"Also true," Juana said. "I mean it's not the first time species came from another region and all. I mean, Pikachu wasn't even found in Unova until a few years back. Pikachu!"
Juana laughed.
"So, what else is there to do in this place, I wonder? Unova has a Pokémon League, and I'm wondering if there are any, like, Gyms or whatever in these towns. Or performance venues, like the one in Nimbasa City..." Juana trailed off. "And there's a whole host of places to visit here, too. Dunno if I'm ready to tackle the mountains just yet, though there's... oh, sweet! Is that mall really built into an abandoned train? That's sick!"
Juana tapped her lip. "Hmm. I wonder what I'm out here to do. I've always wanted to learn in the great outdoors and all..." She shrugged. Maybe I'll just make it a picaresque! she thought. I'd love to see it all.
"Cillian said the joint was just down the street," Juana replied. "I'm assuming that's it?"
Juana pointed to a quaint, nice-looking building with a canvas awning. There were a couple of Floettes curiously flitting about it.
"Hey, Cillian, you're coming, right?" Juana asked, as she put her Dewpider and Skorupi into their balls.
-TP: HHG +1, post +1,total: 45 -CP: +1, total: 25 -Interaction with @Silver Fox's Tora and @Dusksong's Cillian
Tora nodded before thinking with a soft hum. "Our region does have quite a variety. Gyms, Pokemon contests, acting, or Pokemon Beauty Shows. For now quite a few are closed for maintenance. Adriana City has quite a few things like that." she said, thoughtfully thinking back to her home city of Adriana. It was pretty, though always bustling and never really quiet.
Looking to Juana, the taller woman smiled kindly, placing a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Do not worry Lady Juana, you have plenty of time to think on what you would like to do. There is no rush. I always wanted to be a Pokemon Breeder like my Grandparents. But it doesn't hurt to try out new things as well." she said before looking toward the shop, returning Sirius and Pezi, she stroked Archie on the head before looking to the others.
"I'll reserve us a table." Tora said before walking inside and up to the Hostess. "Salutaions Mademoiselle, would you kindly reserve a table for three people please?" she asked.
The Hostess wore what sorta looked like a maid outfit. Black dress with a white apron. "Awe shucks Hun, just go an mosey over to any table ye like!" the older woman with short blonde hair and green eyes chirped in her slurring accent. Tora tilted her head, not used to just.. Walking over and sitting down.
Still, she walked over to a booth that could seat four people and took a seat, curiously brushing her hands against the cushioned seats. Archie padded over, sitting down beside her trainers feet.
+1 post +1HHG = 32 +1CP = 23
Pokemon:
Archie the ♀Growlithe: Level 6/Healthy
Sirius the Staryu: Level 3/Healthy
Pezi the ♂Skiddo: Level 2/Healthy
Inventory: 3x Pokeball 1x Potion
-Continued interaction with @ToadRopes's character Juana. -Continued interaction with @Dusksong's character Cillian.
“Um, I’m not sure actually,” Leisy said with a frown. “I can’t really think of anything to buy.”
Rather than dwelling on what items to buy and whatnot, Leisy was focused on one thing: getting stronger. The main problem when she’d fought the Skuntank had been that her team wasn’t experienced enough — that she wasn't experienced enough. Realizing that she had a long way to go, Leisy felt daunted but resolved that — in order to become a better trainer for her Pokemons’ sake — she had to get stronger.
“Ella, what do you say we go and catch more Pokemon? A full team is six Pokemon, right? So we all have some ways to go,” Leisy said, trailing off as she realized that she’d yet to earn the trust of her Ekans anyway. Perhaps she could somehow catch two more Pokemon, but Cassia was hers as well, and she owed it to the Poison-type to shape up better. She would earn the Ekans’ respect.
Looking up, determined, Leisy glanced between her friends. “Let’s head to a new city.”
“Phew, caught up to you two,” Cillian said, coming to a stop beside Juana and Tora just as they were entering the waffle house. “Sorry about that — had to go drop by the general store to pick up a new tent,” he said, brandishing the said wrapped canvas. “Hazmat, my Charmander, burned my first one down, and I’d forgotten to pick one up in Central,” he admitted sheepishly. “Hope I wasn’t too long.”
Grinning and thanking the hostess, Cillian followed Tora to the chosen table. Just as he was about to sit down, Kelby hopped on the chair beside him and seated himself with a haughty look on his face as if to dare his trainer to challenge him. “Kelby,” Cillian said, with a disapproving frown.
Rather than looking apologetic, the Mudkip instead ignored his trainer and opted to stare at the jars of goodness on the table — multicolored jams and syrups ranging from Oran to Mago. Seeing as the Mudkip was behaving himself — for now, he added to himself silently — Cillian looked to Tora and Juana with an apologetic smile. ”Hope you don’t mind?” he asked as the hostess walked over to check in with them.
