8

"I'm, I'm not alone" Vivian whimpers to her friends, trying to keep her cool. "ahh it just touched me!" Vivian snapped in a sharp hush gasp. Her eyes frantically scanning the darkness around her as she silently quivered on the spot.

From above they could tell Vivian was right. Not a lot of light reached the bottom of the 10ft deep trap but there were definitely shadows rolling around in that darkness, slithering almost, perhaps more than one, and then came the terrifying hiss


Vivian replied with a faint whisper."...help..." her voice was dry and empty, filled with worry.

---

(Vivian has fallen into a 10ft deep Pokemon trap with wild Ekans at the bottom waiting to poison the unsuspecting pokemon, she is paralysed with fear.)

---

4

The first sign of coming trouble was the bug Pokemon scuttling from the cave. Azerus was just about to scan them with his damaged pokedex when a startling echoing chorus of screeches rung out loudly from within the cave.
Next a wave of zubats fluttered off into the sky as a heavy thudding of stampeding feet shook the ground as it grew nearer and nearer.

---

Vivian (HHG) +1
@Dusksong@LuckyBlackCat

“Vivian! Are you alright?” Leisy asked, eyes wide and worried. Although the girl looked unhurt, the pit was very deep and Leisy didn’t trust her eyes from such a height in the dark of night. The darkness almost seemed to swirl around in the chasm, alive and angry that it had been disturbed.

Looking to her side, Leisy spotted Ella peering in with a distressed look on her face as well. “Ella!” Leisy called, walking over.

---

A icy breeze whipped by when Shanae stepped off the train, lifting her hair into a flutter. Ebon shook himself to get warm, his short fur a less-than-adequate barrier against his snowy surroundings.

“Well Ebon,” Shanae said, a wry smile on her face as she pulled out his Pokeball, “I guess I’ll see you inside.”

Ebon gave his trainer a yip of agreement before she recalled him, summoning Turris instead. The Aaron blinked a big blue eye up at his trainer when he recognized the landscape around them.

“Welcome home, Turris,” Shanae said with a grin, threading her arms into her jacket.

---

// Leisy (HHG): +1TP
@luckyblackcat@dark light

9

"...no" Vivian whispers back in reply, carefully trying not to startle the agitated snakes. It was then, as she regained her bearings, that she noticed she wasn't the first to fall into this trap. Vivian had landed in the middle of a fight and interrupted the Ekans attack on a small injured Petilil, The little bulb Pokemon lay poisoned and quivering behind her. Vivian reached for her bag to call Flabebe for help but her bag had fallen too far away. The Ekans hissed at her movements.
Fearful they were going to attack, Vivian throws herself around the little Petilil, facing her back to the snakes she used her own body as a shield and nervously grits her teeth in anticipation.

"Petilil, here's a pokeball, it will be safe for you in there, if you want." Vivian says quickly and quietly as she places the one pokeball that was still in her hand down on the ground. After a second Petilil thanked her by croakily calling its name before disappearing into the ball in a flash of red light.

The Ekans let out one last hiss as they launch into attack!

---

(The startled Ekans are now attacking Viv, Vivian's belongings are out of reach so she needs rescuing. Play out the battle as you would like.)

---

5



Vivian (HHG) +1
Vivian caught a Petilil
@balthazar007@Dusksong@LuckyBlackCat

A hissing sound emanated from the pit, causing Leisy’s eyes to flick downwards into the black abyss to spot a lithe purple shape dart towards Vivian. Shuffling through her bag for her Pokedex, Leisy seized her hands on it and pulled it out, flipping it open to scan the purple Pokemon.



The entry was unclear about whether or not the Ekans develops a venomous bite later in life as it would have by now, and Leisy feared for her new friend’s life. “Devinco, can I ask you to—”

The Larvitar was jumping in before Leisy could finish her sentence, placing himself in front of Vivian and directing his piercing gaze toward the poison-type Pokemon. Hissing, the Ekans circled the new arrival warily, looking for an opening to strike.

---

The trek from where she disembarked at the train station to one of the pit stops around the mountain range wasn't as long as she remembered. “Hello!” Shanae said, tapping on the window. The man inside looked up, unimpressed by what he saw.

