“Right, Chikorita!” Leisy said, snapping her fingers as the realization came to her. “That’s grass-type starter, right? Its final evolution has such a pretty flower on it. Aren’t there a lot of people who raise Chikoritas just to see its plume?”
At the Chikorita’s approach, Bidein looked down at the grass-type in interest. His trainer’s smile indicated that all was well, so the Fletchinder knew there was no danger to be found in the Chikorita — especially one with such earnest curiousity. Remaining silent and watchful at his post on his trainer’s shoulder, Bidein observed the other Pokemon from afar, liking his vantage point.
Leisy opened her mouth to say something when Florence’s Chikorita called out to her trainer, but closed it when she realized that the grass-type had found something — most likely another Pokemon. Watching quietly as Florence approached and attempted coaxed a pastel-colored flying Pokemon from the bush, Leisy spotted two little glints in the shadows — eyes, shaded with fear directed in her direction.
Why—Oh, she thought, realizing that Bidein was on her shoulder. The Fletchinder seemed to have realized that the bug-type feared him as well, although he did nothing about it. He’d never seen this particular bug-type before, and he was intriged.
“Bidein, I’m going to return you for now, alright?” Leisy whispered to the Pokemon perched on her shoulder. Bidein gave his trainer an inquisitive look before nodding, nipping at his trainer’s hair lightly as she returned him. “There we are. It’s safe now,” she said in a slightly louder voice, directing her attention back to Florence and the Pokemon hiding in the bush.
Listening closely as Florence explained the situation, Leisy frowned. “Well that’s not good at all. How’d she get separated from her trainer?” Leisy asked, encouraged by her concern for the bug-type’s well-being. “Perhaps we can accompany you as you deliver him to his trainer? Just in case something tries to attack again — I don’t think Feyhollow’s woods are known for being very safe, especially at night.”
“I don’t like this,” Shanae said quietly, following Marvin into the building. The boy had brought a flashlight and was now leading the way with it, but Shanae felt that the bright light did more damage than good. Not only were the trainer a glowing target for whatever fire-type they were hunting — a fire-type that was clearly aggressive, to boot — the beam would also serve to agitate wild Pokemon that had picked the abandoned factory for the darkness it offerred.
“Maybe we should turn it off,” she suggested. At her side, Ebon sniffed in agreement. The light was affecting his eyesight as well, its brightness limiting how far he could see in the dark.
“But then how will we be able to see?” Marvin asked, his voice echoing lightly against the factory walls. Shanae felt an urge to throttle the boy.
“Marvin, quiet!” she hissed, alarmed at how novice the boy seemed at exploration. He clearly wouldn’t last a day in the Atana ranges. “Here, give the the light.”
Marvin made a small noise of protest before begrudgingly handing the tool to Shanae. Leading the charge had made him feel like he was useful — needed, even — much unlike he was in daily life. His father always seemed busy, and his mother had passed away when he was young, so the quiet house was all he had for company. His Pokemon helped a lot, but they didn’t make up for his parents. As much as they needed him as a trainer, he hadn’t felt needed as a person.
Seeing the boy’s crestfallen expression after giving up the flashlight, Shanae felt a pang of regret for taking it away. “Here — hold it like this,” she said, covering the front of the flashlight with her other hand so that most of the beam was obstructed. “This way, you can limit the amount of light that comes out, so we won’t be completely in the dark.”
With that, she handed the flashlight back to Marvin. “I’m the fighting force here, so you’ll have to hold onto this. Lead on, Terra junior,” she said, flashing the boy a smile.
Marvin took the flashlight back, evidently surprised, but a grin appeared on his face soon enough, and he nodded enthusiastically. Just then, however, a heavy thud echoed out from deeper inside the factory. The two trainers looked up into the darkness before looking at each other and nodding.
Onwards they go.
Rank: Skilled Organization: Helping Hand Guild [Founder]
Once Leisy had returned her Fletchinder, the pale yellow fly crawled out from the shrubbery and fluttered into the air. "Let's get to the Pokemon centre first," Florence said softly as the Cutiefly settled on Vernie's leaf. "Then let's get you home."
Turning back to Leisy, Florence paused before answering the question, her face solemn. "Well..." There wasn't an easy way to say it. "Last night... There was some trouble. As in, an attempted theft." Seeing Ella's eyes grow wide with shock, she quickly continued. "No Pokemon were actually stolen. But this Cutiefly... She and two others panicked, and got lost."
Despite the reassurance, Ella kept her aghast stare. "Thieves? Again? That's twice in less than a week!" she blurted.
Florence frowned. The situation was rapidly looking even worse than she'd thought. "There was another incident?"
The patchwork-clothed girl gave a grim nod. "It's getting dealt with, though," she reassured her as the group entered the lobby. The nurse, much less busy than she'd been earlier, quickly greeted Florence, asking how her first day had gone as Ella handed over three Pokeballs.
"It's, uh... well..." Florence visibly winced. "It's been... how do I put it... eventful. But all in all, I guess it could be worse."
She leaned down and checked over the Cutiefly. Although shaken, the bug bore no injuries. That was one of the Cutieflies found, but the others were still out there somewhere, possibly faced with all manner of dangers.
Waiting for her Pokemon to be healed, Ella chewed at her nails. It was getting dealt with, she'd said. Yes, it was, or rather it was supposed to be getting dealt with - by her and Leisy. She'd deliberately left that part out. She didn't want to unnecessarily worry anyone, or make them think they had to get involved. Florence seemed like the kind of person she was likely to do both to.
The moment the nurse gave her back the Pokeballs, Ella thanked her and jabbed at one of the buttons. "Jumbles! I was so worried! You're alright now?" The Inkay bobbed with a happy squeak. Florence approached and gently removed the bandage, revealing, to Ella's relief, that the wound was gone.