Ella nodded. "Yeah. It seems like our only option." As much as she wanted to find the stolen Pokemon as quickly as possible, there was no way the group could do it at this level. They'd been lucky yesterday, but what if they had to face an even stronger Pokemon? Or several of them?
"How about Stillwater?" she suggested. "It's not too far from here." Although her mother and sisters looked down on the people of Stillwater, Ella had always thought the place sounded just as cosy and welcoming as it was fascinating. "And there are some Pokemon types you can't get in Feyhollow. Like Ghost types."
She was far from comfortable with the idea of catching Pokemon only to involve them in this mission straight away, but Leisy was right. They did have to get stronger. At least spending a while away from Feyhollow would give them a chance to bond with their Pokemon before continuing their task.
"Not at all," Juana said to Cilian, having asked the waitress for waffles with Razz syrup and sliced Hondew.
A Spritzee fluttered by on the wind. Juana chuckled.
"Okay, funny story. One time, we were walking around, and some trainer had a Spritzee, see?" Juana started. "So Mamá got a good whiff of that, and she was inspired to concoct some kind of candy based on that scent. So what she did was buy a sachet of Spritzee's clippings. And she immediately went to work when we got home. But see, that stuff's super strong, and so we had to open the windows, right?"
Juana paused to stifle a laugh. "Suddenly, two Lilligants and a Tangrowth barge through the window, attracted to the smell of whatever Mamá was cooking! It was hilarious! Papá and I were trying to save the furniture while Mamá was menacing the Pokémon with a spatula. Raticate was confused and running around the house, knocking over tables. I nearly dropped one of our vases. A couple of the customers downstairs were panicking since the Tangrowth had tumbled down the steps. It was okay, but it had accidentally planted itself in the floorboards. We managed to get the Lilligants out of the house, but it took a lot of pulling to get Tangrowth untangled from the floor. We finally managed to do it by using Mamá's batch of candy to convince it to go outside. Needless to say, we wasted a sachet. But then, this lady comes by, and apparently the Tangrowth was hers and she had lost it a couple of days before?" Juana laughed again. "I mean, who loses a giant blue pile of grass spaghetti? Anyways. She thanks us for finding her Tangrowth. Apparently she was a soapmaker in town?
"So the next day, we hear the doorbell ring, and there's that lady again, this time holding a basket. She hands the basket to Mamá, and inside, there's a bunch of bars of fragrant soap," Juana continued. "Apparently lots of Pokémon in Central like sweet smells. I had to protect Bounsweet here from droves of ravenous bird Pokémon while she was visiting."
"I do not mind." Tora chuckled, petting Archie's hear as the puppy Pokemon jumped in her lap happily. Listening to Juana as the young girl rambled on her story, the oldest of the table patiently listened, running her elegant fingers through the soft fluffy fur of Archie. Glancing at the Hostess as she came over and ordered a glass of MooMoo milk and a plate of these so called waffles.
Turning to Juana as the girl continued talking, she said her thanks as her requested drink was set on the table, taking the cup and delicately sipping it. Her body felt sore and tired, but she was determined to keep moving foreword. "Bounsweet do tend to be a favorite prey among most Pokemon who enjoy berries. Quite a few trainers use them to lure Pokemon for either training purposes or to capture a certain Pokemon they are looking for." she said before shifting her backpack a little and taking out her map to look it over.
"Lady Juana, is there a certain town you wish to visit next? There is Ironforge, Tefan Village... Or perhaps Zephyr Strip? They are all places I'd always like to visit... And of course Atana Mountain Range." she mused, pondering where to go next. It was getting closer to sunset, so she'd have to be on her way soon. Get away from that phone.
"What about you Mr. Weiss? Are you traveling to anywhere in particular?" she asked.
+1 post +1HHG = 34 +1CP = 24
Pokemon:
Archie the ♀Growlithe: Level 6/Healthy
Sirius the Staryu: Level 3/Healthy
Pezi the ♂Skiddo: Level 2/Healthy
Inventory: 3x Pokeball 1x Potion
-Continued interaction with @ToadRopes's character Juana. -Continued interaction with @Dusksong's character Cillian.
Bounsweet had comically zipped under Juana's hat at the mention of "prey."
"Whoa. Better not use the 'P' word in front of Bounsweet," Juana said, pulling the Pokémon from off her head and picking up and dusting off her cap. She pulled up, and listened to Tora's question.
"Wellllll," Juana looked at her Pokédex; on the Town Map it appeared that Zephyr was a much shorter trip. Coming from a region with a highly advanced rail system (Anville Town and its roundhouse were some of Juana's family's favorite places to go), Juana had a Unova-brand fascination with trains. "Zephyr Strip looks really interesting," she said, completely and wholly independently of any creator bias. "Says there's a bunch of cool shops, and that the station has a long history..." She looked up. "Not to mention that the restored remains of an old train ought to have great Steel Pokémon hanging around!"