“What d’ya want?” he asked, adjusting the pipe in his mouth and flipping the page of his newspaper. New oil well discovered near coast, the front page story read, the picture above it that of a man in a construction suit walking along a large oil-extraction site.

“I was wondering what items you have,” Shanae said, looking around the small shack for any sign of a list of wares. Although she didn’t seem to recall buying anything the last time she’d been here, Shanae had a sneaking suspicion that there had been a reason for that.

---

Leisy (HHG): 70+2
Shanae (HHG): 26+1
@luckyblackcat@dark light

♥ Ellanor "Ella" Beaufort ♥

Location: Feyhollow Town

@Dusksong @Dark Light

Ella stared in horror at the shapes slithering towards Vivian. She'd heard that the forest could be dangerous, but she hadn't imagined anything like this... The Ekans hissed, readying themselves to attack.

"Treasure, go help her!" she said. Following the Larvitar into the pit, Treasure positioned herself between Vivian and the snakes. She eyed them warily, but stayed where she was without backing away.

Despite her tendency to get scared easily, it was clear that Treasure was actually quite brave. Ella's mind went blank as she tried to remember which attacks her Trubbish knew. She'd be able to protect Vivian, and she'd be alright herself... If what Ella had heard was correct, Poison types couldn't be poisoned themselves, could they?

Instead of awaiting a command, Treasure took initiative, spewing sludge at the Ekans.

The instant the sun peeked over the horizon, Olivie belted it out. ”Go!” Her shout, acting as the pistol shot to start the race, kicked her Pokemons' three-way royal rumble into gear. Buck, full of energy and enthusiasm, cannoned toward Gespenst to deliver a heavy slam (4/6 EP). However, the Cacnea was, either by virtue of the sun's invigorating rays or its natural ability, slightly faster. The spikes on his limbs extended and he whirled in a helicopter motion with no small amount of force (2/6 EP). His spinning onslaught succeeded in deflecting Buck's body blow and even scoring a sound hit on the Plump Mouse Pokemon's shoulder. For a moment it seemed as though Buck would continue onward and charge off, but he stumbled almost immediately. When he tried to turn around, a substantial limp and a haggard expression revealed him to be in far worse shape than first glance might imply (2/4 HP).

Meanwhile, Verrine took her time. Olivie wondered why she didn't go after Gespenst when he was an closer and open target. Perhaps the Karrablast didn't want to provoke the Pokemon that had been her boss back home in the fields near Central City...though out of respect, or fear? In the end, she lowered her head and began to charge not at Gespenst, but at Buck. The central prod of her horn extended slightly, a noxious red mist around the tip (3/6 EP). Buck could not marshal himself to defend in time, and when Verrine's stinger made contact, she bucked her head to throw him back as well. The Bidoof hit the ground and slumped, unconscious (0/4 HP). A frown settled on Olivie's face to see the Pokemon she caught first laid low first as well, but she made no move to intervene. Instead, she watched as a brief, barely-visible wave of red power washed through Verrine in a split-second. With her Pokedex in hand, she diverted her attention from the two remaining Pokemon as they began to circle. Dutifully, the Pokedex recited, “Fell Stinger. When the user knocks out a target with this move, the user's Attack stat rises sharply.” Olivie nodded, a newfound appreciation for her least-used companion welling in her mind. The shy bug-type evidently hid a mind for strategy and an unforeseen aptitude for battle.

Abruptly the circling ended. Verrine swung her head experimentally, detaching a single pin from her carapace that flew right at Gespenst (2/6 EP). The Cacnea, feeling tired but healthy, opted to take the weak attack head-on. Instead, he recoiled in pain as the Pin Missile pierced his body, for the bug-type move struck doubly as strong as its appearance suggested (2/4 HP). Wrathful that his former underling would attack him directly, even as the command of her trainer, Gespenst put everything he had left into an attack. A single, large spike burst from his flesh just above his eyes, and with this horn extended he rammed into Verrine (0/6 EP). Its point broke through her carapace, and from the wound, orange liquid trickled down the horn and was absorbed (3/4 HP). Gespenst grinned as he felt some vitality flow into him, though Olivie could tell by how he moved that he had no energy left. Verrine knew it too (2/4 HP). She suddenly began to thrash, and while resisting struck her opponent across the face with the full weight of her small body (0/6 EP). Even as he rolled backward and fainted, Gespenst's mad grin remained frozen on his face (0/4 EP). After disentangling herself, and removing the horn still stuck in her torso, Verrine sat down, exhausted.

