "S-sorry, but I promise I'll spend time with you in a bit... heck, maybe we could involve others as well, alright?" Her face lit up like fireworks and she eagerly nodded. Giving Yuu one last show of tenderness she nuzzled his legs before trotting off, gathering the rocks at the same position.
...
Eventually, the tent was completely erected, albeit fleetingly, ready for anyone to rest within. Glad that it was over, Yuu beckoned Sylvie to follow after him. Giving him attention, the Eevee looked up with bright eyes just as she was pushing one more rock towards the build up pile she was going to assault again. Stopping, she quickly ran up to Yuu and joined him as he traversed towards Cerise. As he neared the girl, he gave the red-haired beaut a hearty smile while Sylvie's ears flattened as she uncomfortably walked behind Yuu.
Looking down, Yuu noticed Sylvie wasn't at either of his sides, prompting him to look behind to find her shivering with some anticipation. Picking the brown ball of fur up and nestling her in his arms Yuu scratched Sylvies ears, soothing her. "No need to be afraid, Cerise is a friend!" Looking up from his spot, Yuu gazed softly at the lady before continuing on. "Hope I didn't delay; are you prepared?"
"Oh, no it is fine. I had to make sure Abigail would be a dear and set up our sleeping arrangements by herself." Cerise replied to Yuu as he approached, giving him a soft smile. "She can be a little...harsh at times but she really is a good person. But uhm...Oui, I am as prepared as I ever will be." She replied somewhat nervously playing with a lose strand of hair. Sage simply rolled his eyes, and flapped his wings, landing on top of the redheads hair again.
"A-ah! Sage get down this instant!" She said as the bird started to quite mess up her hair, his small talons throwing strands of her bright red hair everywhere. "P-please, that took me forever to do this morning." At this, Sage hopped off her head, and landed on the ground not far away and began hopping away from the two of them, heading off somewhere by itself.
"O-oh dear..." Cerise sighed, as she tried to straighten her hair. "I fear my little Sage doesn't like me..."
Yuu jutted his head to the sided, chuckling a moment as he simultaneously smiled, eyeing a place in the vicinity that was uncovered by where the camp was proclaimed. Not too far from the group was a smaller open space; away from any prying curious eyes, making him nudge his head in that direction whilst responding to her comment. "I'll take your word on it to a pint; I've had a lot of experience dealing with her." A gentle hmm emanated from the boy as Sylvie continued to cozy up, fidgeting in his arms until she found the perfect spot.
While she was complacent, Yuu began to scratch her ear, causing the small pokemon to relax even more to the point of sighing in exhilaration. Yuu pivoted around, traversing towards the area before stopping at the sign of a worrying screech. As the Eevee shivered at the command, Yuu immediately pivoted around to see the small green ball trying to make its nest on Cerises head. While she seemed relatively piqued Yuu retraced his steps back to the girl as the red went in separate directions.
Talk about parting the red sea...
Regardless, Yuu gave her a comforting smile before glancing at the small bird. "I wouldn't say your little Sage abhors you, rather I believe what he is trying to do is play or show his affection." Walking in the opposite direction taking rather gargantuan steps, Yuu cut off the bird before kneeling down in front of it, giving it an affable smile. "Correct? You just only want to bond with her, right Sage?"
Sylvie stirred from his arms, poking her head towards the green puff, her face lit up as she squirmed in his arms. Yuu took the hint after noticing the bright eyes an large smile in the direction of the bird, so he released Sylvie. She immediately shook herself as she circled the Natu, curiously eyeing it as the purple haired boy continued speaking. "Maybe you two could try to play with each other in another way as it your companion doesn't enjoy having their hair tangled... so could you attempt to try and find another way to express yourself if plausible?"
Yuu wasn't sure about the pokemon as it seemed rather placid, emotionless. He stared into its eyes, giving it an affectionate smile... and above all, he failed to discern anything noticeable... besides Sylvie walking towards it and giving it a poke before dashing around it, excitedly shouting "eevee, eevee, eevee!" Setting out a hand, he attempted to pet Sage, trying to reach out to the bird.
Sage didn't do anything as Eevee poked and pounced around it, prancing around him in some comical manner. Instead, he simply stared blankly at Yuu, completely indifferent. He stared right into the boys eyes, ignoring the hand completely as he petted him. The Natu seemed to almost look right into Yuu's soul, almost as if he was silently judging everything he had ever done. Every sin that he had ever committed, every bad thought he had, and every unfounded suspicion he may have thought.
It was only for a few brief seconds, but Yuu may have felt a slight chill run down his spine. As soon as Yuu finished with whatever annoying petting he was doing, Sage simply hopped off, completely ignoring Sylvie in the process. Cerise simply frowned, giving a small sigh.
"I don't think he's very friendly..." She replied to Yuu. "And u-uhm...I'm not exactly sure I know how to uhm...express myself without fashion." Cerise continued. Really. What an absurd question to even suggest. Expressing herself through some other means. Bah! Ignorant whelp. She almost wanted to tell him who exactly she was...but that would likely end up harming more than helping here. "It's about all I know, really. Miss Blanchett, Abigails Mom, taught be everything I know about it."
On instinct, Yuu stopped for a fleeting moment as he peered for the bird, that smile of his faltering for an untold second as the side of his face twitched. While he did like the Natu (and to an extent myriads of other pokemon), he found the leer to be quite unnerving, reminding him of the past. Eye contact was completely maintained despite the sudden stop. Sylvie stopped bouncing around, noticing the untraceable change in trainer. Walking up to him, Sylvies eyebrows furrowed as she poked Yuu, causing him to stop the whole process.
"Er, uhm," Yuu stumbled as he turned his attention to Sylvie, ending the cycle. Butting her head against his side, Sylvie wrapped her front legs over his pants. Her face was dug into the sides as she cooed softly. Yuu was caught off guard by this, his temples that were somewhat strained became calm, gaze becoming sympathetic. Putting a hand to her head, Yuu began scratching behind her ear again, mouth serenely grinning. She might of not of known his toils, but he appreciated the effort that she put into displaying her care.
"Thanks Sylvie," he whispered as he ascended, the small pokemon releasing herself as she looked up at the giant, still filled with tantamounts of glee. He then turned his head back to the girl who acted discouraged at the situation with Sage. Giving her an encouraging beam, Yuu attempted to uplift her again. "Hey, that might not exactly be the case; for all we know, he might just be solitary... or mischievous!" Yuus eyes watch as the ball began to hop even further away from the duo.
Walking after the bird, Yuu scooped Sage up into his arms as soon as the bird tried to hop again. Cementing his grip of iron, his grasp would prove to be difficult to squirm out of... even if he wasn't exerting much energy in the process. "Not sure about how to express yourself other than fashion, ey? Hum..." Yuu pivoted around and walked towards Cerise, Sylvie staring wide eyed at the ball he picked up, jumping up to constantly greet it at every turn with a cry of friendliness.
Sage, was not pleased. He had did his fuckery for the day, and had successfully messed with his so-called trainer by messing with her hair. He had intended to go chill for the rest of the day. Find a nice, less red colored branch to light on and sleep for some time, before returning. But no. This little purple haired idiot had to pick him up with is oppressive grasp! It wasn't even soft and cozy like his trainers. She had that going for her little shady self at least. Being cute and all, unlike this guy.
"Vee, vee, vee!"
And that little brown ball of fur with her incessant cries. He had half a mind to land on her head and knock some sense into it
Yuu gave a wide smile to the girl as he began to alternate between speaking to Cerise and Sage. "We can always find another way to, or generally forge on with what we know, right Sage? You might like a hat or small bow she makes you?" Yuu looked down at the bird with a chipper look, walking past Cerise, but not before tilting his head back. "Come, come, I promised you a session where I would teach you a couple of things about pokemon and anything else that troubles you... heck, maybe I could assist by being a catalyst that sparks a closer relationship between you two! That means you're gonna have to reach out too; no need to be shy of Cerise Sage!~"
Yuu gave the bird a small pat, but kept a sturdy grip, waiting for Cerise to follow after to the smaller site outside of the camps boundaries; Sylvie kept hopping up and down, striving to chat up the Little Bird pokemon.
Bows? Hats? While Sage admitted he would look absolutely dashing in a top hat and a little gentlemans cane, he wanted nothing from that trainer of his for various reasons he wouldn't be disclosing. Catalyst Friendship? What even? Shy? That was it. This fella had so many wrong ideas about him. He might as well show him his reasoning here was completely wrong.
Sage, in fact, glared up at Yuu. His normally emotionless visage replaced with a scowl as he was held. Fine. This idiot wanted to cuddle? Well, he'd give him something to cuddle. Maybe it'd be good for Cerise.
He chirped loudly, eyes flashing white with bright psychic power and likely startling the boy that was holding him as his gaze turned to his trainer. There was a flash of white, and suddenly sage was on the ground a few feet away from them where Cerise had previously been standing. Cerise, was hovering momentarily in the air a foot above Yuu.
She had only seconds to process what had just happened.