Juana looked around. "Still it's a bit of a shame we couldn't stay here longer," she remarked. "Feyhollow is nice, and the Pokémon are pretty cute, too. Aside from that Clefable that Moonblasted that Minior to high heaven. Geez, talk about savage."
Her food arrived. "Ah, here comes the grub!" she said, twirling her knife... and dropping it to the ground. "Ay, Darumaka dung, dropped my silverware," she muttered, picking the knife back up and setting it on the table. She stabbed her fork into her waffle and lifted one nine-by-nine square to take a bite. One of the berries decorating the top tumbled off and onto her plate. She put down her fork and picked up the berry to hand it to Bounsweet. The Pokémon happily ate the fruit.
"Um... that isn't cannibalism, right?" she made sure. "I'm pretty sure that doesn't count as cannibalism. I mean, Deerlings and Skiddos graze all the time, I bet, and that's not cannibalism."
Cici kept staring at the window of the Pokecentre. In the distance, she could see the treetops above the buildings. The sight of them gave her a sense of longing, as if she'd turned her back on something only to regret it.
She tore her attention away, sipping at a cup of coffee. It only did so much to lift the fatigue, but it was better than nothing. Whatever was left of this enchantment, she had to shake it off.
Hearing the nurse call her name, she stood up too quickly. The room spun, and she nearly spilled her coffee. She put the cup down and staggered to the desk, nerves taut. Maybe all that caffeine hadn't been a great idea after all.
"How are they?" she asked, a tremble of worry in her voice.
As the nurse smiled, she relaxed. "They're all doing fine," the nurse told her, handing her four Pokeballs.
After thanking the nurse, Cici crouched down and let out Cadence. "Kri? Kricket?" the bug said, staring up at the person who was once again the trainer she knew.
"I'm sorry, Cadence... I'm so sorry." With tears of relief in her eyes, Cici rubbed the Kricketot's back. She tried to tell herself it hadn't been her fault, but somehow she felt as if it was. Would Cadence hold a grudge against her for ignoring her like that? Instead, though, Cadence gave a happy chirp and cuddled up to Cici.
"Come on." Gripping on to the desk, Cici eased herself up. She gave Cadence a reassuring smile. "Whatever happened last night, it's over now. I'm my usual self again." It was over... wasn't it? She could only hope that it was, that this strange feeling that still remained would pass soon. "Lesson learned. No wandering around Feyhollow forest at night."
She left the Pokecentre, looking out for Tommy and Olivie, all the while softly singing an upbeat tune in an attempt to calm herself down. At least, that was what she tried to do. The song turned into something else, something she only vaguely remembered...
"Krick?" Cadence squealed in alarm.
Cici stopped singing. "Ah! Sorry! I-I didn't mean to sing that..." The song had brought back another memory. A hazy one, but possibly an important one... She stood still with shock at the realisation.
She'd have to ask Tommy or Olivie if they'd also seen what she thought she'd seen - if she'd been the only one under the fairies' spell.
Tommy wasted no time in catching up to the Swablu and gently cupping it in his hands. "Hey now, little buddy, rest up. You've had a rougher night than you think." Handing the exhausted flyer back to it's trainer, Tommy lead the way back out of the forest, helping Olivie when it became apparent that the Tentacruel and Bisharp weren't interested in doing so. Once they were back out of the woods, Cici had suggested that Tommy take Olivie to the local clinic so she could get checked over by a doctor just in case and that she would head to the Pokecenter. Before he could agree or disagree, the boisterous brunette said she'd take herself since the trainer of their two pokemon friends was there anyways and left. Cici did as well, leaving Tommy confused as Epsilon tapped his shoulder with a vine.
"Bulba?" Tommy turned and smiled at the little guy and let out Amica.
"It'll be fine. This actually gives us a chance to ask around town about these fairies and get some bloody answers." And so that's what the trio did. While Epsilon and Amica questioned every Pokemon they met, Tommy asked every Feyhallow native he could find, finding out all that he could about the Fairies and their late night kidnapping habits. The best he got at the end of it all, however, was that a Sylveon was the ring leader and that unless it was killed or caught, the Fairies would continue to make people disappear.
By the point, Tommy was already on his way to the Pokecenter when Cici came out and he smiled tiredly. "Glad to see you're awake. Shall we go meet the gal responsible for you coming to?"
Cici forced herself to laugh, putting up her usual cheerful facade although it seemed ready to crack at any moment. "For a given value of awake," she said. "Yeah... I hope she's doing better now."