Though only a few minutes had passed, the sun was now high enough for Olivie to cast a shadow on her Pokemon as she stood up. ”Well, that looked like a blast! I'll go and get you fixed up. Great work, Verrine.” She gave the tired bug a pat on the back and scooped her up into her arms. Olivie held her there as she returned her fainted Pokemon to their pokeballs. Having never been held like this before, Verrine simply lay against her trainer's chest with wide eyes. ”Oof, you're heaver than you look. Is that shell made of metal?” She started back toward the Pokemon Center, wondering if anyone else was up.

@LuckyBlackCat@Lugubrious

Tommy and Cici had only spent another hour out and about in the forest with as late as it had been, but both searched avidly for a Pokemon that they knew they'd find in Feyhallow. Tommy spent a good fifteen minutes listening for the Bulbasaur he knew he'd heard when they had reached town, but to his luck, never found it. He didn't know if Cici had had any luck and when they met up again on the path leading back to town, they were too tired to ask the other how the search had gone. Instead, they both returned to the Pokemon center and with yawns aplenty, turned in for the night.

---

Tommy had always liked to think of himself as an early riser, because the sunrise was always worth waking up early to see back in Central City. Today, as he sat in the window sill of the open window, he played a soft tune as the sun shown over the forest's trees. If anyone was outside or approaching his room, they'd hear him playing. Amica laid on the bed nearby, listening to her trainer play his trumpet and nodding her head along.

(Just the first song in the link. Couldn't find a shorter one.)

The alarm on Cillian’s Pokedex blared with annoying clarity, rousing him from his slumber on the left bed. Blinking blearily, Cillian’s newly awakened brain registered his location and the boy in the other bed.

“Morning,” he yawned to Damian who had sat up in his bed as well. Cillian snagged his clothes from their pile on the sofa, looking to the other boy. “Calling the bathroom for five minutes,” he said, making a dash for the room.

Five minutes later, Cillian was all ready to go. “I’ll find someplace to eat while you get ready,” Cillian said, brandishing his Pokedex with a grin. ”I’m in the mood for waffles.”

---

Cillian (HHG): 39+2
@kiritoasuna

---

The man gave Shanae a scrutinizing look over the top of his newspaper, a frown on his face as he extracted the pipe from his mouth. “Skilled trainer? Been some time since you’ve been out and about, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, actually,” Shanae said, surprised at how quickly the man had placed her. Sure it probably wasn’t hard to tell that she was no longer of beginner rank, but to tell that she was skilled and hadn’t been training for a while? That took a experienced eye.

“Good to hear,” the man said, groaning and rising from his chair to head to the back of the small shack. After some shuffling noises, the man returned with a metal box of sorts, dropping it on his desk with a heavy thunk. Fidgeting with the lock, the man stuck the pipe in his mouth in frustration and jostled the metal some more. “Give me a minute. Damn thing’s old as can be…”

---

Shanae (HHG): 27+1

---

10

Vivian's heart swelled as her friends Pokemon bravely jumped to her defence. This was the bond between Pokemon and trainer she thought to herself as she quickly used the distraction to dash over and grab her things. "Flabebe, help our friends." she called out before turning to her friends direction. Flabebe burst out of her pokeball and quickly sized up the situation while hovering behind trubbish.
"Hand please." Vivian calls out as she starts trying her hardest to scale the pit wall. Eager to remove herself from the battle area.

---

(Flabebe joins the fight.)

---

6

---

Vivian (HHG) +1
@Dusksong@LuckyBlackCat

Azerus
Roggenrola lvl up +1 (battle)
@balthazar007

♥ Ellanor "Ella" Beaufort ♥

Location: Feyhollow Town

@Dusksong @Dark Light

Shaking off the sludge with a furious hiss, the Ekans lunged at Treasure. The Trubbish squealed as the wild Pokemon bit. Standing by the pit, Ella tensed. A trickle of gunk bled from the Trubbish's wound, but she still wasn't backing away.

Another snake slithered forward, teeth bared. "Again, Sludge!" Ella called. The force of the sludge jet sent the Ekans skidding backwards, writhing and spitting. While Treasure was distracted, though, the first Ekans saw its chance. It darted past all three Pokemon, towards Vivian, poised to strike.