"Well," the pink-haired girl said, returning Jumbles just in case there were more Zubats or any hostile Bug types outside, and looking down at the Cutiefly, "we'd better make sure you get home safely."
The fatigue that had weighed down her mind and body earlier was starting to return, though. Already, the window showed a brightening sky, and trying to power through the aftereffects of Darkrai's curse had taken its toll on the trainer.
Charlotte had decided to get some sleep before submitting her initial assessments. She slept quite soundly, but she woke up a little early; the sun hadn’t even started rising yet. Or perhaps that was a result of the sleepy atmosphere of Stillwater?
Whatever the case was, Charlotte wanted to get a little more field work in.
Stillwater was a home for Ghost-types and Psychic-types as well; Pokémon with paranormal associations and powers were widely regarded as a canard, but she might as well investigate what conditions made such a place as Stillwater so ideal for ghosts. Usually, they were found in places such as cemeteries, like the Celestial Tower in Unova, or the Lavender Tower in Kanto.
Charjabug wormed alongside Charlotte as she scanned the early morning for Ghost Pokémon. Since it was getting lighter, the nocturnal Pokémon would begin to fade away into their habitats.
A couple of Hypnos and a pack of Drowzees yawned, having eaten their fill of dreams, before shuffling off to whatever caves they slept in. Charlotte would have to document that behavior later.
Charlotte looked up to see a cloud of noxious Gastlys smother the morning. A few Haunters accompanied them on their pilgrimage to the darkness. Their ghostly hums mingled with the creaking of the floating docks.
Charlotte made note of the pack behavior of the ghosts outside of the graveyard circumstances. "In the absence of masses of corpses, where do the ghosts live?" Charlotte mused to herself, writing that question down on her notes.
Charjabug's eyes flashed, and it turned around, making an electrical whine.
"What's up, Charjabug?" Charlotte asked, turning around, only to come face to face with a Haunter.
The Haunter cackled and wiggled its fingers, its tongue hanging out. Startled, Charlotte threw her notepad at the Haunter. The Haunter caught it, made a silly face at Charlotte, and began to flee.
"Crabrawler, go! Pursuit!" Charlotte ordered, tossing Crabrawler's Poké Ball. The purple coconut crab emerged with a flash, and scuttled hurriedly down the pier, climbing up the lanterns lighting the dock, and launching itself at the Haunter.
Crabrawler raised one of its fists and punched Haunter as the ghost turned around to look. Haunter reeled back, but did not drop the notepad.
Crabrawler landed neatly on the ground and continued chasing Haunter, with Charlotte and Charjabug close behind. "One more time, Crabrawler!" Charlotte called.
Crabrawler veered off to the side as Haunter passed through the wall of a clapboard tackle shop, the notepad phasing through as well thanks to Haunter's ectoplasmic body. There were screams from within, and Charlotte could hear someone knock over a store display. Haunter emerged snickering from another side of the shop, only to get punched in the face by Crabrawler hanging from a sign.
Haunter went splat against the wall and dropped the notepad. Crabrawler scuttled up and recovered the notepad, holding it in one of its huge claws. Crabrawler came back from around the tackle shop and held the notepad up to Charlotte.
"Thanks, Crabrawler," Charlotte said, putting the notepad in her white bag. “Since this town has little to no electricity and therefore no lights connected to a grid, it looks like Ghosts are able to flourish quite well here. I suppose that gives them a bolder disposition when in contact with humans. Fascinating.”
Crabrawler flexed its arms, boasting about how it punched a Haunter into a wall.
After a bit of rest at the Pokémon Center (stopping a curious Stufful was hard work), Juana made her way back to the station to meet Cillian and Tora, with Togepi in her arms and Steenee by her side. “¡Hola, muchachos! Caught a little bear causing some trouble in one of the shops,” she declared, holding up the Poké Ball containing Stufful.
She nearly dropped Togepi, but Steenee’s nimble motions kept Togepi from landing on its rump.
“Oops! Sorry, Steenee! Sorry, Togepi!” Juana put Stufful’s ball away. “Hmm.. maybe I should transfer a couple of Pokémon into the storage system. It’s getting hard to carry them all at once,” she mused, rubbing her chin. “Boxes are getting pretty high-tech nowadays, especially with the system that sends them to some kind of island paradise run by a bean farmer.”
Juana shrugged. “So what have you all been up to?”
“Our friend’s street was attacked by some unsavory folk,” Leisy said, figuring that her words would give Florence an idea as to what she and Ella had seen. Flashing a thankful smile at the nurse at the register, Leisy thanked the nurse and recollected her Pokeballs into her bag, picking one out from the crowd so she could have some company.
“Long time no see, Naunet,” Leisy joked as the water-type. Although she was now of a hefty size, the penguin Pokemon retained her enthusiasm and promptly sprang onto her trainer, squawking a happy note.
Leisy smiled, leaning down to pat Naunet’s head, looking over at the Cutiefly at Florence’s side to make sure all was well. Of her Pokemon, she’d figured that Naunet was the best choice, albeit a bit overeager. Bidein was already proven to be a fear-inducing presence, and Leisy had no doubt that her dark, broody Laritar-turned-Pupitar would be too. The rest of her Pokemon she wasn’t as well acquainted with as the first three, and Leisy was hesitant to bring any of them out in case they tried something on impulse that frightened the Cutiefly.
“Alright then. Looks like all’s well,” Leisy said, relieved that the Cutiefly hadn’t reacted too negatively to Naunet’s appearance. “Let’s head over to her owners then — lead on, Florence?”