Being around the person who had gone looking for her should have been comforting. Instead, her doubts nagged at her more persistently than ever. Humans were unreliable, they were bound to leave eventually, why was she seeking their friendship when she had other, better options... She tried to push away the thoughts by reminding herself that Tommy had been loyal enough to search for her, but she couldn't shake the worries that whispered at her, the feeling that some day she'd find herself alone... And right now, that fear was far more intense than usual.
The young trainer mentally yelled at herself to snap out of it. This had to be part of the spell, and drinking too much coffee hadn't helped at all.
She tried to distract herself by looking down at Tommy's new companion. "Hey... Epsilon, right?" she asked, glancing from the new Pokemon to Tommy. A slight frown creased her face as she studied the Pokemon, taking in the scars on his head, the ragged leaves on his back. "What happened to him? Is he ok?" she asked. This was yet another reminder of how dangerous the forest was, and yet something about it seemed to call to her...
"And I had another question." She attempted to recall exactly what had happened just as the sun had risen. "Back there, in the forest... Did you see anyone else?"
As it turned out, the Swablu wasn't out of miracles just yet. The little bird took flight and disappeared through the pitch-black canopy, and from her vantage point she spotted the soft, warm lights of Feyhollow town. After the moment it took the Pokemon to return and point out the right direction, the group was off. Given Cici's hesitation, Olivie lead the pack, whilst the Pokemon told told to accompany her by Bernard trailed behind.
The return journey proved to be remarkably short. Just as when she'd gotten lost before, Olivie reflected that the mystical yet treacherous forest was a labyrinth until its visitors knew where they were going, and no longer than that. She made a beeline for the Pokemon Center and dropped off her Pokemon, not caring to remember who needed attention, before finding her way to her room to collapse onto her bed. She went out like a light, and for the remainder of the early morning remained in a dreamless sleep.
At eight-thirty, a knock on the door woke her up. Bleary-eyed, messy-haired, and slack-jawed, Olivie stumbled out of bed to pull open the door. Bernard stood on her threshold, a worried expression on his face. He didn't look quite as healthy as normal, but the sight of his rival even in an extremely bedridden state brought a slight smile to his face. ”Good morning! Um. I was scared that you didn't make it. I was knocking for five minutes.”
Olivie shrugged. ”Whatever. You're the patient one, right?”
”Uh huh, yeah, I guess.” Barely a few seconds in to his first interaction of the day, and Barney, flummoxed by the unexpected response, stumbled on his words. He reflexively rested his hand on his belt pouch where his Pokeballs were kept, which Olivie by now thought was a trick of the mind to keep himself confident.
She sighed, brushing her hair back. What a poor sap. The girl cleared her throat before saying, ”It's time to blow this popsicle stand, Barney. I'm sick 'a forests and fairies. There's a place called Stillwater that's s'posed to be a popular spot for travelin' trainers south 'a here, or somethin'. Fishin' village. Let's get goin' in an hour or so.” When the boy nodded, Olivie stepped back and pushed the door shut as she swiveled around to head for the bathroom.
One refreshing shower later, Olivie found a quandry. Her clothes -not to mention her sheets- were lousy with leaves, dirt, and general forest detritus. The thought of sleeping in such a mess, even though she'd already done it, revolted her. All the same, the matter remained that she had nothing to wear. A flaw in her travel plan became clear; perhaps she'd packed a bit...too lightly. Grabbing a Pokeball, she sent out Buck, who frolicked across the floor in joy to see her again only to grow serious when he realized his trainer had a command. At Olivie's request, he hightailed it out of her cracked door in search of Bernard, and once he discovered the bespectacled young man just outside the Center, he made enough of a commotion to get Bernard to follow him. With her rival outside her door, Olivie slipped her card through the crack under it, and said, ”Look, Barnie. I want you to do a favor for me. My clothes are screwed and I don't have anything else. There's gotta be some kind of store in this town. Go and get me some clothes. Don't get anything girly! I bet this place has loads of girly little dresses for the fairy lovers.”
Twenty minutes later, a knock signaled Bernard's return. Discretely, Olivie acquired the new outfit and then put it on. Its main component, a cream-white sort of sweater deliberately made long enough to double as a skirt, fit remarkably well, though some tightness was unavoidable. She was able to accommodate it with her black sports leggings and undershirt. A scarf and a new hairband to replace the one she lost in the forest completed the getup. She did not particularly like it -it seemed far more girly than it was sporty- but it would suffice. A twinge of ruefulness struck her as she, pocketing her card, realized that it must have been very expensive. Without a word she left her room in her new clothes, passing straight by Bernard -who she noticed couldn't avoid gawking at her for a moment- and went to get breakfast. It did not take her long to wolf down a decent meal, gather her things, and leave the Poke Center alongside Bernard to continue her journey.