Ella had only a second to react. Grabbing a Pokeball, she flung it down the hole. As the Pokeball hit its target, it opened and trapped the Ekans. Watching it rock, Ella dug her nails into her palms. A few drawn-out moments passed. Then, it stopped.

Ella gave a sigh of relief, but it wasn't over yet. There were still more, their hisses filling the air.

---

Ella caught an Ekans

The murky darkness within the pit made Leisy nervous, but she knew that jumping in herself wasn’t an option. She’d just be another obstacle for her friends and another target for her enemies.

A sliver of purple flashed forwards from the left, causing Leisy to tense up. “Devinco, to your left!” Leisy cried, eyes wide as her Larvitar maneuvered himself to narrowly dodge the incoming attack. “Nice job, Devi!” Leisy called, relaxing slightly but not entirely as she thought back to the Larvitar’s Pokedex entry. “Now use Screech!”

The Larvitar followed, growl growing into a throaty, high-pitched cry that made Leisy’s hairs stand on end. Echoing through the pit, the cry caused all the Ekans to momentarily pause and cringe back, pressing themselves along the rock-studded walls. Seeing the rocks in the wall gave Leisy an idea.

“Good, Devi! Now chase them back with a Rock Slide!” she called down. Eyes glinting, the Larvitar threw himself against the nearest wall, causing a portion of it to fall down and force the Ekans deeper into the caverns and away from Vivian and the Pokemon. The collapsed rocks also fell into an awkward staircase down that, although unstable-looking, seemed to do the trick as Devinco subsequently jumped up the rocks without hesitation.

Leisy grinned, crouching down to hug her Pokemon. “I’m so proud of you, Devi!” she said, unable to resist another grin before clambering down into the pit to help Vivian and her Pokemon back up. “Are you okay?” she asked, looking the fellow trainer up and down with a small frown. Leisy knew better than to assume that Vivian was fine even though the trainer looked unhurt. A movement to her right caught her eye, and Leisy over to find a smaller, more green than purple Ekans that had now curled up against a crack, fangs bared as it hissed threateningly.

“Hey,” Leisy said, crouching down without moving forwards to better look at the frightened Pokemon. “It’s okay. The battle’s over. You’re not going to get hurt.”

Her words did nothing to calm the agitated Pokemon as it squirmed deeper into the niche it had found within the collapsed rocks, wanting but unable to get away from the frighteningly close trainer. Devinco planted himself beside Leisy with a sniff, eyes narrowed at the Ekans in a silent dare. Seeing the Ekans shrink into herself even more, Leisy waved the Larvitar aside. “Give me a minute, Devi,” she coaxed, shooing him away. The Larvitar left with a last glare at the Ekans before walking back up the rocky ramp.

Now that she was the only figure visible from the Ekans’ vantage point within the crack, Leisy focused all her attention on the frightened Pokemon. “Hey, it’s all right. You can come out. No one will hurt you, I promise.” The Ekans’ eyes gleamed in the moonlight, full of fear but more of distrust. “I can’t open up the rest of the caves right now, but you’re free to come with me instead of waiting here in case I find another place where you can rejoin your group from.”

This sentence seemed to register with the Ekans, and the Pokemon hissed faintly before slithering out, looking at Leisy with eyes yellow and wary. Leisy offered a kind smile, retrieving a Pokeball from her bag and placing it in front of the snake Pokemon. “How about it?”

The Ekans gave another hiss, its distrustful eyes flashing slightly before it approached, tapping the Pokeball with its head. Before the red beam enveloped the Pokemon, however, Leisy could have sworn she saw the Pokemon relax slightly, relieved.

---

Leisy (HHG): 72+2
Leisy caught an Ekans
@luckyblackcat@dark light

---

Shanae nodded understandingly, a polite smile on her face as she thought. The last time she’d been here she’d still been of beginner rank and had carried only one Pokeball at a time—a tradition she still planned on upholding. As a trainer who firmly believed in quality over quantity in all ways, Shanae didn’t see the point of owning too many Pokemon. However, in the unlikely case that she might come across some Pokemon that was truly amazing, Shanae did believe it worth it to keep a spare Pokeball on hand.