As the bird chirped loudly, Yuu believed he finally elicited a response from the guy, smiling for a brisk moment before taking note of the scowl on Sage's face as he looked up at him. Yuu's smile turned into a neutral line across his face, one of his brows shooting up. Before he knew it, his eyes were radiating with a familiar vigor that all psychic types had. Above all, while he did display worry at the light, he saw the small bird turn towards its target. Yuu reacted somewhat slowly to the matter, but found his arms were a little lighter and Cerise's location had been replaced with... Sage.
Oh... well.
"What the... Ally Switch?! Yuu could only think before realizing that meant Cerise was... on instinct, the purple haired boy instantly shot his arms out faster than a bullet, his head whipping back to see a falling Cerise. No time for processing the predicament, as he wasn't going to let the girl get injured, not on the first day. In mere seconds, the lady fell into his arms, Yuu not budging from the impact that the light teen had.
Looking at Cerises face, he couldn't help but awkwardly chuckle at the scene, smiling at the girl in an attempt to alleviate any sort of mortification she might have from the condition... it probably didn't help that the way he was holding her was bridal style. "H-hey, you ok?" Grasping her softly, Yuu waited for a response more than anything before reacting and going on with an explanation over what just happened.
The course of this session was going to be interesting... especially since he had a better idea of what the Natu was like now.
Cerise didn't entirely know what had just happened. One second, she had been wondering just what Sage was up to, the second she felt herself falling. How she had ended up in the air, she didn't know. What she did know, was that she was falling and it was that runt of a birds fault. She squealed loudly from sudden fear as she fell. Thankfully though, she didn't fall for long. Instead, something caught her. That someone happened to be the cretin that she loathed, who happened to go by the name of Yuu.
Her entire body tensed as she was held by the boy. She had never been particularly heavy, so it was probably quite easy for him to hold her. Which was the exact opposite of what she currently wanted. Her entire face turned a shade of red. It would probably be assumed to be embarrassment by the boy, but in fact, it was anger. In fact, Cerise could barely stop herself from reaching out and trying to slap the boy silly for carrying her in such an embarrassing way.
Instead though, all she could muster was a single sentence.
"P-put me down this Instant!" She shouted, a bit too forcefully.
"U-unhand me immediately y-you-" Cerise's voice trailed off, unable to continue speaking without her possibly saying something. Her arms were resting on her chest, face looking towards the ground, an unsure frown displayed on her face. If he didn't comply, she'd probably would smack the boy.
Sage, had already wandered off to wherever he was going before Yuu interfered.
Yuu was a bit astonished by the way her voice sounded; sure she was quite a hospitable character from earlier, but the way Cerise responded... While she seemed abashed, her voice had traces of vexation in it, even though Yuu saw how red her face had grown. Yuu thought nothing of it, deciding that she didn't know how to respond to a situation like this versus actually being angry. "I'll take that as a yes that everything is ok then," Yuu nonchalantly smiled, slipping his hands from out under her legs, allowing her to regain her footing.
As she was let down, Cerise took a few cautionary seeming steps away from Yuu. She took a few deep breaths, face still red as she looked at the floor, unable to respond at the moment. She was afraid she might say something she didn't entirely want too.
"Looks like it wasn't such a smart idea to pick up Sage, sorry about the predicament I dragged you into..." Yuu rubbed the back of his neck as Sylvie looked up quizzically at the situation, trying to assess what she had just witnessed. Of course, Yuu turned to eye the bird that was bouncing off somewhere else. "Still, as mischievous as he is, the pokemon is well-bred, considering it knows an Alternative Birth Move, or in technical terms, an Egg Move; wouldn't be at all surprised if it had a hidden ability to boot."
As Yuu spoke about Sage, Sylvie looked up at the boy, pawing at his legs to get his attention. Yuu briefly looked down as she let out a splurge of "vees," as she pointed at the green bird. Yuu could understand the context of what she meant, considering a couple of things from earlier and nodded, smiling. "Aye, indeed he is, but rather he is going to be more so your opponent... if you want to battle, of course."
Letting the Eevee decide if she wanted to go along with his plans, Yuu went back to addressing Cerise, giving her a plain smile. "Best you get Sage before he starts hopping around camp cause it seems he will only let you carry him for now." Picking up Sylvie, the small pokemon got out of his grip, much to his surprise, and hopped onto his shoulder, balancing herself. Giving her a gentle pat, the purple haired giant glanced at the Natu, urging her to procure him so they could commence with learning process.
"Ah? S-sage? R-right." She finally replied. She took a quick look around, but she couldn't see the bird anywhere. She pouted, a sighed escaping her lips as her hands reached up to her cap, pulling the brim of it over her face. "I...I guess I am terrible at this, huh?" She said to Yuu.
"Here I am asking you for help...and I can't even control my own pokemon." The redhead of course, was putting on an act, but that wasn't going to be evident at all. She honestly wanted to get back to Abgail now.
And maybe take a nice, hot, shower or something. She hoped Johto had something at least resembling top of the line hair care products and soaps. She would loathe to try and clean herself for anything from the backwater region no matter what, but she could at least try to maintain some semblance of civilization.
"I guess that lesson's gonna have to wait, Yuu." She continued, looking up from the ground. She gave Yuu a soft smile. "Thanks anyways...he'll probably come back. I think...can we go back now, though? I'm...not feeling to well at the moment."
GM
Nightmare Bunny An Organized Magical Girl
Member
Seen
8 yrs ago
~Abigail Blanchett~
“I’m sixteen years old, Perhaps you should get your eyes checked.”
Abigail blinked at the statement. Sounds like she stepped on a nerve.
This kid was sixteen years old? She sure as hell didn't look like it, but if she said she was...well, she didn't exactly have much room to dispute that fact. Thinking about it logically though, she probably was sixteen. She had a pokemon after all, and she didn't exactly look like the shady type. Of course, that might just be the fact she smelled like she had just walked out of a bakery but Abigail didn't think much of it.
“Regardless, if you’re a trainer as well, then I will have to follow you, at least until we reach Cherrygrove, I was unfortunately separated from my group by a wild Onix attack. Anyway,If we’re going to be traveling together, then I should introduce myself. I’m Ivy Aspen, from Ecruteak City. It’s a pleasure, I suppose.”
Separated from her group after being attacked by a wild Onix? That sounded...rather bad, actually. Abigail furrowed her brow slightly at hearing it. The girl was lucky to get out mostly unharmed from the looks of her, if that was the case. But then, what had happened to the other trainers? The thought actually caused Abigail to fall silent for a moment, before she replied. Worst case scenario...was that they were wiped out by that Onix.
...she would hope for the best, at least, but for now they had bigger problems. Hopefully that Onix won't be bothering them anytime soon.
"Er, sorry. You just really don't look like your sixteen." Tyrian shifted from where he rested in Abigails arms against her chest. He tilted his head quizzically at Ivy, before waving. "Abigail Blanchett...from Olivine, mostly." She turned around, and started heading back to their camp. It'd probably be better to go ahead and maybe introduce her to the others. Or at least get her acquainted with everyone until they got to Cherrygrove.
"Nice to meet ya, I guess. I'll take you back to our campsite, just try not to get lost because I won't come looking for ya." She said over her shoulder. Tyrian squirmed free of her arms and tumbled to the ground again, before walking over and staring up at Tesla, tilting its head quizzically as they walked, poking the electric type with its paws every few steps. There was a bit of silence between the two as Abigail honestly wasn't one much for small talk, and Ivy didn't seem to be either. Thankfully, they weren't all that far from the campsite, and soon they had arrived back at the clearing they were at earlier.
"Well, uh here we are. Seems like everyone else is off at the moment, though." Abigail said when they arrived. "So...make yourself...comfortable I guess? I dunno. I'm gonna get some food though, so do whatever you want." She walked away from the other girl, and back to her and Cerise's tent.
GM
Nightmare Bunny An Organized Magical Girl
Member
Seen
8 yrs ago
Ivy Aspen“Campsite, Sweet Campsite”
“Er, sorry. You just really don’t look like you’re sixteen,” said Little Miss Purple Hair. “Abigail Blanchett… from Olivine, mostly.”
Arceus almighty, couldn’t this girl take a hint and just… drop it?
But it would do no good to insult her travelling companion, so Ivy sighed once more to herself, deeply this time, and forced herself to think of all the sweets she could make once she got to the nearest Pokemon center.
Maybe a nice, simple Opera gateau? Delicate almond sponge, soaked in rich coffee syrup and sandwiched between smooth layers of ganache… it sounded like heaven. Or perhaps she could whip up a platter of choux à la crème, each one piped full with thick custard and dusted with icing sugar?
Even the thought of baking was enough to make her feel better. That was probably the worst part of her parents kicking her out of the house — baking in the wilderness seemed nigh impossible. And how was she going to achieve her dream of becoming Johto’s best patisserie if she couldn’t even get in any practice?
“…because I won’t come looking for ya.”
Ivy blinked. The little Nidoran was waving one tiny purple paw at her, and its trainer was still talking. Well, she’d missed more than half of what Abigail had said. Oh well.
She followed the other girl dutifully, staring at the ground and watching the leaves crumble into dust beneath her sneakers. Tesla padded by her side, emanating a strangely malicious aura.