The trio of trainers made their way over to the location indicated by the mission request, and Leisy watched with interest as the Cutiefly fluttered over to its owners, who were half-running with joy. How could someone bear to tear such happy families apart? she wondered, frowning.
“That’s one enthusiastic Pokemon, if I’ve ever seen one,” Cillian said, laughing as he looked at Juana’s Togepi. At Juana’s mention of the Box system, Cillian perked up. “I’ve always wanted to meet one of the designers — I hear they live all over, and many trainers have met them without even knowing it! Do you suppose we’ve secretly met one?” he asked, only half joking.
At Juana’s question, Cillian grinned. “Went to check out one of those sleek windmills around the place. Meant to take pictures, but ended up catching two Pokemon instead,” he said, flourishing the two extra Pokeballs on his belt. “A Magnemite and a Rockruff — enough to send me into Skilled-rank territory.” The Bulbasaur at his side looked at his trainer, unimpressed.
“Don’t worry, Mitti, I won’t forget about you,” Cillian teased, laughing. “Promise.”
Realizing that he had being a tad too boastful, Cillian recovered himself by opening up the conversation. “So, what about you two? Any exciting stories? And when’s the train to Tefan by the way — is it running late?”
The factory wasn’t very wide or tall, and a person could easily cross its length in less than ten minutes, but in the dark the factory’s roughly two hundred feet diameter felt like a lifetime. The odd metallic clanging and groaning every now and then didn’t help much, only serving to raise goosebumps on the two trainers’ arms. A warm brush on her leg reminded Shanae that she was safe in the dark, and she gave Ebon a grateful smile as they continued farther into the building.
The trainers continued in silence, their Houndour guide leading the way towards the stairs to the lower level. Per previous discussion, it had been agreed upon that any rogue Pokemon — the perpetrating fire-type or not — would likely have chosen the lower floor as its dwelling as opposed to the upper floor. Not only was it closer to the earth, the bottom floor was also more spacious. Big enough for any large Pokemon that might decide to settle in, Shanae thought, carefully continuing along the stairwell downwards.
A rustle followed by a few thumps up ahead caused the trainers to freeze, but silence soon returned. Next to her, however, Ebon let out a warning snarl, and in the darkness some skittering ensued before a Sandshrew emerged from the darkness. Seemingly disoriented by the light, the ground-type quickly darted back under the cover of darkness, chattering as it disappeared. As it fled, a larger Sandshrew emerged, claws long and back studded with rocky plates that jutted out menacingly, flashing its claws warningly.
“A Sandslash! Wilbur, Metal Claw!” Marvin shouted. Beside him, his Drilbur launched forwards, sweeping wide arcs with its sharp claws. The Sandslash backed up before raising an arm, catching one of the Drilbur’s slashes midair and baring its teeth with a low growl.
“Ebon, help him out with an Ember!” Shanae called. Her fire-type sprang up to the clashing Pokemon, opening its mouth and letting loose a small blaze at the ground-type. Hissing, the Sandslash turned so that its rock plating took the brunt of the flame.
“Wilbur, use this chance for a Mud-Slap!” Marvin called to his ground-type. The Drilbur responded by scooping up a handful of sand with its other arm and slinging it at the Sandslash.
Sputtering, the Sandslash ducked out of its spot, unlocking its claws from the Drilbur’s.
“Alright! Now Dig!” Marvin called. Wilbur disappeared into the earth, but the Sandslash wasn’t fazed. Instead, it raised its claws up before bringing them down with a sound “bang.” “No, Wilbur! Resurface!” Marvin shouted as the Magnitude rolled into motion. Cursing, Shanae returned her Houndour.
“Call him back, Marvin!” Shanae called to the other trainer as she summoned her Lombre and Lapras. “I’ll take care of this.”
Rank: Skilled Organization: Helping Hand Guild [Founder]
Everything seemed to go either slow or fast, Tora was unsure. The team separated for awhile, so she decided to take a little walk to clear her mind. Shivers ran up her spine as she felt like every step was taken along with a extra pair that did not belong to her. Being followed, tracked, hunted... Archie didn't seem comfortable either, the puppy Pokemon growling every so often.
She kept moving through the town, unable to sit still. Unable to sleep. Perhaps something happened, but she was having trouble keeping her mind together. Perhaps Archie, Pezi and Sirius? Something..
So eventually it came time to meet with the others. Yawning a little, she went to the station. Taking a seat on one of the benches and rubbing her eyes. A bit dazed. She silently listened, or tried to, as the others spoke.
"Mhm..? I think it will be arriving soon.." she managed to respond.
+1 post +1HHG +sunrise= 82 +1CP = 39
Pokemon Team:
Archie the ♀Growlithe: Level 14(LVL up 15)/Healthy
As the Cutiefly buzzed over, the couple, accompanied by two Ribombees and a Vespiquen for security, profusely thanked the group.
"I'll get right to work finding the others," Florence said, ignoring the growing heaviness of her eyelids. During her studies, she'd been no stranger to all-nighters, and her responsibilities as a trainer meant preparing for a demanding job had come in useful after all.
"Here, take these first," the old lady said, handing Florence a paper bag filled with small yellow nuggets. "You all look tired, so these Pollen Puffs will help. They're free, consider them repayment."
Once she'd thanked the woman and set out again, Florence handed Ella, Leisy and all Pokemon present a Pollen Puff each before popping one of the golden clumps in her mouth, the powdery sweetness revitalising her. The previous day, she'd been so focused on other things, she'd barely eaten.
"I'll help you look for the other Cutieflies!" Ella immediately offered, causing that somewhat awkward smile to cross Florence's face.