“How many items do you sell?” Shanae asked the man just as the heavy wooden box saw its lid flip back, wafting up a light cloud of dust. The man waved the dust out of the small shack, opening the window up to both let out the dust and better talk to his new customer—and only customer in a while, by the looks of it.

---

Shanae (HHG): 28+1

---

Damian gave a small chuckle. "alright alright, hold your horses" he said with a chuckle as he sat up slowly his hair in a wild mess. The sun was bairly rising and already Cillian was ready to get a start on his day. In good spirits Damian desired he should get into the same spirits as he loaded down his gear and cracked his neck.

"alrighty than"he said with a chuckle. "first we get waffles and than it's off to hunt down some Pokemon" Damian opens the door being sure to hold it for Cillian and wait for the boy to make it out the door. Before cillian reached the door damian doubled back into the room. "almost forgot the keys"he said picking them up from the table. "without those we would have been locked out for sure "@Dusksong

Raven awoke to sunrise as most normal people did. After a cataclysmic yawn and some stretching he went down to get some breakfast. After that he wandered around town for a bit looking at the sights and kinda of looking for Leisy and Vivi and the other's for a bit but no such luck. Deciding he'd wait for a bit Raven released Oliver and Weedle, finding a convenient bench to sit on. They both seemed happy to see him again, though Weedle was more subdued. Raven played with Oliver a bit to calm him down before turning to Weedle. "Hmmm I still need a name for you don't I? Not sure what though, got any ideas." His Weedle looked around quizzcally and back at Raven before moving it's head in a circle which seemed to the equivalent of a shrug. Raven let out a short laugh at the strange gesture and shrugged as well. "Aw well, I'll think of something soon enough don't you worry."

11

Relieved it was all over, Vivian gratefully thanked her friends and their Pokemon, ensuring them she was fine even though she could feel the large bruise on her butt swelling as she talked. The time to rejoice was short lived though, Vivian knew the pokemon she found down in the pit was it bad shape.
"I wasn't the first to fall into that trap." she informs her friends who might not have seen the other Pokemon. Viv holds out the pokeball in her hand. "I gotta get this poor little thing to the poke'center as soon as possible!" her voice rung with a tense urgency.
"Thanks! Come meet me later." she calls out with full sincerity as she turns and once again runs away disappearing into the shrubbery like only moments ago. Flabebe calls out to its trainer with a little squeak as it quickly follows her, struggling not to get left behind.

---

( Vivian dashes off to the Pokemon center.)

---

Vivian (HHG) +1
@Dusksong@LuckyBlackCat

7

Azerus got all manner of odd looks as he very slowly dragged a 250lbs dazed Rhyhorn through the simple quiet streets of feyhollow. It was quite the site, the battered shabby looking teen with tattered clothes and twigs in his hair, hauling the massive grey Pokemon behind him while a little Roggenrola lead the way in front.
But Azerus was way too tired to care or even imagine what these simpleton townsfolk may have thought.
Through out the journey he had stumbled and crashed multiple times, once even falling asleep until his Roggenrola woke him. His stomach groaned, his muscles quivered, but he made it.
He dropped the heavy Rhyhorn tail the moment he stood infront of the center. Stumbling inside he pointed out the injured Pokemon to the nurse then slid over his pokedex to pay for the much needed pokeball.

The rest is beyond his recollection. He would awake a few hours later in a nice bed, greeted by a nurse informing him he had passed out.

---

(Azerus arrives at the Pokemon center with an injured Rhyhorn. Buys a pokeball before passing out.)

---

Azerus
-5 TP (new pokeball)
Caught a Rhyhorn
@balthazar007

Leisy watched as Vivian took off for town surprised and amused at the girl’s enthusiasm. Daylight had broken while she had been in the pit, and Leisy felt the distinct tiredness of pulling an all-nighter sink over her.

Having been a dedicated student before she started her journey, Leisy had never stayed up an entire night before, and her eyelids were heavy as she walked back to town with Devinco at her side. The Larvitar was silent at her side, eyes glancing up at his trainer in concern every now and then, but Leisy was too tired to notice.

Yawning as she entered the Pokemon center, Leisy looked down at the rock- and ground-type Pokemon at her side with a sleepy smile. “I'm going to return you now, Devi,” she said, taking out the Larvitar’s Pokeball. “Good job today, and get some well-deserved rest.”