Abigail’s Nidoran didn’t seem to care much, though — it was bouncing close by Ivy’s Mareep, and seemed to be… poking him every so often? Even as Ivy watched in fascination, Tesla snarled in irritation, static electricity crackling off his coat.
When she thought about it, well… it was a little strange, really.
She’d never had a Pokemon of her own before, but her parents’ Pokemon had never seemed nearly as angry as Tesla did. She’d figured that his temper was due to him being a new Pokemon, but… Abigail’s Nidoran seemed perfectly friendly. Maybe a little too friendly, actually.
Well, there was nothing she could do about it, and since Tesla obeyed her, it didn’t seem like it would be much of an issue. Ivy shrugged to herself, and resolved not to think about unnecessary things anymore.
"Well, uh here we are. Seems like everyone else is off at the moment, though." Abigail said. Ivy’s head shot up — they had arrived, apparently.
"So...make yourself...comfortable I guess? I dunno. I'm gonna get some food though, so do whatever you want."
Abigail wandered off. That was fine - honestly, Ivy preferred silence.
“Okay,” Ivy mumbled, to the purple-haired girl’s retreating back. She had a foldable tent in her bag, so she busied herself for a few minutes by setting it up. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a particularly difficult task, and soon she found herself with nothing to do.
At least there was a conveniently placed rock in the center of the clearing. She sat on it, and quickly realized that she had very little to do. Was there even anyone else here? She hadn’t seen anyone yet.
Well, when all else fails… eat! She rifled through her bag: out came her trusty spork and exactly one slice of Pecha berry pie, freshly baked as of that morning and sealed in a Tupperware container.
“Tesla,” she said lifelessly. “Come here.”
The Mareep leapt into her lap, and she ruffled his fur gently, giving him a rare smile. She fed him a spoonful of pie carefully. She wasn’t big on Pokemon, and this whole journey seemed like a waste of time, but… she didn’t mind having Tesla around. He was pretty cute, after all.
Even if he did seem a little bit evil.
And if that Onix came back… at least her Pokemon would be well-fed.
GM
Nightmare Bunny An Organized Magical Girl
Member
Seen
8 yrs ago
-Route 29-
Some say that everything happens for a reason, that the universe tries to keep balance in nature. A man misses his cab which ends up rounding a corner and being t-boned by a truck, or a woman forgets her keys in her apartment and walks back in to see that she left the stove on. Perhaps it was that force which caused Noah to notice that one of his shoes was untied. Perhaps it was that force which caused Noah, who would otherwise ignore such a thing, to stop suddenly, bend over, and tie it. Perhaps it was that force which sent the right Pidgey in the right place at the right time to drop the bomb which would land dead center on Noah’s back.
Or maybe Pidgeys are just flying sacks of shit.
In any case, Noah noticed immediately what had happened. You don’t get to live in the Goldenrod slums without knowing a thing or two about Pidgey shit. So when he heard the caw followed by the splash...Noah simply groaned. Before he even rose back to his feet, Noah pulled his shirt off, careful not to get any of the rancid crap on his skin or hair. It stank. Bad. And there was no getting it out of the fabric. Not out in the middle of nowhere, like he was. So his options were either to haul the shitstain to the nearest Pokecenter which...was still like half a day away, clean it here, or ditch the damn thing.
He tossed it off to the side of the “path” then cleared out the leaves and branches from the small area. When he was done, he whistled for Bowser who had been sniffing at his poor shirt. The pooch looked directly at him. If Nikki was right, then the little dude was a ‘Houndour’, a Dark/Fire type. Now, Noah couldn’t know for sure but...well...Bowser LOOKED like a ‘Houndour, didn’t he? He at least looked like he’d be down for arson. Which was excellent. That was exactly what he needed…
But…
“Well...y’know...burn it?” Noah suggested to the pooch. Bower simply continued to look up at him and pant, floppy tongue hanging out the corner of his mouth. Right...how did this thing work?
Noah tried pointing at the shirt and simply saying “Burn.” That didn’t work. Just caused Bowser to look at the shirt then back to Noah. He tried saying it louder, but that just excited the little guy, who was now wiggling his hind back and forth along with his tail. And trying to say it even louder just resulted in the pooch barking at him. Like it wanted to play.
…
Great.
Noah sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hand. This was...difficult. So...Noah walked over to Bowser, picked him up, carried him over to the shirt, and placed the dog right beside it. He pointed Bowser’s face toward the pit and said very slowly and very loudly, “F I R E.”
Bowser looked at the shirt for quite some time, then back to Noah, then back to the shirt.
He approached it...slowly…
He sniffed it...slowly…
He circled it...slowly…
He approached it...slowly…
He raised one hind leg...slowly...
…and he tinkled...softly.
He started to turn back to Noah, tail a-wagging, proud and ready to show the guy what he could do, but a loud, annoyed groan from him startled the pooch. Startled him fiercely. So fiercely, in fact, that Bowser jumped and, to the surprise of all, hiccup a small ball of fire. It tumbled down to the shirt, which quickly and easily caught flame.
Bowser stiffened up before turning back to Noah, but he didn’t complete the turn. Noah had already crossed over and swept him up into his arms.
“Good boy!” he said.
…
Bowser liked that.
He REALLY liked that.
His tail was beating like crazy.
He WAS a good boy. It was about time somebody actually noticed.
…
Noah watched the shirt burn for a few moments, but it didn’t last long. There wasn’t that much fabric and it was pretty flame-friendly. Great news for accidents like this, not so much for the projected lifespan of his wardrobe. Once it was mostly finished, Noah crossed over and stomped the remaining embers down. Fire, surprisingly enough, was great for Pidgey shit. It burned well and didn’t leave much more than a bit of an odor behind. Granted, it was a pretty rank odor, but at least it wouldn’t stick to him.
He carried Bowser away from the makeshift firepit and down the path a bit more when he heard a sound.
Rather two sounds.
Two...familiar sounds.
Fuck…
"P-put me down this instant!"
…
Noah didn’t think, just moved. He recalled Bowser and hastily flew down the path, dodging branches above and below when he finally came to a bit of a clearing. At least enough to see the two fucks across the way. Fuckboi was holding Ginger up…
Noah cracked his knuckles. What? She might be annoying as all get out, but he wasn’t about to let something like...like…
"U-unhand me immediately y-you-"
...Noah stopped and raised an eyebrow when Fuckboi complied. Not exactly how assholes like him normally respond in these situations but hey...first time for everything…
...is what he would have thought. But the way the two went on from there made it pretty clear to Noah that he had misread the situation. Attacks usually didn’t involve that much fucking chatter. Whatever. Noah turned around and simply left. Whatever kind of sick fantasies they were playing out all the way out here, Noah REALLY didn’t want to know.
What he did want to know was how quickly could he get back to camp. Last thing he wanted was some fucking Pidgey seeing his nipple rings shining and swooping down to snatch ‘em. Would it happen? Probably not. But Pidgey were fucking stupid, man...so who knows.
The answer to his question was...well...apparently pretty damn quickly. He thought he had went quite a ways out but he was back at camp within fifteen minutes...give or take. When he arrived, he saw the Butch Bitch fucking around her tent and…
And...uh…
...uh...
…
Where’d the kid come from? Are people just leaving children in the woods? Did…
...did Butch Bitch have her locked away in her bags or something?
Noah was going to say something, but...well…
The fluffy pokemon, the one being fed by the twelve-year-old…
It looke-no...GLARED at Noah…possibly.It’s kind of hard to tell where those things are looking.
Now, Noah has never been what one might call a spiritual man but...It felt as if something were peering into his very soul...observing him...judging him…
Noah shuddered. He felt incredibly uncomfortable.
Something wasn’t right with that thing, no sir. It wasn’t right. No way, no how. But Noah didn’t dare attempt to challenge the beast. Rather, he decided to stay as far away from that creature as possible. Same as Spooky Ginger.
So Noah simply covered up his nips and crossed over to his ‘tent’. Once there, he found his bag, ruffled around, and found another shirt, this one for a band called ‘BRN’. He then quickly put his stuff away, save for a candy bar.
Noah called out Bowser and the two ended up laying out a top Noah’s sleeping bag, using his shirt as a pillow, and sharing some kind of candy. It wasn’t the greatest, but neither of them had vomited...
Yet.
GM
Nightmare Bunny An Organized Magical Girl
Member
Seen
8 yrs ago
Ivy Aspen“WHAT IN THE NAME OF BLOODY FUCKING ARCEUS”The sweet, summery smell of Pecha berries and cinnamon. The tiniest hint of a golden-yellow fruit. The deep richness of smooth brown sugar, melted into the butter and glistening beneath the cracks in the crisp, flaky lattice crust.
There was no doubt about it.
This pie was a work of art, matched only by the second piece of pie buried deep inside her backpack.
Tesla rumbled his contentment, and she patted his fluffy coat idly. This was her talent. This was what she had been born to do. No one baked like Ivy Aspen does.
And then there came the sound of stomping, from the bushes. One of Abigail’s missing compatriots? Girl and Pokemon raised their heads, nearly as one, and—
And Ivy nearly dropped her spork.