"Uh, thanks." She couldn't help thinking that she'd burdened Ella and possibly Leisy, that she'd made them feel obligated to get involved, but there was no way she could do this on her own. "Hmmm... where could they have gotten to?" Her eyebrows furrowed. She'd never been what anyone would call a leader, and this was the first time she'd taken on anything resembling such a role. "They're drawn to areas filled with flowers, and to strong emotions..."
She wandered along the street, shuffling, glancing around with no idea where to search first. Areas filled with flowers - That described much of Feyhollow.
Her frown remained on her face as she turned towards Ella and Leisy. "This... incident you were talking about," she said. "No Pokemon were taken... were they?"
Ella cringed at Florence's uneasy expression as she accepted her offer - reluctantly, it seemed. Did the older trainer think she'd just get in the way? Was that all she was likely to do?
Something nasty whispered in the back of her mind. Had the offer just been about finding the Cutieflies? Of course she wanted them brought back to their trainers safely - but had it had another, more selfish motive? Was it also about proving something?
The Pollen Puff's aftertaste turned sour.
As Florence asked her question, Ella looked over. "Well... There was one," she replied, unusually solemn. "One of the Pokemon was stolen. But we're searching for her - we'll make sure she gets back."
She realised too late what she'd let slip. She'd meant to say the Pokemon was being searched for. Instead, she'd let Florence know that she and Leisy were the ones tracking down the thieves. Was the medic going to feel bad about getting them involved in an extra mission?
Leisy bit into the Pollen Puff, wondering what was inside. As it turned out, the entire puff was light and sugary, easily melting in her mouth. Tastes like honey rather than candy though, she thought as the sweetness faded away.
“I’ll help too,” Leisy said after Ella’s outburst. It would be a good experience, and though it was doubtful how much help two newly-crowned Skilled trainers would be, they would be better than nothing.
When Ella answered Florence’s question, Leisy could hear her own feelings of inadequacy echoed. However, she also felt that it was slightly unfair to feel like so — neither of them were not far into their trainerhood, yet both had set such high standards. We’re probably doing fine, Leisy thought. It’s just that we’re not doing well enough to easily take on the missions and burdens that we have.
“We don’t currently have any leads on the thieves, though, so maybe this mission might open up some,” Leisy suggested. “As for areas with flowers… I’m not native to Feyhollow, but that immediately reminds me of some sort of park or large flower garden. At Central, there aren’t many places with natural greenery inside the city, but there are quite a few public greenhouses and flower gardens on the outskirts of town. Pay to enter and all that.”
"Magnemite and Rockruff, huh? Nice," Juana complimented.
Juana glanced at Stufful's Poké Ball. "Well, this little guy was hiding in the store displays, and while the manager's back was turned, got all up in the ice cream freezers. Stuffuls are deceptively strong, I think. Which reminds me; I never checked out Stufful's description in the dex!"
Juana opened up her Pokédex.
"Stufful. The Flailing Pokémon. Male. Brave nature. Loves to eat.
"Despite its adorable appearance, when it gets angry and flails about, its arms and legs could knock a pro wrestler sprawling."
"You shoulda seen this guy knock a Diggersby into the wall," Juana said, closing her dex.
Juana turned to see an exhausted Tora walking towards them. "You look kinda tired, amiga," Juana remarked. "Don't worry, I think you can get some rest on the train."
Speaking of which, a loud horn blared through the station, as a silver locomotive wheeled slowly up to the platform, its wheels hissing as the brakes ground them to a halt. The thump-thump of the wheels on the tracks dulled, until the train came to a complete stop.
"All aboard," the conductor called.
"So what in the world happened? It's like you ran a marathon," Juana asked, concerned for Tora.
"Yeah," Ella agreed as Leisy made a good point. "Hopefully this way we'll have a better idea who did this, and where they could be." Maybe she'd be able to help these trainers and Vivian at the same time... the emphasis being on maybe. "I'm sure we can do this! Leisy, you certainly can!"
Taking out her phone, she let Vivian know she and Leisy were back, and had resumed their investigation. During the entire call, she had to make a conscious effort to keep her tone positive. The last thing Vivian needed right now was a self-doubting friend.
It was so silly. She and Leisy had done what they'd set out to do - reach Skilled rank - so why didn't it seem to be enough? Why couldn't she get rid of the nagging feeling that she still wasn't ready? Right now, to her, "skilled" really was just a word.
Putting the rest of the Pollen Puffs away for later, Florence stared around at the greenery of Feyhollow's outskirts and the edges of the forest. With the morning sunlight opening up the flowers, soon there would be Cutieflies everywhere. How was she supposed to find the lost Pokemon among all the wild ones?
"Thanks," she said to Leisy. "And yeah... The first one was in the park. Maybe they all stuck together?"
She was just about to make her way there when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something. A Cutiefly, fluttering around a patch of flowers, seemingly focused on something.
Taking care not to make any sudden movements, Florence drew closer, taking out her Pokedex. This could be one of the Cutieflies they were looking for, it made sense that it would choose a cluster of flowers near its home as a hiding place... The moment it saw the group, though, it turned and sped away. Florence just had time to view what the Pokedex had to say about it. No trainer. Just a wild Cutiefly.
"Ah! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Florence called after it. Something continued to move in the flower patch. "Hm?" Slowly, carefully, Florence bent down and peered in. Instead of a Cutiefly, another Pokemon looked up at her. A tiny, green Pokemon with a yellow face and two twisting vines on top of its head. "Budew..." it grumbled, pouting.
"Ehh... Sorry I upset you," Florence murmured. "Sorry I scared your friend away."