Current Location: Feyhollow Town TP: 37 + 1 = 38 CP: 20+ 1 - 4 (mission) = 17
Interaction: @LuckyBlackCat's Cecilia Taylor (The Resonant Raven-haired Roamer) @Zarkun's Tommy Oliver (The Trumpet-playing Easygoer Extraordinaire)
Lore: A relic of the past can be found only about twelve miles southwest of Feyhollow Town: Stillwater, an antiquated fishing village. Standing at the delta of a river said to originate in the Atana Mountain Range, and propagated in the marshland that covers the area between Stillwater and Feyhollow Forest, this town is a quiet, remote place with a culture all its own.
If one has a desire to live the simple life, Stillwater is the place. Free from big-city hubbub, it is an escape from the modern world. Here, people may fish, farm, or make goods to trade in order to live. Many find meaning in their work, and in their role in the community. It is a close-knit, personable place, where people treat one another with family. Outsiders may be regarded with suspicion, for Stillwater's people are used to being looked down on by those who consider themselves sophisticated, but it is not an unwelcoming place. In fact, it is an extremely popular stopover location for trainers on their journeyers seeking to experience different walks of life.
Outside the village, the unique shoreline provides a prime location for adventure. Various remote dwellings litter its versatile terrain, from tucked away in chasms to perched on the edge of cliffs. It is home to so many grottoes, tunnels, and secret places that many consider it to be a natural labyrinth. Tales abound of hauntings and surreptitious dealings, from ghost shipwrecks to rituals of dark magic in the seaside caves. A large variety of rare Pokemon can be found here as well.
The inhabitants of the village attribute Stillwater's peaceable, slow atmosphere to a legendary Pokemon of the moonlit night, said to bring good dreams to people who treat one another well and bestow cruel nightmares on evildoers. Pokemon researchers conclude that the area is frequented by either Lunaala or Darkrai. Some visitors to the town, however, claim that the interference of the mysterious Pokemon is not as good . The town's old and sick, on the precipice of death, invariably disappear in the night only to be found stretched out on the beach in the morning. Missing persons -and even ships- are more common here than anywhere else in the region. However, these doubts are never substantiated; naysayers seldom stay for long, and none who've awoken suddenly in the night as if from nightmares have ever wanted to return to Stillwater.
Stillwater Poke Mart
An open-air storefront situated near the top of the village's iconic waterfall, catering to visiting trainers.
*Poke Ball: 5 points: Beginner Item - Use this item to catch bottom tier Pokemon in your area
*Great Ball: 20 points: Skilled Item - Use this item to catch middle tier Pokemon in your area
*Repel: 5 points: Beginner Item – Apply this spray to ward away wild Pokemon for an hour
Black Glasses: 20 points: Skilled Item – Give this item to a Pokemon to increase all dark-type damage it deals by 50%
Twisted Spoon: 20 points: Skilled Item – Give this item to a Pokemon to increase all psychic-type damage it deals by 50%
Black Sludge: 20 points: Skilled Item – Give this item to a poison-type Pokemon to have it restore 10% (rounded up) of its HP per battle turn
Stillwater Mission Board
A large board tacked to the wall inside the Poke Mart. The shopkeeper, a village elder very familiar with the town and its happenings, will approve missions
“I haven’t heard of Stillwater before,” Leisy said with a small frown, but replaced with a goofy smile. “But sure! Let’s start out now then? It’s almost dusk, but we can start heading out now. Maybe we’ll make it there before night falls.
Sighing, Leisy looked between her friends. A new day was coming to an end, and they were no closer to finding Vivian’s Pokemon than they were before. Still, they had to start somewhere, and that ‘somewhere’ was a new town where they would get stronger in order to be able to actually challenge the poachers. “Let’s head to the Pokemart and get supplies first then?” she asked, checking her Pokedex. The number ‘one hundred and twenty-one’ stared back at her from the screen. When had she accumulated so many trainer points? And for such a large number, Leisy felt awfully inadequate.
“Hm,” Leisy said as she browsed through the shelves. Having bought a large amount of Pokeballs a day or two ago, she realized that she still had three on hand and thus probably wouldn’t be needing any for a while. Still, since she had a few points to spare, Leisy figured she might as well buy a few items. “I’m going to get two rare candies and a Pokeball. You?” she asked, turning to look at Ella.
Vivian, however, was conspicuously absent from the shop, and her absence caused the two girls to be a little subdued. Leisy knew that the girl had been childhood friends with Ella and thus closer to Ella than herself. Still, Leisy felt that yesterday’s battle with the Skuntank had brought them all closer together, and she was now sure that they were all friends. Even with Vivian’s absence due to wanting to spend some time with her family after the attacks.
“I hope she’s feeling better,” Leisy said with a small smile. “I hope the whole family is.”