It was a giant. A giant with a blond Mohawk, and piercings everywhere. Probably the tallest person that Ivy had ever seen. He didn’t look particularly friendly, either. But more importantly…
He was shirtless. And he had—
He had—
H-h-had.
She couldn’t think it. It felt like a crime against humanity just to think about it. She felt like— like a pervert, or something!
Sunlight glinted, gently, off the metal. Ivy felt slightly faint.
He had n-n—
A nipple ring.
This boy needed Arceus. And badly. Like... right, fucking, now.
She looked down again, struggling to keep a straight face. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire. That just… it wasn’t decent. People weren’t supposed to walk around half-naked! What would that do to— to public morale? To the social order?
People like that could bring mighty empires to their knees. It was probably someone like that who’d killed Julius Caesar.
Meanwhile, displeased at the interruption to his meal, Tesla was… well, gosh. Mareeps couldn’t learn Mean Look, but Tesla was sure as hell trying.
But was it really okay for Tesla to look at something so… indecent? He couldn’t be a particularly old Pokemon, after all.
“Tesla, don’t look,” Ivy whispered, with about as much urgency as her perpetually flat voice would permit. “Give him some privacy.”
She offered him a sporkful of pie as payment. That seemed to work: the Mareep took the pie and settled back down on her lap. In the meantime, Super-sized Exhibitionist disappeared into his tent…
Could that thing even be described as a tent? It looked more like… a blanket. With some sticks in it. In fact, she could still kind of see him lounging around in there. At least he was wearing a shirt now.
Then she settled back down to finish off the pie. It had been delicious earlier, but now it just tasted like ash in her mouth. There was still about half of it left. Tesla was a voracious eater with very pointy teeth, but he took incredibly small bites.
Would her parents have forced her to go on this stupid journey if they’d known she’d be travelling with this?
Well, knowing her mother... probably.
“Head down, Ivy,” she mumbled to herself. “Don’t make eye contact.”
Savo Time to go to Hell
Member
Seen
3 days ago
-Yuu Nozomu : Route 29-
Nodding, Yuu took a look back to see where the bird was now... which was oddly out of sight for the duo. Frowning, the boy raised an eyebrow quizzically, pondering on where the Natu could of ran off to. It was evident Sage was somewhere in the woods, but you could only seldom glimpse at where. Grumbling a tinge, Yuu looked back to find Cerise pouting, her lighten mood dissipated for the most part. Offering the girl an iridescent dimple, the boy took one last glimpse at the wilderness before responding, hoping to give the lady some cheer.
"Hey, chin up, I don't exactly think you're terrible at this... you just need some practice, that's all!" Regardless, it seemed she still had some self doubt, even after that moment of encouragement. As soon as she made mention of not feeling too well, that was the signal for them to return to camp momentarily. Sylvie only looked on into the forests, her ears flattening as she let out a resounding "vee," trying to call back Sage.
"Alright then, lets return to camp; I'll give you a lesson some time in the near future," Yuu beckoned the duo to come with him, the Eevee walking empirically slower than usual. Still, it was a bit disheartening for Sage to just depart like that, but Yuu would take Cerise's word on it for now. "At any rate, if Sage doesn't turn up, I'll be willing to seek him out for you, alright?" Yuu gave his offer as he turned his head forward, escorting Cerise back to camp. As they did, Sylvie plucked and played with a few flowers; pouncing and gnawing on some as they went their merry way.
Of course, Yuu was plagued with a few thoughts as they traversed back, one of which why Sage was so deliberate in avoiding the duo. While some pokemon were mischievous or aloof, the Natu just walked off into the forest... which elicited some worry as Yuu tapped the bottom of his lip. Maybe he was in the top percentage of starter pokemon who liked to wander off? Regardless, Sylvie soon caught his attention by swiftly launching herself upwards onto his shoulder. Petting Sylvie, Yuu looked back to see how Cerise was fairing, giving her a gentle smile.
Thankfully, before either of them knew it, they were back at camp. Yuu took note of a new trainer in the vicinity, along with others turning in for a brisk moment... Abigail was waiting by her tent, that giant known as Noah had... a shabby looking tent that consisted of black fabric and some very weak appearing twigs. That wouldn't even guard him for a draft...
Still, as they arrived, Sylvie imminently jumped off, starring intensely at a purple ball rolling around in the grass. Rotating her head, she gave a quick wave of bye before nuzzling Yuus pants before darting for the Nidoran. "Definitely lively," he chucked; the scent of pidgey waste and pastry delights filled the air... which would be pleasant if the former wasn't involved. Still, Yuu stretched, extending his arms up, before addressing Cerise one last time.
"Welp, here we are again... guess I'll talk to you later; it was kinda fun hanging out with you Cerise. Maybe we can do something else later in better conditions, no?" His arms fell back to the side as he grinned at the girl, giving her a slight wave prior to mouthing "later" before walking towards the shorter girl and the impish looking Mareep... which he swore gave him the evil eye for a brisk moment.
Made him shudder a bit; seriously, call it instinct, but there was something peculiar about that Mareep. It enjoyed what he thought was a piece of pie as Yuu went towards what he considered to be the center of the area. Gathering the pebbles Sylvie arranged from earlier, Yuu began setting them in a complete, nearly perfect circle. That would at least dictate where the fire would be... when they got firewood anyways... which begged to differ - did anyone even bother to go out and search for any.
... none, he guessed...
Shrugging, Yuu decided to have a moment of repose before searching himself so they could cook something... IF any of them could cook. Throwing a stray stick into the center, he huffed before deciding to address the girl with a rather young appearance... she had the visage of a twelve year old... and yet, you wouldn't exactly find a kid in the wilds. Dismissing it with a shrug, Yuu decided not to talk about her appearance, but rather why she smelled so sweet... like woah.
It was like someone plopped down a bakery in the middle of no where...
Regardless, she seemed to be a bit nervous, her green head eyeing the opposite direction of Noah; her pokemon following suit as it chomped on the treat. A mischievous smile crossed his face as Yuu tried to get the attention of the girl with a simple jab and jest. "Hey, hope you've got enough pies for everyone else here too!~" He now had a large smile on his face, taking a seat near the girl as he eyed the sheep.
"I don't ever recall seeing you in the lab... or with this group for that matter; are you a ninja or something that decided to accompany us?" Yuu looked at the girl with his glimmering violet eyes, which twinkled lividly for the matter. "Other than the jests, the name is Yuu, and when did you join our little party of seven?" Acting affable with a bright smile and a friendly, unflirtatious wink; there were no traces of hostility in his breath or approach as he tapped where his knee was on his now dusty pants, awaiting some sort of response...
Sylvie on the other hand had other plans in mind.
The small pokemon dashed swiftly towards the rolling figure near the girl with the purple hairs tent. Curious, she looked up, quizzically, wondering who that was (daddy's twin sister?) for a short period of time before running towards Tyrian. Stopping momentarily, the Eevee watched what the small pokemon was doing with utmost inquisitiveness, pondering on what the purple thing was doing. Staring at it with widened eyes, Sylvie waved one of her paws to get the creatures attention... before resorting to other methods.
"Vee, vee, vee, veeee!"
Upon garnering his attention, she slowly crept up to him, examining the Nidoran for an extensive amount of time. Shortly, but surely. Circling around the male, she sniffed the spiked pokemon, almost wanting to see how tough the spikes were... but her fur shot up, her ears alert when she neared one of them. It was her instinct, screaming inside not to feel those sharp spikes.
So she refused.
Eventually, she came up front to the pokemon. Slowly, a furry, brown paw reached out towards it, methodically, investigating who this new friend could be. Sticking her tongue out, she reached, and reached!...
...
And poked Tyrians face.
However he would react, the Eevee would start to jump around, excited as she let out a cacophony of "vee's," displaying her enlivened attitude after feeling she gained a new friend! She couldn't help but continuously bounce at high degrees, chirping happily.
coGM
Rune_Alchemist Absolute Depravity
Member
Seen
0-24 hrs ago
~Cerise Fontaine~
"Hey, chin up, I don't exactly think you're terrible at this... you just need some practice, that's all!"
His encouragement, was actually sort of nauseating, but she maintained her smile regardless. Now wasn't the time to drop her little cute girl act. This guy was buying it completely, so there was no need to do something underhanded for now.
"Alright then, lets return to camp; I'll give you a lesson some time in the near future, At any rate, if Sage doesn't turn up, I'll be willing to seek him out for you, alright?"
Uuuugh, she needed to leave. Now. She couldn't stand this guys helpful cheery attitude any longer. So with a soft smile, and a nod of her head she followed him back to the camp. Then, she developed a rather ingenious plan here. If he truly wanted to give her a lesson, that was fine then. She'd just ask Abigail for a lesson tonight, and then she'd royally punish that moron for everything he had put her through today. With a little application of her brain and skill, she was certain she could effectively beat that moron.
However, Yuu's voice brought her out of her own machinations and back into the world. Apparently, they had arrived back in camp. Oh thank god, she couldn't stand this guys voice any longer.