Vernie trotted over. "Chiko?" she squeaked. The dejected little Budew mumbled something, to which Vernie answered with a much brighter sounding cry. The rosebud Pokemon's scowl vanished, replaced with a smile as it started twirling around on its stubby feet. The Chikorita stood watching.
So that was what that earlier movement had been, Florence realised - the Budew dancing as the little bug watched. It hadn't taken too well to losing its audience, but the new one seemed to be helping. Studying the wild Pokemon, Florence took in its unusual features. Weren't the leaves under most Budews' faces green, not purple? Its unconventional colouring must have been what had drawn the Cutiefly to it.
"Those are some pretty colours you have," Florence softly commented. The Budew squealed with pride, its smile widening. It spun faster - only to topple onto its side. "Ah! Are you ok?" Helping it up, Florence checked it over. Unhurt, the Budew simply resumed its dance.
"I'm... I'm afraid we won't be able to stick around long," Florence told it. The Budew instantly stopped dancing, pouting again. "Uhh, sorry! It's just that we have some Pokemon to look for." The trainer glanced down at the grassy ground. The Cutieflies needed to be found as quickly as possible, but she didn't want to let this little baby Pokemon down.
TP: +1 +1 (interaction with wild Pokemon) (23) Pokemon:
It hadn't been the most eventful day in terms of investigation, but shortly after returning to the Pokemon centre, Cici and Tommy had decided to get some rest. Now, the light beaming in through the window of Cici's room indicated sunrise had been several hours ago.
"I guess I needed the extra sleep..." she mumbled as she climbed out of bed. "Still need to get used to early mornings." Perched on the windowsill, Tactus gave her a pointed red glare. She really must have needed the extra few hours, Cici thought, if she'd slept through Tactus' hooting.
Strumming the beginning of a song on her guitar, she sang the first few lines. Playing music was no problem - finding the time to do so was.
After quickly showering and dressing, she made her way to the lobby. No jazz music to be heard. Maybe Tommy wasn't up yet - he had to be tired too, after several days of getting up at dawn - or maybe he'd gotten up much earlier?
She asked the nurse if she'd seen a brown-haired young man with a trumpet case and a Froakie, which she hadn't. "If you see him," Cici continued, "please could you let him know I'm out and about? I'll be back in an hour or so."
She headed out into Tefan's streets, sitting outside a shop and starting up one of her songs. She hoped she wasn't too out of practice, but the familiar rhythms came back to her easily. As Dulcet started singing along, Cici couldn't help but smile. Tactus simply stared up from his spot next to the musician, tilting his head in time to the music.
Kymbalon narrowed her eyes at Dulcet. Determined not to be outdone, she stepped up, striking her scales with her tail like a drum kit. The Jangmo-o had a remakable sense of rhythm, Cici noted.
As a passer-by dropped some coins into the guitar case, remarking how cute the little show was, Kymbalon drew herself up to her full, oh-so-intimidating height of two feet tall and grunted her indignation. Cici had to stifle a laugh.
When Tactus let out several hoots, indicating an hour had passed, the musician gathered up the newly-earned money. Not a huge amount, but her Pokemon's accompaniment had gone down well enough with the villagers that she had enough cash to keep her going for now.
"Good work," she commented to her team, putting away her guitar, slinging the case over her shoulder. "Now, let's head back."
Stopping by the mart to purchase a Pokeball and another Rare Candy, she'd only just left the building when she froze at a growl. The next moment, a small, dark shape leapt at her, followed by two others, radiating heat.
"Yeesh..." Jason muttered as he stood up, wasting no time in getting ready for a day of investigation. His dream, instead of indicating the presence of any legendary Pokemon, had just been a typical weird one. Giving a talk in front of everyone in his guild, then looking down to find himself in just his boxers? He gave a strained laugh at the absurdity.
Apparently, that kind of dream was meant to be a sign of anxiety. But his role as a leader wasn't anything to be anxious about - was it?
"Come on," he said to Iliana once he'd washed and dressed. "Let's go ask around about what's going on here, and see if Charlotte's up." Uncurling herself and stretching, the Vulpix followed him into the quiet little town.
The sun was bright in the sky, glinting off the softly lapping water. Wandering along the seafront, Jason glanced around - and tripped over something. Groaning, he looked up to see an orange bug with two mushrooms on its back clicking its claws and scuttling at him.
"Sorry, didn't see you there," he said, stepping back, but the Paras wouldn't calm down. Another one ran from a nearby cave, accompanied by a much larger one - a Parasect. The glares of the two Paras, as well as the Parasect's blank stare, bored into him.
From the looks of it, the Pokemon around here were still agitated. Jumping out of the way as the Parasect swiped, he sent out his Snorunt.
"Eira, use Icy Wind on the two Paras!" he commanded. "Iliana, trap the Parasect in a Fire Spin!" The Vulpix breathed out a vortex of flame that wrapped around the dual Bug-Grass type. It tried to scuttle out, to no avail. As the two Paras ran forward, the chilling gust of wind Eira blew sent them skidding back. Both collapsed, but there was still the larger, stronger one to deal with.
As the flames died down, the Parasect, covered in scorch marks yet undeterred, unleashed a cloud of purple dust from the huge mushroom on it back. The powder scattered all over Iliana, who stumbled back, whimpering. "Iliana, hang in there and use another Fire Spin!" Jason called. This time, the vortex was too much for the wild Pokemon to withstand. It stumbled, its spindly legs giving out.
"Ili, are you alright?" Jason knelt down next to the shuddering Vulpix, checking his Pokedex and wincing. Poisoned. "Oh geez. Let's get back to the Pokemon centre." Returning Iliana to her Pokeball, he glanced at Eira to make sure she was ok.