The Larvitar’s small smile didn't leave his face as he vanished in a beam of red light. Turning to the lady at the Pokemon Center's main counter with a small smile on her own face, Leisy deposited two Pokeballs on the counter. “Can I get these two healed, please,” she added as an afterthought, brain feeling heavy in her skull.

The nurse nodded, smiling at the girl sympathetically as the machine worked its magic. “Long night huh?” she asked knowingly, returning Leisy’s Pokeballs. “Don't burn yourself out too quick. It doesn't benefit anyone.”

“Thanks, and I’ll try not to,” Leisy said, waving to the nurse before looking around for her friends.

---

Leisy (HHG): 74+2
@luckyblackcat@dark light

---

Cillian cringed slightly, realizing that he had forgotten about the keys as well. “Nice save,” he told Damian with a grin, shutting the door behind the other trainer after he emerged from the room with the keys in hand. “Let’s get them returned then? We can always book the room again if we need, but that's only if we’re still here tonight. Which,” Cillian said as the pair of trainers rounded the corner to the main lobby of the inn, “isn’t too likely.”

After the keys were returned, Cillian led the way to a nearby diner that, of course, served waffles. Due to the town’s relatively small population, the newcomers were quickly seated at a table with menus and silverware.

“Good morning!” A cheery waitress said, smiling as she set down a pair of plates on the table. “My name is Vicky and I’ll be your waitress today. Do either of you want anything to start off?”

“Orange juice would be great,” Cillian said with a smile before looking to Damian. “What about you, Damian?”

---

Cillian (HHG): 41+2
@kiritoasuna

---

12

When Leisy arrived, Vivian had already passed out, she lay curled up across three of the waiting chairs in the back corner. She snored ever so slightly but in a cute gentle kind of way.
""

---

( Vivian is sleeping @ the Pokemon center.)

---

Vivian (HHG) +1
@Dusksong@LuckyBlackCat

7

Azerus had since woken up, cleaned himself off, put on his only spare change of clothes, purchased another pokeball and now sat before the Poke'center computers filling out his guild application.
He was to become a strong trainer and strong trainers needed to battle. Ever since he took this path he knew he wanted to follow in the footsteps of the great Thomas Rikon. It was then he saw Leisy for the first time as she came to pick up her pokeballs from the nurse behind the counter.
She looked young but was a trainer none-the-less, she would do.

Battle me! he demands, stepping in front of her blocking her path to the exit.
I need to test and grow my new Pokemon so I challenge you!

---

(Azerus challenges Leisy)

---

Azerus
Purchased pokeball -5TP
Joined league prime
@Dusksong@balthazar007

♥ Ellanor "Ella" Beaufort ♥

Location: Feyhollow Town

@Dusksong @Dark Light

Clambering down into the pit, Ella checked that both her friends were alright. Thankfully, Vivian wasn't too badly hurt. Neither was Treasure. So it was true that Poison types were immune to poison.

"You did great. Come on, I'd better get you healed up," she said, returning Treasure. Leaning down, she picked up the other Pokeball, holding it at arms' length as if fearful the Ekans would escape. This particular species of Pokemon was one she happened to like, but this wasn't exactly how she'd thought she'd catch one. She couldn't blame a scared, confused animal for lashing out. She just hoped Vivian wouldn't be too upset about the Ekans being part of her team.

"You going to be ok?" she asked, putting away both Pokeballs and climbing out of the pit after Vivian. "How about we meet up in the Pokecentre in a few hours?" The recent panic had drained Ella's seemingly boundless energy. The sun's rays were already shining through the leaves overhead. It was probably best to try to get in a few hours of sleep.

Her feet dragged as she followed Vivian and Leisy to the Pokecentre. Right after getting both her Pokemon healed, she asked about rooms, accepting a key from the nurse and heading off to get some much-needed rest.

---

♪♫♪ Cecilia "Cici" Taylor ♪♫♪

Location: Feyhollow Town

@Zarkun
(Earlier that morning)

Well, this was just their luck. In the early hours of the morning, they'd gotten separated in their search for Pokemon. Cici squinted into the darkness ahead of her, but there was no sign of Tommy. Sighing, she pushed a vine aside. She hoped they weren't both lost. "Tommy?" she called, listening out, but there was no answer.