And then her eyes fell on another person. One she hadn't seen before. Well, not her business. She honestly needed a break from these backwater heathens for a bit. She would love a visit to a spa right now, but she doubted these troglodytes even had those things. So, with a sigh, she turned and headed back to their tent.
Abigail was sitting on the ground not far away, rummaging through her bag it looked like.
"Ah...Abigail dear, I'm feeling a little tired, so I think I'm going to turn in for the night. I need to get out of this...air." Cerise sighed, just as Sage lighted on her shoulder. She paid the bird no mind, though.
"Huh? Oh you do that. I'm gonna go make a fire and get something to eat. You want something?" Abigail asked.
"No, that's fine. I do not have much of an appetite at the moment." It was Abigails turn to sigh at this point. She was quite well aware of Cerise's...eccentricities regarding the people of Johto. She practically grew up with her, so there was no way she could not. Well, whatever, wasn't entirely her problem. Couldn't say she cared much for anyone here either, to be honest.
"Well, alright then." Abigail simply replied, standing up, closing her bag, before walking off in the direction of Yuu and Ivy. Cerise simply gave Yuu a somewhat bored glance, before retiring to the tent. She had no desire to further speak with these barbarians. A woman of her station could only take so much peasantry before she was at her limit.
Abigail was over with Ivy and Yuu fairly quickly, though she did stop for a moment and noticed Yuu's Eevee harassing Tyrian. He didn't seem to mind though, so she said nothing and instead focused on the two of them.
"So, what are you two lovebirds doing over here?" Abigail snarked upon approaching, before immediately noticing something that smelled fairly good, ignoring that creepy Mareep by the name of Tesla. Trying to nonchalantly sniff the air, she continued. "So, Yuu, I guess you didn't find any pokemon out there? If you're that bad at finding pokemon, you're gonna have a really hard time ya know."
-Tyrian-
While Abigail was off with Yuu and Ivy, Tyrian was was rolling around in the soft grass around him. Little blades of grass had gotten stuck on his spikes, though he didn't notice. Instead, as soon as he rolled back over on his feet he pounced on a tuft of grass like a cat pouncing on a mouse. He didn't notice the Eevee approaching him at all. In fact, he didn't notice her circling him either. A master of situation awareness, Tyrian was not.
and then she booped his nose.
The Purple pokemon sat straight up on his paws, wiggling its nose, shaking his head for a few seconds.
And then the Nidoran sneezed adorably, before falling backwards.
Rolling over on his stomach again, it finally observed this new creature silently as she bounced up and down.
It was so FLUFFY.
And he wanted to hug it.
So he pounced, little paws wrapping around the other pokemon's neck as he gave her a hug.
GM
Nightmare Bunny An Organized Magical Girl
Member
Seen
8 yrs ago
Ivy Aspen
“In which lots of people bother Ivy”
She’d tried to get over it. Really, she’d tried her best. But…
Nipple.
Rings.
Ivy Aspen had been chased by a sixty-foot Onix. She’d been mistaken for a child not once, but twice. She’d gotten lost (and summarily found) in the woods.
She just couldn’t deal with nipple rings right now.
Instead, she looked down at her Mareep and focused, very intensely, on feeding him. There would be no making eye contact with strange, ginormous exhibitionists. There would certainly be no looking at his—
At his—
ANYWAY.
Feeding Tesla.
Ah. Peace at last. She’d had a hard day. Seriously, was it really too much to ask for a few minutes to just sit down in silence and feed her Pokemon without any unnecessary interruptions?
And then someone poked her.
"Hey, hope you've got enough pies for everyone else here too!~"
Well, yes. Apparently it was.
Ivy looked up, and there was… a boy. Another giant, but this one didn’t quite live up to the standard that the other one had set. Skinny looking. Awful, uncombed purple hair. And a disgusting, sappily happy smile.
He was almost… glowing. It was revolting.
What, had he just come back from a tryst in the woods with his girlfriend? She’d sworn she’d seen a flash of red hair out of the corner of her eye, but maybe it had been a hallucination.
He was definitely giving Lord Tesla a very strange look, though, and Ivy definitely wasn’t sure that she liked that. How dare he? heathens must join or die
"I don't ever recall seeing you in the lab... or with this group for that matter; are you a ninja or something that decided to accompany us?" he continued. Were his eyes… glimmering? What the fuck? How did he even do that? "Jests, the name is Yuu, and when did you join our little party of seven?"
The twinkling sparkle in his eyes strangely reminded Ivy of—
STOP NO DON’T THINK ABOUT IT.
More importantly… had he just said the word… “jests”? Who even said that nowadays?
She stood abruptly, whisking Tesla into her arms and leaving the Pecha Berry pie sitting in its Tupperware container on the rock. It sat there undefended, alone in the wilderness and undefended against hungry predators.
Bad move, Ivy. Very bad move.
Ivy, blissfully ignorant of the ramifications of what she had done, took a cool step backwards.
“Ivy,” she said shortly. She… really didn’t feel like explaining much right now. “I got separated from my group. Now I’m here.”
Honestly, she just wanted to be alone. She took yet another step back, and—
And then there were three.
"So, what are you two lovebirds doing over here?” said she of the purple hair. Why were so many people with purple hair, anyway? Were these two related, or something?
Also… what had she called them? Yeah, not funny.
"So, Yuu,” continued Abigail. “I guess you didn't find any pokemon out there? If you're that bad at finding pokemon, you're gonna have a really hard time ya know."
And now she was trapped in a conversation. Oh, boy.
“I,” she said robotically, with all the vocal modulation of a rock. “Was minding my own business. Alone. It was quite pleasant.”
She hugged her Mareep tightly to herself and stared miserably at her feet.
Arceus, what had she done to deserve this?
Savo Time to go to Hell
Member
Seen
3 days ago
-Yuu Nozomu : Route 29-
Well she appeared to be less than lively; Yuu found it somewhat different to hear a plain voice lacking little to no emotion, even with introductions. Even then, he wasn't going to bother discarding his affable appearance now. His smile did somewhat waver, his eyebrow slightly rising in interest before settling back where it formerly was; his shoulders unnoticeably scrunched up a bit. "Pleasure to meet you Ivy; that doesn't sound too much like a poisonous name."
Yuu chuckled a bit awkwardly, ruffling the back of his neck, denominating that it was less than tongue in cheek humor to just something plain idiotic. Scratch that from the list of things to talk about... especially flora; she has probably heard it all...
Plus, her hair was similar to the shade of leaves on a plant... hum.
Regardless, Yuu kept staying open, until word was made mention of a previous group that she became segregated from... yikes... wait. That sparked some curiosity in the boys eyes - why was she on this route with these people anyways? Did they get lost? No, Yuu was plenty certain that no one was that moronic enough to mix up routes, especially one leading to a pokemon lab and one leading to a city with a historical sight and gym leader... trainers flocked to those places like Dustox to gleaming light bulbs!
Yuu had a penchant for sticking his right thumb to his lips, finding himself lost in deep thought over something... that might now be important in hindsight, but a mystery is intriguing... most of the time.
He began staring directly at the girl, almost as if she was translucent, conceiving another idea. "Maybe... that group went to the lab to get their pokemon!... seriously, why do people go out of the way to perilous places to get their pokemon?" Keeping himself from going off on a mental tangent, Yuu snapped back to the idea that revolved around said group coming earlier than this menagerie of youths... That made more plausible sense since they all came later than usual, so it would make sense for another group to have already departed.
Though, to truly invoke this as the truth, the witness would need to be prosecut- questioned... yeah.
Yuu saw the girl shuffling away, er, backing up slowly; was she shy or just unsociable? One last thing and he would leave her alone and see how Sylvie was doing... Pointing a finger at her, his hand almost resembling a gun a child would shape when playing, thumb erect, "Say, you wouldn't happen to of-"
And before his inquiry, a similar snobby girl appeared! Abigail to the rescue to randomly butt in and earn the aggravation of Yuu. Bracing himself for what she might say, her reply was somewhat... surprisingly mild, despite the snarkiness in her voice. Yuu began to frown just a bit, his eyebrows furrowing up as his eyelids began to become half shut. As she began to speak, Yuu rolled his eyes, shaking his head as she began to taunt him over the difficulty of this trip because he lacked some pokemon.
Shrugging, Yuu decided to tell her straight out what he was doing, instead of just having her complain 24/7 about how she was in ubers and how he was pu. "Funny you should mention that," Yuu responded with blandness similar to Ivy. "Because for one I was busy trying to teach Cerise the basics of pokemon and induct her via a battle... tried to bring her Natu along and it used the move Ally Switch, so that's something." Shaking his head, Yuu crossed his arms as he decided to tell Abigail the rest, whether she wanted to hear it or not as he looked off to the side, jabbing a thumb at the duos shared tent.
"Mischievous, but most likely well bred if it has an egg move; might want to check if it has the inborn trait, Magic Guard." Yuu at this point didn't care whether Abigail decided to snark her way about how he was absolute trash and pushed himself up and dusted off his pants. Eyeing the green girl, Yuu decided to cut all ties of a conversation; later he would attempt to breakthrough but not now because of certain implication.