There was something odd about the Snorunt. She was unusually quiet, her movements a little off. "Eira? You didn't get hurt too, did you?" That was when Jason noticed it. Sticking out from behind her was a black, fluffy tail. "Wait! You're not Eira!"
With a growling snicker that sounded utterly unlike his Snorunt, the Pokemon let the illusion fade. Standing in front of the trainer was a small black fox. There was a much more familiar giggle as, from behind a rock, Eira reappeared.
"Very funny," Jason muttered, rolling his eyes. "Hmm, a Zorua? Looks like your reputation as a prankster isn't for nothing."
As Eira followed, so did the Zorua. "Looking for a chance to pull another of your tricks, huh?" Jason said with a slight laugh. "Aw, well... Come along, then." Holding out the Pokeball he'd bought the previous day, he watched the fox tap it with its paw. In a burst of light, the Zorua vanished.
Jason smiled down at the occupied Pokeball in his hand. Finally, a seventh Pokemon. Although, before bonding with the Zorua, he'd have to get Iliana's condition seen to.
TP: +1 +1 (44) Pokemon:
Vulpix (Iliana), female, lv19 (+1)
Snorunt (Eira), female, lv19 (+1)
Doublade (Agne), male, lv35
Golett (Amyntas), lv26
Espurr (Tibert), male, lv14
Fraxure (Fraener), male, lv38
Zorua (currently unnamed), male, lv1
Inventory: Rank: Skilled Organisation: Legendwatch (founder and leader)
“If they were chased, I wouldn’t be surprised if they split up,” Leisy said, frowning. “Although the park does sound worth checking out again — just in case there’s another Cutiefly hiding there, or if there are some clues. If the Cutiefly was chased there, maybe its pursuant accidentally left something behind?”
When the trio of trainers got up to leave, however, a pastel fluttering caught their attention.
“Is that… a Cutiefly?” Leisy asked, brows knitting. Surely they couldn’t be so lucky as to find another lost Pokemon so easily?
Unsurprisingly, the fairy-type turned out to be but a wild, but Florence also gained a sort of little antifan in the process. The Budew following the other trainer did, as Florence pointed out, have some funky coloring, but Leisy thought the undershirt-like feature charming. Naunet, on the other hand, didn’t like that the Budew was taking over the spotlight but dealt with her angst with silence and broody glares.
“It’s an eye-catching little bit,” Leisy said to Florence, casting an amused glance back at the grass-type currently trailing the brown-haired trainer quite intensely. “The purple, i mean. You considered catching the little guy? He seems to like you enough, although he has a funny way of expressing it.”
The three trainers arrived at the Feyhollow park without problem, picking up some food from street side vendors along the way. Leisy helped herself to a pretzel shaped like a Igglybuff, feeling a little guilty for taking bites out of something so adorably shaped.
“So where do we look first?” she asked, tossing the napkin from her pretzel. Early brunch-slash-snack now done with, Leisy was ready for some action.
“Huh. Never seen a Stufful before, so you’ll have to let it out for me to see sometime,” Cillian said.
Spotting Tora, Cillian immediately grinned and waved, stopping when he saw how tired she seemed. “You alright?” he asked, concerned for his friend. “Yeah, get some sleep on the train. It’ll be a hour or so at least, and you can be some food if you need. Maybe some water?”
Boarding the train, Cillian took a seat across from Juana and Tora, taking his camera out from his bag. “I’ll be here, weeding through pictures,” he said to the girls as his Bulbasaur took a seat beside him.
"Uh... I'm not sure..." Florence swept her gaze from side to side, over the huge park. Leisy and Ella seemed to be looking to her to lead them, but she had no idea how to go about it. "I don't know if they were chased, all I know is they panicked and fled while the struggle was going on, but I guess it's worth looking for clues."
Finishing her breakfast muffin, she turned around to face the little bud Pokemon that had tottered after her. Or rather, after Vernie, she thought. The Budew and the Chikorita had started playing, both Grass-types running and jumping about.
"Um, hey, little one..." Crouching down, Florence took the empty Pokeball from her bag. How was she going to get this Pokemon to come along? Would it really want the person who'd disturbed its show as a trainer? The Budew looked up, studying the red-and-white capsule. "Do you want to come with me?" Florence asked. "You'll be able to dance for me and Vernie as much as you want."
The Budew gave a happy cry, a smile widening across its face. "You... You want to?" Florence held out the Pokeball, letting the Budew hop at it. Light surrounded its tiny form, pulling it inside.
For a few seconds, the beginner trainer stared at the capsule. "I really did that?" Opening up her Pokedex, she checked the information on her new team member. "Budew, female, Mild nature, Somewhat vain."
Pressing the button, she let the baby Pokemon out. "I'll call you Bonica," she said, before turning to Ella and Leisy. "Maybe the Cutieflies will be drawn to two Grass types? At the very least, they might find them comforting."
TP: +1 +5 (caught a Pokemon) (29) Pokemon:
Chikorita (Vernie), female, lv4
Budew (Bonica), female, lv1
Inventory: Rank: Beginner Organisation: Aether Foundation
As Florence caught the Budew, Ella gave a wide grin.
"Hey, congratulations!" she said. "I've never seen one that colour! Each of my sisters wants to get an unusually-coloured Budew or Roselia before the other does, there are rumours they can be found around clean water, but they're pretty rare."
She could imagine the looks on her sisters' faces if they saw this kind of Budew under the care of another trainer. The thought cheered her up a little - until she considered what they'd be likely to say to Florence.
Searching alongside the other two, Ella sent out Jumbles. "Can you detect hidden Pokemon at all? There are some lost Cutieflies around here," she explained. As the Inkay turned this way and that, Ella kept her grip on the capsule, ready to return him in a split second if any bugs - or any Pokemon with Bug-type moves - tried attacking.