What she did hear, though, was music in the distance. More of those xylophone sounds, growing louder as she approached, and the high-pitched voice of a Pokemon singing along. It wasn't quite the eerie fairy song she'd been expecting. Instead, it sounded more like an excitable child.

As Cici drew closer, though, the singing wavered, becoming quieter. She stepped into a clearing where two tiny Pokemon stood. One of them, a little bug, turned round, its antennae clicking together with a ringing noise. "Krick?" it said. The other gave a squeak as it fixed its round red eyes on her, but the squeak sounded rough, strained.

This was the exact Pokemon Cici had been looking for. Was it sick, though? "Hey, you ok there?" Cici asked, taking out her Pokedex, listening for information about the Fairy type she'd succeeded in sighting.

"Igglybuff's vocal cords are not sufficiently developed. It would hurt its throat if it were to sing too much. This Pokémon gargles with freshwater from a clean stream."

Crouching down, Cici reached into her bag again. "Here, have some of this," she said, pulling out a bottle of water, opening it and tipping some of the liquid into her cupped hand. As the Igglybuff sipped, Cici smiled. "That was a good song just now." The Igglybuff squeaked again, still sounding somewhat rough, but less so. As the Kricketot resumed clacking its antennae, the Igglybuff tried singing again, only to make a sputtering noise.

"Hey, don't overdo it." Cici gave the Pokemon some more water. "You know, I'm a musician too. If you like singing along..." She glanced from the Kricketot to the Igglybuff. "You could both accompany me, if you want. Later on, of course."

As she took out two of the new Pokeballs she'd bought, the Igglybuff tapped one of them. The Pokeball pulled the balloon Pokemon into it in a beam of light. The Kricketot waddled over to the other one, letting out more ringing sounds before joining its friend as a member of Cici's team.

Cici stood up, her smile widening despite the tiredness that started to wash over her, clipping the Pokeballs to her belt beside the two that contained Forte and Dulcet. She'd returned them some time ago, giving them a chance to take a rest, and now figured resting was something she should do too. The sky was starting to brighten. Cici was no stranger to all-nighters, but she'd need the energy for travelling tomorrow... err, later today.

With a yawn, she made her way back towards the Pokemon centre. There was Tommy, walking along the path, but she was too exhausted to say much more than hi to him. In a few hours time, she'd ask him if he'd caught any new Pokemon. If he had, it might not be much longer until they both reached the next rank.

...

Cici woke to the sound of singing. "Well, you're clearly feeling better," she laughed, dragging herself out of bed. The Igglybuff had gotten out of her Pokeball and was singing at the top of her lungs. Weren't some Pokemon supposed to make people fall asleep with their songs? This one was doing the opposite. And what was it with her getting woken up by Pokemon?

"C'mon, let's go get breakfast," she mumbled, returning the Igglybuff to her Pokeball. She'd considered trying to get at least another hour's sleep, but there was no way she'd be able to with all this sunlight streaming in. It looked like she'd be running on coffee again.

---

Cici caught an Igglybuff and a Kricketot

Leisy looked up with surprise at the blonde-haired boy who'd stepped in front of her, intercepting her path toward the back of the Pokemon Center. Had she heard him correctly? Leisy was so tired she couldn't be sure, but it was clear from the burning intensity in his eyes that the boy had challenged her to a battle.

“Ah. I, um,” Leisy said, flustered now. How could she kindly explain that she was too tired to enter into a battle right now? “I just got back to town and was planning to finally turn in for the night. Morning,” she corrected, wanting to slap herself upside the head. She sounded like an idiot!

Leisy flashed the boy an awkward smile. “I'm really sorry and I'm probably violating some ancient Pokemon trainer covenant but I really am tired and would probably either pass out from exhaustion or overexertion during the battle. So,” she continued, pulling out her Pokedex now, “How about we register each other on our Pokedexes and when I get up I’ll ring you up—or whenever we’re both free—to have our battle?”

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Leisy (HHG): 76+2
@dark light

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“Well, that’ll tell you how many people I’ve gotten in the past few weeks,” The man joked, rifling through his meager wares. He grunted as he withdrew a few things with one hand, his other going up to his pipe out of habit. “All good investments, I tell you,” the man said, raising a vial of blue liquid with a spray-top for Shanae to see. “Ice heal—very useful, especially around these parts.” An orange liquid within a standard health-restoration potion bottle. “Super potion. For all your non-beginner battle needs.” A blue Pokeball accentuated with two short, uniform strips of red. “Great ball. Better than a Pokeball.”