"Ivy, I can take a hint; apologies for forcing a conversation onto you; maybe next time," Yuu genuinely beamed at the girl one last time before returning his attention to his rival. His facial expression wasn't at all replaced with chagrin, but rather a regular expression that lacked a smile, despite him not being in a particularly bad mood. Taking one glimpse around him, Yuu took in the environment before continuing the conversation.
"Anyways, seeing as no one has got any wood to start a fire," Yuu nudged his head to the incomplete pit, almost shocked that no one decided to go out and grab any, "guess I'll go out and gather some; I should of done that first instead of attempting to have a session with Cerise." Shrugging, Yuu was almost about to call out to Sylvie until he discovered the girl was playing with Tyrian. They both looked... happy, despite the facet that Sylvie had the upper hand and was nuzzling his face whilst hugging him... huh.
That was something that elicited a smile from Yuu as he chuckled. "Heh, surprising that our pokemon get along better than us, eh?... maybe not, but still, they both appear to enjoy each others presence." Yuu took note of Tyrian as he playfully pulled at one of her ears. Yuu slowly began to walk over to the duo, dust following him as he reached them and gave a smile to Sylvie which she noticed, and stopped attempting to be the one on top as she looked up with huge, widened eyes.
"Looks like you made a new friend, huh," Yuu smiled widely as he pet the ball of spikes and his furry companion, albeit acting cautious around the spikes, taking care not to jab himself with one. "Sorry you two, but I'm gonna have to break it up for now; Sylvie, we are going out to collect wood for the pit." Sylvie looked up, listening to his every word, nodding somewhat tearfully but in an understanding nature.
Ending her hugging/rolling/playing session with Tyrian, she hopped off, but not before giving him one last thing - an adorable nose nuzzle to his nose, even though he was upside down... She smiled happily, letting out a flurry of excited "vee's," which indicated that she would return in a bit. Scooping her up into his arms, Yuu began to cuddle her, playing with her for a bit before kneeling down, trying to get to Tyrians level.
"Hey, we will get to know each other better too, alright?" Yuu gave a solemn grin to the Nidoran as he gave him a gentle pat on the head, scratching his ears for a bit before returning to his original height. Pivoting and walking in the opposite direction, Yuu began to exit camp...
And so came the wilderness, recklessly beckoning to an equally rash boy...
-Sylvie-
As the pokemon bounced about, the smaller, more intriguing Tyrian had other plans as soon as she launched herself up again, something unexpected happen, something so unfamiliar that made Sylvie enjoy the fun she had with the Nidoran - he took the opportunity to intervene and invent a new way to play! Taken somewhat back at first, Sylvie gave quite a abrupt, but blaring "VEE," meshed in surprise and worry, though only briefly. Both of them began steamrolling a few tufts of grass before stopping.
Feeling the purple arms wrap around her neck, she looked up to see a chipper purple face. Smiling brightly, Sylvie felt very inclined to give him a hug, to which she wrapped her arms around his neck too, nuzzling his face, giggling between some hiccups of delight. Eventually, she let her grasp go and eventually, the small purple spiked ball of gooey mushy happiness did too! Giving some "vee's" of encouragement, she began to prance around, bouncing up and down.
From what began to transpire, the Nidoran began to emulate what she did, though he did faceplant on to the tufts of grass after mimicking her for a few seconds. Stopping after noticing this, Sylvie romped over to him excitedly, giving him a nuzzle on his cheek. "Eee, eevee!" Whatever she said, she spoke proudly, puffing her chest out as she gave her support... and then decided to do what Tyrian did form earlier... and began assaulting those poor tufts of grass, ambushing them at every route as Sylvie waggled her tail.
This was absolutely rapturous for her!
But alas, all good things were to come to an end, as she was this time on top, somewhat turning the tables as she hugged Tyrian exceptionally tight. Rubbing the side of her face on his, she exhibit sheer glee as she stayed in that position... until taking note of Daddy arriving. Taking note of his words, she gave a heartfelt nod, saddened that it was time to temporarily stop playing with her new friend... slowly letting go, she bounced off with less spirit than before, but not before giving one last present to Tyrian.
As slow as a Slugma, she strode up...
Closer, nearing him again...
slowly... almost there...
And gave him a boop on the nose with her own before being scooped up into Yuu's arms, too which began the fever of having her ears scratched. Bliss settled in as she gave relaxed sounds, chirping in pleasure as she lay there. Of course, that had to stop too as she felt the petting stop, and his arms slightly loosening. Peering over the edge, she noticed Yuu petting her new friend! Smiling at him, her widened eyes stayed focused on him as her ears wiggled briskly. It wasn't then until they both had to go.
Giving one last glance, she spoke with a very weak, almost ethereal "veeeee," as one of her arms protruded from her bed... and she waved with a bittersweet good bye, her eyes blinking at rhythmic intervals. Even though it was sad, she wished Tyrian could at least come with them... it would be so much fun, right?
...
Eventually, after walking for a bit out of camp, Yuu set Sylvie down, but not before she pressed her own nose against his pant leg. Kneeling down, Yuu smiled and gave her ears some scratching before getting back to the pressing matter at hand...
They were alone, solo, no one else trailing along with him and Sylvie... Not even her new best friend.
It may have been suicidal, but damn him if he did not have the guts to keep the people he was traversing with safe. As the boy walked alongside his pokemon with his backpack on him, the duo retrieved any stick that had the possibility of being used in a fire, especially the drier looking ones. Yuu whistled a tune as the duo continued on with their task, the Eevee pouncing on tufts of grass and munching on the occasional half-eaten berry. Yuu wished to quench his hunger too, and attempted to not stray too far from the camp.
As Sylvie continued to help her friend gather sticks, she stumbled across a rather large rock. Just the way it felt, there was something different about this one than the one she placidly smacked to the side when walking on the path. Yuu didn't denote it as anything unusual for the most part as he grabbed a nearby stick from it before going off. Glaring at it, she began responding to it in a more cautious matter, staying confident as she spoke. "Vee, eee, eevee! Vee, vee, eee, vee eee!"
As the man continued to gather sticks, he heard the ongoing cries of his friend. As strange as it was, she stopped completely to cry at a rock. Trudging over, Yuu eyed the small, craggy rock with utmost suspicion before responding to the Eevee. "Er, are you ok Sylvie," Yuu quizzed, worried about her frantic condition. The closer he examined both, the more he could tell why for her peculiar condition. "Hum, this just looks like a-"
"Dude!"
Yup, definitely not a rock, but a "Geodude!" The rock lunged forward at Yuu, who managed to almost evade it's tackle with a pivot, the latter scrapping a bit by his arm. The Geodude toppled onto the ground before rolling, staring furiously at the duo. The Eevee rushed forward and took a defensive stance in front of her friend, furrowing her eyebrows as she frowned. Hostility was flowing throughout the air between the two engaging parties; Yuu had no choice but to fight the Geodude who had a rocky exterior but a fiery heart.
"We are getting a bit side tracked, but we can use this time to prepare for the bigger mission! Sylvie, lets start this whole spar off with a sand attack!" While these were different words, Sylvie obeyed, running forward, before pivoting and dragging her hind legs into the dirt, causing dynamically small objects, along with the dust, to be into the Geodude eyes, blinding her. As their opponent ran into the cloud of dirt, she retaliated with a tackle which Yuu swiftly caught, giving another crisp and determined command. "Sylvie, move to the left!" Quickly, Sylvie bounced to the side, nearly making contact with the solid stone who toppled forward, thought that was to close for comfort. Still, for a novice, she was performing exceptionally well already, learning how to battle.
The Eevee, getting a feeling of what to do, performed a basic sand attack in the way of the Geodude. And like the last, she managed to escape unscathed due to the attempted tackle that was made blatantly obvious by the rushing figure. Yuu knew this was going to take some time to keep this up, but with a stretch of his imagination, he gained a new idea to tip the scales. "Sylvie, watch this!" The small pokemon became distracted by her partner who demonstrated what he wanted her to do while running around in a miniature circle whilst kicking up a dust storm. Taking this time to made sure her hit landed, the wild Geodude crashed into the Eevee, harming her yet again.
As she was launched forward a few inches, rolling on the ground, Sylvie dusted herself off, the trainer and pokemon looking piqued from that surprise attack. Taking into account what she saw, Yuu gave her the same command in an attempt to assist her in learning. "Alright, you got the memo on what I did! Do a sand attack the way I was doing it!" Sylvie, gave a confident cry before dashing into the fray and performing a sand attack while running around the enemy. This disoriented the Geodude who gave a frustrated cry before randomly tackling into the storm of dirt... and completely missing the Eevee who was adjacent to her.
"Awesome job out there Sylvie! That Geodude won't see anything coming next!" The Eevee, despite being a bit beaten, turned her head and expressed her joy while smiling, "Vee, veee!~" Sure, they were fighting for their lives to an extent, but this was also bonding between two friends. However, one friend got a face full of rocks as the Geodude launched themselves into the Eevee, completely relying on sound to guide her. Their trance broken yet again, Yuu commanded the Eevee to retaliate against their impudence through a tackle, despite knowing it wouldn't do much other than further anger the Geodude. Sylvie obeyed, slamming into the rock before landing on the side a few feet away from her.
