The eagerness with which Buck yearned to earn his trainer's respect propelled the intrepid little Bidoof along at a chipper pace. While his plan of action was inscrutable, he seemed to Olivie like he knew exactly where he was going. She wondered if her first pokemon relied on his senses to steer him in the right direction, or if the confidence with which he sallied forth was all an act. Opposites attracted, according to the old saying, but in the fluffy little beaver Olivie felt that she'd found a partner altogether like herself. For the most part, Buck chose pathways closer to the bluff down which the waterfall cascaded, but as the small group wound around the town's outer edge, the terrain began to smooth out. On this side of Stillwater, the marsh gave way with surprising abruptness to a rocky shore. A veritable field of tide pools stretched out down the beach, though on second thought, the scenery more closely evoked the image of a bizarre forest. Spires of gray-black rock, their sides smooth and pitted from time and tide, littered the tide pools like trees. Corals sitting in the sandy-floored basins provided the underbrush. No doubt, this weird terrain was home to all sorts of pokemon, but Olivie spotted another living thing that captured her attention first. On the right side of the boardwalk, a series of stairs led down into a tide pool big enough for a few Wailmer to rest comfortably. Sitting on the stairs was a young man with light, wavy hair and glasses, clothed in a beany, hoodie, and track pants, with the sleeves and pant legs rolled up. In front of him, a little too close for comfort, stood the huge bug that Olivie knew now to be called Araquanid. In the general area, a number of pokemon were scattered around that Olivie recognized as Bernard's entire party, but she didn't waste time gawking at them. Seeing the pokemon so close to Bernard made the brunette switch to action mode without hesitation. She stepped forward with intent, her hands balled into fists, and the sudden noise caused Bernard to look over his shoulder. He recognized someone cruising for a bruising when he saw one, and held up a placating hand. [color=3EB489]“Whoa, hold up! This gal's friendly.”[/color] He gestured to the Araquanid in front of him, which had taken a wary step back. Olivie paused, but her face spoke of her lack of belief. To prove his point, Bernard slowly reached toward the wild pokemon's bubble and immersed his hand inside it. Gentle as a Deerling, he patted the giant spider between its bulbous blue eyes, then withdrew his hand. Still looking at it, he explained, [color=3EB489]“This spot is called the Friending Hole. Underwater tunnels hidden in the rocks lead all over the seaside, and when wild pokemon get curious or hungry, they come here to meet people. This is where the trainers from Stillwater about to go on their journeys go to get their starter pokemon. Usually, the choice is between Staryu, Skrelp, and Dewpider, even though their secondary types are no longer classified as a 'type triangle'. Cool, huh?”[/color] He glanced at Olivie. Unfortunately, she could not be much more nonplussed. “Oh, yeah. Radical.” She shook her fists in a lackluster show of excitement. Bernard did not look pleased by her reply. [i]Well, it's not my job to say nice things.[/i] All the same, changing the subject wouldn't hurt. [color=954535]“You gonna catch it?”[/color] Contrary to her expectations, this comment made her rival even more ill at ease. As she searched his face, she noticed lines beneath his eyes, as well as the droop of their lids. [color=954535]“What's the matter?”[/color] She furrowed her brow. [color=954535]“Didja have nightmares too?”[/color] Bernard shook his head a little too fast. [color=3EB489]“Nah, I'm good. Just don't feel like catching it. If it's interested, it'll follow me. Hey, looks like you're ready to head out for the day. Good. How 'bout we take a walk along the shore? Might spot something interesting.”[/color] He rose, water running down his legs, and skirted the pool to walked along a level stretch of rock. Olivie followed the boardwalk a little longer, then hopped off. Her pokemon followed her one by one, careful to keep their footing on the slippery seaside stones. After drawing close to Bernard, she said, [color=954535]“That reminds me, we got a job to do. Turns out lots of people have been having nightmares. Keep an eye our for any weird crap. I'm dyin' to beat the stuffin' outta something.”[/color] She glanced behind to see the Araquanid in tow, making its own way through the pools apart from the rest using its long, jointed legs. No matter how loose the terrain, the girl expected, there was a bug that would never slip. Her thoughts returned to Bernard, and in short order came to a conclusion. [color=954535]“Hey, you did have nightmares. You hidin' something from me? How about you spit it out, or I dunk you in the nearest puddle?”