"Ok, Kymbalon!" Cici called as the three growling lion cubs cornered her and her Pokemon. The Jangmo-o stepped forward, taking up her battle stance. "Good thing you like fighting, huh? Well, here's a training opportunity. Use Tackle!"
Kymbalon slammed her head into one of the Litleos, sending it flying. Jumping back up, it spewed a jet of flame at the dragon - which barely left a mark on her scales. It seemed Dragon types resisted fire, Cici realised.
The other two Litleos joined in, pouncing. "Dulcet, Fury Attack! Tactus, Tackle!" Cici commanded. The cubs fell back from the jabbing beaks and swiping claws, flopping onto their sides after all the hits they took, but the one in the lead remained unfazed, still facing Kymbalon. The dragon growled something at Dulcet and Tactus, as if telling them it was her fight.
Her attacks, though, seemed to do very little to the equally proud battler in front of her - at least until, with no warning, the Litleo collapsed. Eyes wide, Cici crouched down, rummaging through her bag for her potion. Had this Litleo been hiding its injuries? Just how much damage had it taken? As soon as she sprayed the potion on it, the Litleo tried staggering to its feet.
"Hey, take it easy there," Cici said, but the Litleo ignored her. It listened, though, as Kymbalon said something. After the lion cub grumbled its response, the Jangmo-o craned her neck towards Cici, pointing at the Pokeballs on her belt, then at the Litleo.
"Ohh!" Cici had an idea of what Kymbalon was trying to say. "Litleo, how about you train with me?" Taking her newest Pokeball, she threw it. The capsule rocked, then became still as the Litleo accepted the offer.
"Well done, all of you," Cici commented to the three Pokemon who were currently out as she made her way back to the Pokecentre. "Oh no..." She hurried her pace. "It's been well over an hour now."
“Congrats on the Budew!” Leisy said, grinning at Florence. “This makes a grand total of two, right? Both grass types too — I wouldn’t be surprised if they turned out to be best friends.”
Pursing her lips briefly in thought, Leisy nodded. “Sounds like a good idea,” she said to Florence. “Cutiefly seem rather timid overall, and they’d be pretty agitated after getting chased around by unknown humans. Seeing another of their kind might tell them that we’re friendly.”
When Ella sent out Jumbles, Leisy watched in interest as the psychic-type swivelled around in its place, seemingly looking at nothing. I guess that — being psychic — it can probably detect some interesting things, she thought as the white-capped Pokemon’s tentacles drifted around in midair like ribbons in water. As much as I’d like one, they seem rather hard to train…
“Find anything?” she asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt the Inkay but also not content with just standing idly.
Gritting his teeth, Marvin called his Drilbur back, not pleased to have been forced out of the battle but acknowledging the futility of throwing his Pokemon against a clearly superior wild. “Be careful! It’s pretty strong!” he called to the other trainer. Shanae nodded, grinning.
“You got it, Marvin. Endy, Oti, we start off with some water-type attacks!” Shanae called to her Pokemon. The Lapras and Lombre made eye contact with each other, immediately deciding to form a temporary truce-alliance against the feral ground-type.
The Sandslash — unimpressed with its previous opponents — stepped up to the challenge with a haughty flourish of its claws, only to be rebuffed by a combined stream of Water Gun supported by Bubble. The water seeped through the spaces in its stone armor, wetting and softening them so that they dragged the ground-type down rather than helping it stay up. Realizing that the situation was dire, it launched into a Rapid Spin, shaking off water and deflecting incoming liquid all at once as it flung itself towards the smaller of its two opponents: the Lombre.
“Endy, knock it off its course!” Shanae shouted to her Lapras. The ice-type nodded, launching a powerful blast of water at the spinning Pokemon — a Water Pulse. More winded than hurt by the impact of water in midair, the ground-type wild landed on the floor with three limbs, supporting itself with an extra arm as it shook its head to clear the fuzz.
Taking this chance, Shanae figured that it might be best to end this battle now. “Why don’t we try that Bubblebeam of yours, Oti?” she asked. The grass-type understood his trainer’s question, stepping forwards and opening his mouth to let loose a strong stream of bubbles that collided against the wild Sandslash with sharp, loud pops. With a cry, the Sandslash turned and leaped into the air, diving down in a Dig. Silence followed, and Shanae figured that the wild had indeed made its getaway.
“Good job, you two,” Shanae said, grinning as she ran over and patted her two Pokemon — her Lombre by leaning down and patting his back, and her Lapras by stretching up to reach the back of the neck rather than his shell. “Get some rest — I might need your help again later.”
With that, she returned her Pokemon and walked over to Marvin, who had found a worm map of sorts in a display cabinet on the wall. “Anything interesting?” she asked, looking at the map as well. Most of the coloring had faded into lighter shades, but the words were still legible.
“Not really,” Marvin said, frowning. “The basement is actually rather small, but that’s not suprising considering that this factory’s from way back when. It’s quite tall though, although I doubt that anything’s living up there,” he said, pointing his flashlight up without bothering to cover the beam. He froze, as did Shanae.
A pair of round eyes stared down at them from behind the edge of a balcony, unblinking as two small jets of flame burned right above them. Judging by the reddish fur and the size of the flames, the Pokemon was by no means small — fitting the bill of the wanted smelter.
Rank: Skilled Organization: Helping Hand Guild [Founder]
The Inkay kept turning from side to side, drifting ahead and repeating his actions.
"I don't think he's found anything yet..." Ella said as she followed beside Florence and Leisy. "But all we've got to do is keep looking!"