Preparing a new stratagem, Yuu began pondering on the attacks she could know currently before recalling that the fox-like pokemon knew growl and tail whip. It wasn't difficult to perform it, however this pokemon was desperately relying on sound, so not only Sylvie would need to be careful, but himself too. "Alright Sylvie, I have a new plan for you," Yuu shouted as he kept his pace up as the Geodude launched herself at his former position. "When it gets a clear vision of you, try using tail whip and growl as it should decrease the chance they want to fight. Also, if they're coming your way, I'll try to notify you so you can avert any harm, ok?"
"Vee," she responded, determined to live up to what Yuu asked of her. Making the most adorable sounds ever, the Eevee growled at the Geodude to not only frighten it, but decrease its fighting spirit. The rock turned before moving towards the sound before noticing there was something moving behind the thing. Regardless of what happened, she continued going at it until the Geodude launched herself. Yuu gave the warning and neither of them made contact with each other.
"Alright, tackle the Geodude, then rinse and repeat!" The strategy was going well with a hit and run tactic by Yuu which was crudely (but successfully) performed by Eevee who kept her length away from the pokemon while chipping away at its liveliness. Things were going well for the duo, and they had a shot of either falling or catching the Geodude at this rate!...
... until the Geodude got a lucky, well placed shot at Sylvie.
Yuus partner had a difficult time keeping up after that blow and looked rather winded despite the fact that the Geodude was sufficiently hurt, but not to the point of defeat. Before continuing on with the strategy, Yuu requested her to pull off another growl and tail whip combo to weaken her opponent. Sylvie found it to feel inappropriate for her, but at this point she needed to recover. She disobeyed Yuu much to his surprise to stand and... meditate for a bit? In a few seconds, Yuu swore he saw a spark come out from her before watching the Geodude hit the Eevee again, with another weakened "Veeee..."
As Yuu pushed his partner to the edge, he felt bad inside for going a bit far with her. The boy decided to pay homage to her by taking on the Geodude himself while she rested and recuperated from her wounds with a little manufactured store bought medicine. "You did pretty well Sylvie; sorry for pushing you to your limits, but now it's time for me to help you," Yuu exclaimed as he held firmly onto a pokeball he intended to use in slowing down the Geodude. Knowing the aggressive nature of pokemon, and the fact that their opponent was not weak enough to be caught or defeated, he opted for sacrificing one singular pokeball so that Sylvie might make it out of the fight.
With all his might, Yuu launched the ball directly at the rock as it began turning around to respond to the voice... before a bright red light encompassed the Geodude, temporarily ensnaring her. Using this time to his advantage, Yuu swiftly moved to his injured pokemon, his backpack in tow.
As the boy rushed over to tend to the wounded Eevee, he kept tabs on how many times the pokeball fidgeted as it wouldn't be long until the Geodude emerged. As Yuu went through his backpack, he immediately found a potion but not before seeing a little twinkle out of the corner of his eye. The teen was... pleasantly surprised by the results as he was shocked to see his Eevee unscathed and looking better than before the battle. This meant the pokemon might have a move he did not account for.
*Beep*
Yuu heard the first tick as he eyed the pokeball which was rolling around. As he mused over the move, he came to a conclusion that it had to be a recovery move he learned of in school. The move was delayed, which puzzled him a bit as it felt familiar to him. As he pondered on it Sylvie let out a very pleased cry as she bounced happily, feeling refreshed from the wish. "A somewhat delayed recovery... which only means one thing this move she used is called Wish!"
Coming to that conclusion, Yuu eyed the pokeball as a small crack began to form on the red. That gave him the sign the he needed to pick up the pace as an impending skirmish was about to begin again. "Sylvie," Yuu called out to the playful pokemon who was striking a victorious pose. The Eevee responded by garnering her friend attention and gleefully responded with a simple "Vee!"
Smiling momentarily before going back to a serious expression, he decided to make his next topic about the Geodude they encountered. That pokemon was going to break out any second now so he had to be brief about his whole speech. "Uh, Sylvie, we have to be quick on this, that Geodude is going to break out any second now so we are going to improvise." While he was talking, a great flash of red light came from the shattered pokeball with the Geodude who looked more angered after that little stunt.
"Geo geodude, dude!"
An imminent fight was upon them once more as the rock launched herself at Yuu only to be countered by a swift tackle from Sylvie. Yuu figured away to keep pressure off the Eevee while not interfering much with the battle. In an instant, Yuu dashed forward and kicked some dust into the Geodudes face startling it slightly. This gave enough leeway for the Eevee to hit it with another tackle. "Sylvie, go for it! Hit the Geodude with a tackle!"
The Eevee stared, entranced at what Yuu was doing before snapping back to reality before her. The pokemon recalled the teens command and ran at the Geodude, slamming into it with all her might. The Geodude took the hit a bit harder than the last few, meaning it was on its last legs. In retaliation for the attack, the Geodude hastily carried out a tackle as it sluggishly launched itself forward at Sylvie, grunting as it made contact with the Eevee. She let out a small grunt as she was pushed back a few feet at the weakened blow, but she was prepared for another dance between the duo.
This went on for a couple of minutes as the pokemon began procuring new, interesting strategies from Yuu to mitigate damage. Over the small time their mindset grew...
Eventually, the end drew near.
Of course, Yuu was also prepared to intervene with a pokeball as he wasn't going to pull a stunt to disable their opponent like that again as it inhibited Sylvies learning curve. Along with that, he knew he could not exactly perform that in trainers battles. Yuu sighed, understanding the only way to truly assist is to allow her mind to get into a state where it could predict chains of movements with an opponent... that and the occasional pokeball. The boy crossed his arms and sighed in disappointment of how limited his actions were before refocusing on the task at hand. Sylvie could easily sustain a lot more hits, but would have to heal up if another critically placed hit was landed.
Feeling helpless and like a failure, Yuu figured he could be the one to safeguard once Sylvie was taught myriads of lessons in battling... if she truly wanted that. Either way, right now was fight or flight and with a Geodude as determined as this, Yuu did not want to dump his problem on those trying to set up the campsite... however, finding a Geodude tearing down tents like they were some sort of monster terrorizing a city would be slightly hilarious... if not for the intent.
Snickering a bit, Yuu barely had enough time to react to the Geodude who was taking advantage of this respite. This piqued him as he was getting distracted by meager things! He had to focus! Rinse and repeat to end this fight. "Alright, Sylvie, Wishie Washie!... I seriously need better names for these strategies," Yuu grumbled to himself as Sylvie got into a position a prayer. Yuu kept an eye out on the Geodude, surveying how it would assert itself now.
The Geodude, bemused at the whole event sneered as it prepared to take advantage of the Eevees vulnerable state. Defiantly launching itself forward once more, Yuu echoed a familiar command."Sylvie, execute!" Sylvie was still getting used to the commands, so she was slow on the up taking and she only struck after processing what he meant, only retaliating in surprise when the Geodude pinned down the Eevee through kicking the rock with her free legs.
"Oh crap," Yuu uttered as he dashed toward the trapped Eevee. Even with the Geodude holding on firmly, their grip was loosening as the Eevee slowly weakened it with kicks. Eventually, Yuu was a few feet away from the duo, before the Geodude let go... while directly being launched from a well placed hit by Sylvie. Yuus eyes widened in fright as the rock flew towards his chest. Despite it probably going to leave a nice looking bruise or a broken sternum, he honestly did not want to be a bigger burden to the group or his Eevee. Thinking swiftly, the boy shot his arm out, throwing the free pokeball at the Geodude, halting its assault.
With that said, the pokeball plummeted down to the ground as it began the count down.
*Beep*
Yuu walked over to Sylvie to check how she was fairing in this situation. She was still lying on her back, trying to recollect what she just did as the hit was much more powerful than the rest. As the boy frowned nervously, he continued to check for any other harmful blows he failed to note. *Beep* Other than a few mild scratches from what he could make out, Sylvie appeared perfectly fine as she hopped up and dusted herself off. Before bouncing around gleefully, spurting out cute growls as she hopped constantly.
The troubled teen toiled within his mind, sighing at the fact that he stopped the momentum. He preferred not only to withdraw the chance of injuries as someone getting harmed this early could lower the morale... maybe. Other than that, he glossed over his partner before whistling to get her attention. *Beep* The prancing ball of fun came to a complete halt at the sound of her friends command and responded with a delighted "Vee!"
"Sylvie, could you please use Wish on yourself just in case the Geodude breaks free somehow," Yuu requested, eyeing the pokeball as if it could cause a catastrophe any moment now. The small pokemon focused, uttering something in a language only other pokemon could understand before a small spark emerged from her with Sylvie exclaiming joyfully.
*Click*
Yuu was surprised the moment he heard that noise. The red and white ball had stopped wiggling back and forth... did he actually manage to catch a new partner? Cautiously moving forward, Yuu pondered on how the Geodude might react to the boy and Eevee considering what transpired a few minutes ago.