[/color] Olivie took the opportunity to accentuate her ultimatum by donning her fight gloves, though she'd probably end up using them on a wild pokemon if anything. The instant Bernard breathed a weighty sigh, Olivie knew she guessed right. After a moment he replied, [color=3EB489]“Fine, it's not a big deal. It's just...last night, I dreamed that someone broke into my family's house. Something weird was going on with us, so we couldn't react before this thing captured us using devices that looked just like poke balls. Then he put us in a computer, stuck in our little balls, completely alone in a dark void. I woke up, but I got to thinking...is that what I've been doing? I've caught a lot of pokemon.”[/color] He paused briefly as his foot slid into a puddle, covering his shoe in wet sand and washed-up sea grass. Once extricated, he continued. [color=3EB489]“I keep a bunch on me all the time, but I've basically been collecting them. Is that what they experience? Being cooped up for days, hoping that I'll set them free. No wonder they listen to us...if someone kept you in a tiny cell and let you out to do something, and you knew that you could never escape, wouldn't you obey?”[/color] The young man shook himself. [color=3EB489]“Well, that's what I thought. But I was probably just scared. It's not as bad as I thought. Professor Ivy specifically told us that pokemon are in stasis in their balls, just like hibernation.”[/color] Olivie took a look around at the crowd of pokemon that surrounded her and Bernard. [i]He feels bad enough to release all of them at once, though.[/i] A few minutes more, and the two had left the expanse of tide pools behind. The shore grew thinner, turning to a more sandy beach. Barely had the group arrived before they heard shouts of panic. They glimpsed a sandstorm, powerful but very localized, and Bernard knew it to be one stirred up by a pokemon move. As the pair watched, two girls that Olivie knew all too well sprinted from the curtain of sand, a number of Pokemon along with them. The brunette raised her eyebrows to see another shape, one larger and more menacing, appear from above. One look at it and Olivie got the impression that the chicks were in trouble. A smile broke out on her face. [color=954535]“Hah!”[/color] She crossed her arms beneath her chest. [color=954535]“Already having trouble? Looks like you need a certain someone to save your asses!”[/color] At a wave of her hand, Gespenst and Bifrons jumped in front of her. On her shoulder, Verrine hissed threateningly. However, Bernard held out a hand of his own, this one in front of Olivie. Furious, she glared at him, but before she could protest, the trainer said, [color=3EB489]“Send all but one of your pokemon back into balls. This is serious, we can't have any crossfire. Scylla, use Whirlpool!”[/color] Staring down the Malamar, Bernard's Tentacruel swirled her tentacles around in a circle. A current of water whipped around them in a vicious spiral, but the Malamar did not float idly by. It lashed one of its big tentacles, sending a narrow wave of psychic energy straight at his foe. Bernard's expression soured in an instant, though Olivie didn't know why. According to her rival, Tentacruels defended against energy attacks very well. The enemy pokemon's attack cleaved through the whirlpool that sloshed its way and hit home with a jarring [i]shreeee[/i]. For a moment, Scylla didn't move, but before Olivie could even say 'huh?' one of her poison sacs burst in a shower of venom and vital fluid. It splattered against the ground, followed shortly by Scylla herself. Bernard, ever the strategist, ground his teeth and explained, [color=3EB489]“Psycho Cut—a blade made of hateful, insane thoughts. It's a special attack, but it strikes like a physical one. Painkiller!”[/color] The Bisharp stepped forward, and the rest of Bernard's pokemon vanished in a series of flashes. Olivie called back her party as well, save for Gespenst. Its spots glowing, the Malamar leered at the humans. It had just won a two-on-one battle, and clearly didn't think much of an encore. [hider=The Benevolent Beauty Turned Boisterous Bruiser] [b]Current Location:[/b] Stillwater Shore [b]TP:[/b] 42 + 1 = 43 [b]CP:[/b] 21+ 1 = 22 [b]Interaction:[/b] [@Dusksong]'s Leisy Takigawa (The Adventurous, Unassuming Go-getter) [@LuckyBlackCat]'s Ellanor Beaufort (Pretty, Perky, Poison-Prone Punk) [b]Pokemon:[/b] Buck the Bidoof – lvl 3 – healthy Gespenst the Cacnea – lvl 4 – healthy Verrine the Karrablast – lvl 4 – healthy Bifrons the Nidoran♂ - lvl 2 - healthy [/hider]