Tommy shook his head as they walked about to find some food despite his own exhaustion. "No, Amica and Epsilon and I spent all night looking for you. Didn't see anyone til we came across you and the other gal in that clearing. She'd know better than I would in all honesty. As for Epsilon, he was being hunted by a trio of Spearow, presumably for a few days, when Amica and I saved him." As he said that, they rounded the corner and found themselves back at the Pokecenter, proof that Tommy should get some sleep soon, as the same girl came out, followed by another trainer. "Hey!" Tommy called.
When the shout brought them pause, he approached them. "Thanks for the help finding Cici. Name's Tommy and I was wondering if either of you saw a Sylveon in the forest last night." He turned to look directly at the brunette. "I'm hoping you did, since you were with Cici when I found you two."
“Well, I know that in Sinnoh people slather honey on trees in order to attract Pokemon. I think it was a specific type of tree too — a yellow one?” Cillian said, cocking his head to the side in thought. He was interrupted as the waiter came to deliver the waffles. Having ordered his childhood favorite — Mago and Oran swirl — Cillian was fairly excited for the food, digging in as soon as it was delivered. “This brings back memories,” he said with a happy sigh as he forked another piece of orange-purple waffle into his mouth.
Tora spoke up then — a voice of reason, Cillian realized as he set down his fork with a frown. For all the research he did about Central, he honestly hadn’t done much for further travels. His plan had been simple: catch his first Pokemon — a fire Pokemon — and then a water-type one. As Central City had both, Cillian hadn’t thought to plan much else, but he supposed the wise thing would be to fill his team up first. And, he reminded himself, get to know that Scyther.
“I’ve always wanted to visit Tefan Village,” Cillian admitted. “It was somewhere I considered starting — I wanted my first Pokemon to be a fire-type, and where better than a village next to a volcanic mountain?”
After she’d responded to all of the postcards, Shanae sighed and rose from her seat. Where should she head after the river? Her second visit to Mt. Atana had come with quite a scare, and she didn’t want to relive something like that. Maybe somewhere more educational, less thrilling was in order this time around.
Scrolling through her Pokedex, Shanae’s eyes caught on a location — Ironforge. Been a while since I dropped by there, she thought with a small smile. Getting up from her seat at the bench, Shanae crossed her hands behind her back and stretched her limbs before heading out for the river, a grin on her face.
“Lapras, Ice Shard!” Shanae shouted. The blue-colored Pokemon followed, freezing chunks of ice out of what seemed like thin air and casting them towards a tree on the opposite bank. The pieces of ice embedded themselves into the tree, toppling it over with a crash that sent a flock of Starly flying. “Oh, we really shouldn’t be practicing here, huh?” Shanae asked, a frown appearing on her face as she walked over to her Lapras and ran a hand along its neck. “You’re so pretty, Endymion,” Shanae praised with a grin. “Have I finally gotten myself a good contest Pokemon?”
The Lapras breathed a gentle Mist at his trainer, causing Shanae to laugh. “I’m heading to Ironforge next, and there’s virtually no water there,” she said, a little wistful before she brightened up with an idea. “But, I’ll head to a place be the seaside soon enough. Have you ever been to the sea?” she asked the Lapras. The water-type looked slightly offended, this time trumpeting a water gun into the air that split into gentle raindrops. “Alright alright, I get it!” Shanae said, laughing.
Shanae was busy reading up on her newest Pokemon as she walked back into Central City. A small frown hung on her face as she walked -- apparently she had a resting mad face when she was thinking.
"Ice Beam," she said, snapping her Pokedex shut as she walked up the stairs to the city, "that's what we'll work on next."
Organization: Helping Hand Guild [Founder]
TP: 41 +1 -25(Evolution Shard from last post) = 17
Ella glanced from the shelves to her Pokedex. "Well, I'm not gonna walk around without potions again," she replied, before heading over to the desk. Thirty-five trainer points... That would be more than enough for three Pokeballs, a potion and a Rare Candy. As she purchased the items, the kindly-faced woman at the counter, noticing Ella's considerably more subdued state, frowned slightly and asked if everything was ok.
"Y-Yeah... Everything's fine," Ella insisted, putting her newly-bought items away. "And thanks."
Placing her hand on Leisy's shoulder, she smiled, although she doubted she could hide the concern in her eyes. "They'll look out for each other," she reassured Leisy. "They need to spend some time together right now."
As she left the mart, Ella gave Vivian a quick call to let her know about her and Leisy's plans. Despite what she'd just told Leisy, Ella couldn't help but worry. Would she be able to be the kind of friend Vivian deserved, one who could help her in a crisis? She hoped the journey to Stillwater would allow her to become that friend.