The teen slowly kneeled down as the boy rested his leg on the ground temporarily as he snatched the pokeball from where it lay. Sylvie sniffed it from where she was standing, befuddled at the fact by a stroke of she's luck, they managed to capture... a rock with eyes!
Riveting, huh?
"... now that your here... maybe you've calmed down a bit?" Yuu tried to not dwell on the question any longer as he shot back up and anxiously released the Geodude. As performed this, he sported a smile to try and befriend the Geodude as it came out in a flash of red light. As it shook itself, it noticed the familiar environment, recognizing it on a whim... and most importantly the duo it fought. From the way it glared, the Geodude appeared to be bitter about the whole predicament.
"H-hey buddy, sorry about that we didn't mean any harm," Yuu spoke as the rock crossed its arms, hopping forward a few inches. As it did so, the rock slightly winced in pain, and tried to veil the pained expression but was unsuccessful in their endeavor. "Er, Sylvie, maybe you could use Wish on... him or her?"
As Yuu spoke, it attempted to launch a weak attack which the teen avoided by backing up a few inches. Yuu rubbed the back of his neck for a bit, before trying his best to befriend the difficult pokemon once more. "Seriously though, I'm sorry for what we did... it was more in self-defense... maybe I could make it up with some food?" A few seconds after he spoke, a small part appears on the rock before noticeably infusing the Geodude with more vigor. It stood there, mystified at what just happened. As it processed the whole situation, the rock just sighed and begrudgingly hopped to the boys side. It made the situation seem more like she was forced to deal with Yuus presence for now.
"Well, welcome to the group then," Yuu said as he began procuring the dropped sticks once more. The small ball of fur pounced onto a couple of sticks and began collecting marginal amount it could carry in its mouth, before delivering them to Yuu and dashing straight into a bush. The Geodude rolled it's eyes and sat itself on the ground as the two worked. "... er, Terra, if you want that name..."
The Geodude appeared unexpectedly satisfied with it as it rolled back and forth, it's frown slightly lifting.
...
As Yuu carried a bundle of fallen sticks and twigs, Terra hopped along with two twigs centered on her right arm, and Sylvie in tow with a couple of berries. It had taken a couple of minutes to gather what they had an a little more, but this would be more than enough for the night. For a moment as Yuu approached the camp site, the two pokemon simultaneously stopped, and began looking around as if they had seen a ghost. Yuu took note of this once he found the two lagging behind him, rotating his head to see what the stop was for.
"... er, you two can worry about the wilderness later if that's ok as we are just a few feet away from camp. Come on you two, no lollygagging," the boy said, breaking the pokemon from their trance as they cautiously traversed forward at their allies side. Even though they continued forward, it didn't exactly put Yuu at much ease either from the way they were reacting as he tilted his head to eye his surroundings behind them before traversing forward again. As they reached the site, Yuu made out the silhouettes of the tents scattered about the place as dusk trudged forward.
As he looked around, he accounted for the positions of each tent, and opted to arrange the sticks and wood he collected appropriately so they wouldn't go to waste. Yuu said they could put down the sticks and Sylvie could share some of the berries as he could take it from there. Gathering the sticks Terra dropped, Yuu began setting the dry wood in the center of the dwelling, along with organizing them as Sylvie romped off. The Geodude, with nothing better to do, hopped after the swifter pokemon, curious as to what it might do.
Eventually, everything was settled and arranged; with the bundle of sticks that would be utilized later sitting by the large rock she was on, Yuu procured his personal camping lighter from his bag. Giving it a few clicks, the item eventually flickered to life, a small flame dancing on the edge of his finger tips. Grabbing one of the sticks from the center, Yuu lit it ablaze before spreading it to the rest of the wood, which crackled and sparked. Turning it off, Yuu cheerfully stared at the blaze that was born, sitting on the rock nearby as he stared at it whilst supervising his pokemon.
Setting his bag to the side, he began to shuffle through it, searching for some of forlorn item, quietly whistling a tune from a band that played classical music, Sync.
coGM
Rune_Alchemist Absolute Depravity
Member
Seen
0-24 hrs ago
~Abigail Blanchett~
“I, Was minding my own business. Alone. It was quite pleasant.”
Wow, there was no emotion at all in that statement. Abigail was a bit taken aback by that. She didn't think it was possible for someone to sound so...robotic? Yeah, that was the word. Well, whatever. She had mostly wanted to mess with Yuu, so she didn't have any intention of bothering Ivy that much. Well, not at the moment at least. Not like there was much she could use to bother the other girl, anyways. Though, she did have to wonder why she smelled like a bakery, but she was a bit too...embarrassed about it to ask.
"Heh, surprising that our pokemon get along better than us, eh?... maybe not, but still, they both appear to enjoy each others presence." Abigail glanced over to Tyrian and Sylvie, shrugging as she noticed the two of them playing together.
"Hey, he wants to play with her, that's none of my business." Abigail replied to Yuu. "Besides, Tyrian isn't exactly the brightest bulb out there...not his fault he can't see a mediocre trainer's pokemon." She gave Yuu a smug smile as he left, turning to Ivy once again. "Might want to do something with that Mareep by the way. He kinda...glares at everything." And with that, she left and headed back towards her own tent.
She spent the next half hour or so making her own fire. Earlier, she had been looking for that lighter, and thankfully she hadn't forgot to pack it. Her and Cerise had a rather simple dinner as the sun fell, and of course, Cerise complained quietly to her the entire time. Abigail only half listened mostly, but Cerise made that quite difficult at times. Not that it mattered though, night was soon upon them, and the both of them retired to their tent.
Too bad sleep wasn't something Abigial was gonna be getting, though.
"So. Yuu said little Sage here might have something called an...'Egg Move?'" Cerise asked, sitting on her knees. Abigail simply sighed as Cerise questioned Sage's abilities. The bird pokemon was sitting in a corner of the tent, watching them idly with that unblinking stare of his. Tyrian was curled up into a little ball right on Abigail's chest.
"Ally Switch. The pokemon switches place with an ally." Abigail grumbled. Ugh, she really would like to sleep. She pulled her sleeping bag tighter around her, displacing Tyrian slightly in the process, though he didn't seem like he was going to move from his little sleeping spot. She'd have to have him not do that tomorrow, though, it was a little...uncomfortable to say the least but she didn't feel like waking him up.
Likewise, she was almost asleep herself. Her thoughts grew hazy as she drifted closer and closer to sleep.
"He also said something about...some ability or something?" Abigail sighed, glaring at the ceiling of the tent. With a sigh, she sat up causing Tyrian to tumble off of her chest, landing between her legs, though he didn't wake up. The purple haired girl yawned, stretching her arms and giving Cerise a tired look.
"Magic Bounce, probably. Reflects all non-attacking moves back towards the user." Cerise was going to be asking all sorts of questions tonight, wasn't she? She supposed a lesson in pokemon was good, but she wanted to sleep. "Can we do this tomorrow or something?"
"Hm. I suppose so." Cerise continued. "I would simply like to not appear as incompetent as I likely am." The redhead sighed, leaning back slightly, running a hand through her hair in a somewhat bored fashion. "Honestly, this entire thing with pokemon is quite droll. I really don't see what you see in them, Abigail dear. That stupid little bird over there can't even listen to his trainer correctly." Cerise harrumphed. Sage simply yawned, giving the redhead complete indifference.
"Then why are you even here?" Abigail questioned, though she didn't give her much time to reply. "No wait, don't answer that. Look, I'll give you a practical lesson tomorrow morning, but you're gonna have to get up early."
"Hmm...very well, then. I would much rather learn from you anyways~" Cerise giggled, giving Abigail a soft smile. The other girl simply yawned again and gave Cerise a very much uninterested look.
"Sometimes, I wonder why I'm friends with you." Abigail replied.
"Aww, that's mean Abby."
"Well get over it."
"Abby, that-"
And then the ground began to heave.
It startled even Sage, to gave a loud squawk and hopped into the air, using his small wings to hold him aloft as the earthquake hit the group of trainers. Abigail didn't get much time to react, before there was a shout as Cerise fell forwards. Well, she couldn't exactly fault her for being somewhat scared of an apparent earthquake, what she didn't need was to be knocked backwards.
Abigail fell backwards, Cerise on top of her, and whatever gods there were saw fit to also to unzip the door to their tent, causing her to lay half inside of it and half outside of it, giving people a very nice view of her pajamas. It didn't help the sudden fall caused Cerise to be laying on top of her, in quite the suggestive fashion.
The violent earthquake lasted only minutes, but it was likely enough to wake anyone who was sleeping. After things had settled, Abigail shoved Cerise off of her, rather roughly. The redhead rolled onto her back...and Sage landed on top of it, eerily silent more so than usual, eyes turned upwards towards the trees.
Abigail sat up.
"You alright, Cerise?"
"Uuuugh, I'm covered in filthy heathen backwater dirt from a peasant country...I'll never be clean again..." Cerise quietly spoke from where she was laying. Yeah, she was fine. Abigail stood careful of any aftershocks as she looked around the camp.
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