The man must have noticed Shanae’s eyes flick to the side in disinterest, because he geared himself up for a lecture, chest puffed and everything. “Now you see now, missy. These items may be expensive and not that useful at most times, but you’ll be glad you bought them when you could. Heck, you’d be hard-pressed to find some other shack with Great balls and Super potions on hand at the ready.”

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Shanae (HHG): 29+1

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Needled by impatience, Olivie tapped her foot in sync with the rapping of her knuckle on the counter surface. Fortunately, she didn't wait for long. By now, the woman who ran the Pokemon Center's front desk knew that the surly brunette put up with very little when it came to waiting or prying. As such, the girl's three pokeballs appeared within two minutes, and with very little ceremony she snatched them up and made to storm out of the building. While her companions definitely needed all the combat experience they could get, she'd already decided that making them fight until they fainted, getting them patching up, and then battling with them again was a rather cruel exercise. Instead, she'd take the trio on a tour of the hamlet, finding out all the little nooks and crannies whilst getting a good impression of what kind of people the remote, outdoorsy, quaint little town of Feyhollow had to offer.

Olivie released her Pokemon as soon as she set foot outside. In flashes of light, Buck, Gespenst, and Verrine appeared, completely recovered from their three-way fiasco only minutes prior. They glanced at one another warily, wondering if another brawl lay in store. Putting her hands on her hips, Olivie set them straight. ”Enjoy your little warm-up? Well, even if you all folded faster than a poker player with garbage, you did good, so we're gonna have a stroll about town.” She turned her eyes to her surroundings, taking in everything in sight in one sweeping glance. The rustic style of the houses and the vivacity of the plentiful flowers, shrubs, and trees all made for a stunning view now that the sun's merry rays lay upon them. ”Nice place, I guess. I bet all kinds of sissies come around, oohing and aahing over this plant and that. C'mon.” She took one step forward, and the quiet, peaceful atmosphere that surrounded her came to an abrupt end.

Although, the disturbance wasn't exactly grating or disruptive. Cheery, relaxed jazz notes floated to her through the delicate morning breeze, and Olivie span in place back toward the building from which they emanated. She followed the sound, rounding the Pokemon Center with her Pokemon in tow. While Verrine seemed positively deadpan and the idea of wasting valuable time chasing after music made Gespenst visibly disinterested, Buck trotted along with a spring in his step. Olivie passed by window after window, each shuttered against the encroaching sun. Only at the end of the building did she find the source of the smooth, brassy tune that fitted the town so well. Just inside, perched upon the windowsill, sat a scruffy-brown-haired dude in drab attire, so focused on his playing that he didn't immediately notice her approaching. With raised eyebrows, Olivie realized that the guy was none other than the dweebus from whom she'd demanded directions to a Pokemon Center in Central City only the night before. The hell? Are all the Central City poke-bros following me around? For once, the exclamation didn't come out. Instead, Olivie waited a moment, listening to Tommy's skillful play from only a few feet away without any regard to any etiquette on privacy that might apply to the situation.

8

Azerus struggled not to growl at the girl through his gritted teeth as she dared to reject him.
whatever... he muttered softly, quickly spinning on the spot when another leaving trainer caught his eye.
Normally Azerus may have been a bit more persistent but as his gaze properly captured this other woman, more closer to his age than the last, he was soon following behind her, his eyes hung around the lower end of her long chestnut brown hair as it swayed about with every step out of the Pokemon center.



Azerus's damaged pokedex called out in a jumpy static electronic voice as he aimed it one by one at the woman's three Pokemon. He was so focused that he cared little of the devices malfunction. None of the Pokemon seemed too dangerous but she had more than him. This alongside with her looks and confident stride made her just a little intimidating.

So instead of instantly outright challenging the busty brunette Azerus decided to follow her. He kept it as casual as possible, keeping an eye on her and her Pokemon while he attempted to subtly follow her around.

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(Azerus follows Olivie in hopes of a battle)

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@Dusksong@Lugubrious