Last night truly had taken its toll on Cici. Not only had she walked in a circle, right back to the Pokecentre, she'd completely forgotten Olivie had headed there too. As the girl and her friend stepped outside, Cici approached them, Cadence in her arms.
Seeing the girl in a clean outfit reminded Cici what a mess she was right now. Leaves tumbled out of her matted hair as she walked, and she could feel mud seeping through her clothes. Getting cleaned up could wait, though, until she found out more about what was going on.
"Hey. You feeling better now?" she asked. "Just wanted to say, thanks. And yeah... I think I remember a Sylveon, but did you see any other humans in the forest? Anyone who was... you know... like me?"
"Oh.. My apologies Bounsweet. I didn't mean to scare you." Tora apologized, while delicately cutting up her waffle into small bite sizes. At the answer of considering Zephyr Strip, Tora nodded in approval with a soft hum. "Mhmm I would like to see the old train station with my own eyes. Hope you aren't too scared of Ghosts however." she chuckled a little teasingly before taking a bite and slowly chewing her food. Humming with satisfaction at the delicious sweet taste.
"Don't worry, we can always return to Feyhollow. Perhaps when the Gyms and Contests are back and holding a event here." the tall woman reassured her comrade before humming at the mention of caniballism. "Well it's only really caniballism if Bounsweet eats another Bounsweet. Like, a wild Growlithe will hunt another mammal-like Pokemon like a Meowth." she mused before looking at their newly met trainer.
"Well you sure will find plenty of fire Pokemon there." Tora chuckled, before glancing out the window to see that the sunset was already upon them. "Oh good Arceaus, it seems to already be sunset." Tora murmured, blinking as she took out her Pokedex and it rung out that Archie, Sirius, and Pezi managed to get a level. Archie barking cheerfully with a big proud huff. She supposed they will have to leave soon.
When the waitress came over for their bill, Tora casually fumbled around her backpack before gently handing their waitress a fat wad of Poke. The waitress stared, mouth slightly agape. "Thank you for the splendid meal. I'll pay for all of us." she said with a friendly smile. The waitress slowly nodding.
+1 post +1HHG +3Sunset = 39 +1CP = 25
Pokemon:
Archie the ♀Growlithe: Level 6(LEVEL UP+1=7)/Healthy
Sirius the Staryu: Level 3[LEVEL UP+1=4]Healthy
Pezi the ♂Skiddo: Level 2(LEVEL UP+1=3)/Healthy
Inventory: 3x Pokeball 1x Potion
-Continued interaction with @ToadRopes's character Juana. -Continued interaction with @Dusksong's character Cillian.
It turned out Olivie had noticed a Sylveon, but no other humans, and Cici wasn't going to keep bothering her with questions, not when it seemed she was getting ready to leave. After the two girls had gone their separate ways and Cici had cleaned herself up, she and Tommy asked around, finding out any information they could.
"So there have been several incidents... I knew I couldn't have been the only one in there," Cici commented to Tommy.
She didn't hear whether or not he replied. A strange feeling washed over her, and everything blurred. "Ah! What... What's happening...?"
She stumbled, sagged, and straightened up. Cadence chirped in shock as her trainer's eyes took on that white glow once again.
"It's ok," Cici mumbled as if half-asleep, calmly returning Cadence to her Pokeball and heading towards the trees silhouetted against the red sky. "They just want me to go back. I want to go back... I need to."
As she made her way towards the forest, a green glow outlined her body for a second, as if she'd been hit with a Grass-type draining move. Orbs of light drifted away from her body, towards the woods. Cici swayed as she disappeared into the forest, but didn't react in any other way.
"Ghost train? I ain't afraidda no ghosts," Juana replied, folding her arms and grinning, while at the same time referencing an iconic cartoon. "You just wait, I'll catch one of them spooky specters and we'll see who's scaring whom!"
Juana looked down at her plate. "Wow. Um, that was one long meal," she remarked, watching the sun go down. "Well, it's getting a little late to travel anywhere, and I've got no interest in getting mugged by a Flabébé on the way out of this forest. Maybe we could decide where to go tomorrow morning? 'Specially since Zephyr and Tefan are so far apart, and I want to see if there's a decent public transportation service that can allow us to hit both."
Bounsweet chirped. Juana smiled at her Pokémon, before handing it the Rare Candy she had bought earlier that day. "I should probably get a couple more of those so whatever new Pokémon I catch don't have to play catch-up," Juana remarked. "Speaking of which, I'm going to be heading to the Mart; Tora, Cillian, I'll catch up with you wherever you're going."
Juana got up and winked at Tora. "Thanks for treating me," she added, before pulling out her Poké Ball with Skorupi. I gotta get this one used to me, she thought. Those Poison Pokémon can be positively venomous.
Skorupi appeared in a flash of light, its pincers up and ready to stab something. When it found nothing to stab, it turned around and gave Juana a "what-the-Giratina-did-you-send-me-out-for" kind of look.
"Hi, Skorupi," Juana said.
Skorupi was staring.
Juana stared back.
"Okay, this is going nowhere," she said. I'll have to buy some other stuff from the mart, too. Just some simple treats, I suppose!
Juana walked in and purchased a couple of Rare Candies and a couple of Poké Balls, as well as a of Potion. In addition to that, she bought a bar of chocolate.
The cashier was giving her this funny look.
"Haven't you ever seen a girl with a live scorpion before?" Juana joked, scanning her Pokédex and running the TP transaction.
Juana and her Pokémon exited the market and started walking back to the Pokémon Center. A Comfey flitted by, carrying a string of flowers of many varieties. She spotted a few Mudbrays grazing some hay; they appeared to be returning to the town. The locals seemed to take this fairy stuff seriously.
If Juana ever came back she'd have to make sure she had a Steel type. Just in case. She wasn't scared, she would rather be prepared. Yeah, that's it.
Juana popped Dewpider and Corphish out of their balls. She sat on a couch and broke off a piece of the chocolate. "I bet Mamá's is better," she remarked. But alas there was no way she could make chocolate here, right now. That required ingredients. And stuff.
Juana fed the chocolate to her Pokémon; it appeared they quite enjoyed the taste of it.
To say that Olivie was crabby would be to make a gross understatement. A ghastly, permanent scowl, by now etched into her features, caused wild Pokemon that wandered to close to turn tail and look elsewhere. Even Bernard, who should for all intents and purposes be familiar with his rival's anger at this point, shied away from her fearsome grimace and walked behind her instead. All the same, he flinched whenever she felt the need to vent. A pretty splash of pink and orange across the horizon failed to pacify the brunette; if anything, it worsened her temper. Out of the blue, she exploded once again. ”Are. You. Kiddin' me!? Ten hours of walking!? I can feel the blisters! My legs are killing me! I wanna fall down and die already. If this place doesn't have a five-star hotel with free therapy I swear I'm gonna knock the lights outta someone!”
She did have a point. The journey on foot hadn't been even passingly nice. Sure, the landscape seemed alright, but the monotony of it all coupled with the steadily-intensifying pain and fatigue every minute meant that both trainers weren't averse to the idea of pitching themselves into the first comfortable-looking ditch they saw. Even the sight of Stillwater itself failed to rouse them from their misery. As she traversed the hilly marsh that lay as the final obstacle in the day's trip, and could catch a glimpse of the town's buildings, Olivie became increasingly aware that she'd be lucky to get a hotel at all. A few minutes later, the sore-footed, muddy-shoed, exhausted pair stepped into the town of Stillwater.
The first building they came to had a large but cheap neon sign hanging from the porch, and it instantly confirmed two things: that the place wasn't such a backwater that it had no electricity, and that it did have a Pokemon Center. The sound of rushing water became apparent, and in the fading daylight the trainers could see a sizeable river running behind the Center. On its other side, Olivie saw an open-air facility much like the one she was poised to enter, which she dully guessed might be the Stillwater Poke-mart. Feeling like a thoroughly-walloped punching bag, Olivie plodded inside. Behind the counter was a grizzled, gray-bearded man with fishhooks in his dome-shaped cap. In less than a second, the old-timer sized up both Olivie and Bernard, determining them both to be terribly tired trainers. He gave a amicable, gap-toothed smile. “Howdy! I won't beat 'round the bush none, you two look rougher than a washed-up Wimpod. Go 'head and find yerselves a room. They aint big, but they're cozy. We'll talk 'bout payment some other time. Hope ya like yer time in Stillwater!”
Extraordinarily willing to forgo conversation for the chance to faceplant into a bed, Olivie managed to flash the guy a grateful smile before lurched past him for the aisle of apartments that he'd indicated with a tilt of his head. She slammed open the first door that opened, kicked off her shoes, flung away her sweater-skirt, and leaped into the mattress. It felt suspiciously like straw, but to a ragged trainer it made no difference. With the last of her energy, Olivie opened her Pokeballs. Buck, Gespenst, Verrine, and the unnamed Nidoran appeared. ”'Ey, close the door,” she mumbled, too pooped to care if anyone had seen her in just her undershirt and leggings. ”Explore if ya like, or go to sleep. I'm goin'...” And just like that, she slipped away. Outside, the sun disappeared, leaving only a lingering light at the edge of the world. Here, far away from the cities, the night sky was incredible to behold, but only slumber surrounded Olivie now.
This time, though, she dreamed and dreamed vividly. Almost as if waiting for her to fall asleep, they leaped upon her. Before long, the girl was tossing and turning, but the dreams did not relent.