After some seemingly fruitless wandering around, the Psychic type froze in midair, staring ahead. Letting out a cry, he gestured with one of his tendrils towards a public greenhouse.
Ella sped up her pace to a near-run, slowing once close to the entrance. If the Cutiefly was in there, she didn't want to scare it. "Where is it?" she whispered to Jumbles, making her way through the rows of shrubs and flowers.
As the Inkay floated towards a corner, squeaking at something, Ella failed to spot it at first. A faint buzzing drew her gaze downwards. She gasped.
The little bug drew back, unsteady as it fluttered into the air. Looping in erratic patterns, it smacked into the glass, bouncing off only to start zipping and wobbling around again.
"It's terrified!" Ella's eyes were wide with shock as she turned towards the others. "And injured!"
She whipped back round at a burst of green, returning Jumbles just in time. "We won't hurt you! We're here to take you home!"
The energy blast shot through the spot where the Inkay had been a second ago, colliding with another target whose squeal sounded through the greenhouse.
"Vernie!" Florence dropped to her knees next to the Chikorita, who struggled at stand up. Some of the buds on her neck were scorched, and painful-looking marks mottled her side. Stay calm, stay calm, Florence told herself, fighting to keep her hands from shaking as she rummaged for medicines. Bug Pokemon could do considerable damage to Grass types.
The trained hunched down just in time as a flurry of silver blades flew through the conservatory, slicing up potted plants. "Please... Please calm down!" she begged, but the Cutiefly kept thudding into the glass and firing attacks every which way.
"I'm sorry I've got to do this..." She glanced at the Budew by Vernie's side. "Bonica, use Stun Spore!" The buds on the Grass-type's vines opened, releasing a cloud of powder that scattered all over the Cutiefly. It dropped to the ground, writhing to the extent that it could.
Florence let out a shuddering breath. "S-Sorry, but that was the only way to stop you attacking, and hurting yourself..." As she checked over and treated both Vernie and the Cutiefly, Ella apologised profusely, face pale with horror.
"They'll both be ok," Florence reassured her, recalling Vernie to her Pokeball. People stared in the group's direction, but the trainer ignored them, turning back to the Cutiefly and consulting her Pokedex. She already knew this Cutiefly had to be one of the missing ones, but the device confirmed it.
"Shhh, it's alright. It's safe back at home," Florence whispered, but the Cutiefly twitched his wings, attempting to take to the air.
All the bug could do was keep his eyes fixed on the group who swayed before him, their auras blurring. Through the haze of dizziness, he couldn't easily read these strangers. One had treated his injuries, but had done nothing about the near-immobility one of her Pokemon had inflicted on him. Were these people to be trusted?
TP: +1 (30) Pokemon:
Chikorita (Vernie), female, lv4
Budew (Bonica), female, lv1
Inventory: Rank: Beginner Organisation: Aether Foundation
“Florence! Is your Chikorita alright?” Leisy asked in alarm. At her side, Naunet was already waddling over to the frenzied bug-type, waving her wings in an attempt to get the Cutiefly’s attention off its previous target. “Is it bad? Will she be alright?”
Aiding the brunette’s Budew in paralyzing the Cutiefly by firing a few light Bubbles at it, Naunet returned to her trainer’s side and watched curiously as the grass-type Pokemon’s human fussed over the bug-type that had hurt her Pokemon. Although she couldn’t understand what all the objects the human pulled out were or did, the Prinplup could see that the brown-haired human was trying to help the previously aggressive Cutiefly, and she respected that.
“Should we head back first?” Leisy asked, concern clear in her voice. “The Cutiefly’s agitated and might end up getting aggressive again when it recovers from its paralysis, and we don’t have any way to contain it since it’s already registered to a Pokeball.”
A pair of round eyes stared down at them from behind the edge of a balcony, unblinking as two small jets of flame burned right above them. Judging by the reddish fur and the size of the flames, the Pokemon was by no means small — fitting the bill of the wanted smelter.
Knowing that it had been spotted, the large Pokemon dropped down from its perch above, a cheshire grin spread wide on its face. The Pokemon appeared to be a part of the primate family, a quadruped that also possessed the anatomy to be a biped, and a bright, steady flame was now billowing out from above its eyes, most likely dimmed earlier as to not alert the trainers.
“Endy!” Shanae yelled, quickly sending out the Lapras again. The large water-type was more of a deterrent than a threat since Shanae was just interested in gauging her opponent — for now.
“Timmy!” Marvin called, sending out an unfamiliar blue Pokemon with a peach face and what seemed like earphones on either side. Oblong in shape, the Pokemon’s opaque white fin of a tail waved as it moved, reminding Shanae of a Poliwag’s. A water-type, Shanae figured, figuring the small bit of guesswork would work for now.
A puff of smoke emerged from the feral Pokemon’s nose as it scanned over its opponents. The large, shelled Pokemon looked to be more of a danger than the smaller, smiling one, so the choice of which one to tackle first was easily made. Jumping up in the air, the bright red Pokemon launched into a spin, flinging itself through the air and directly towards Marvin’s Pokemon.
Rank: Skilled Organization: Helping Hand Guild [Founder]
"She's going to be fine," Florence replied to Leisy, cradling the Pokeball. "Grass types heal fast, but she'll still need medical attention - more than I can give her."
She glanced down at the terrified bug. "This Cutiefly, though... We can't just leave him here." She gently placed him on a ledge so he wouldn't get stepped on, keeping a pair of plastic gloves on to prevent the numbing spores from touching her skin. "What if he starts attacking again? What if people here don't go easy on him?" She didn't want to imagine anyone setting a high-level Flying or Poison type on the already injured Pokemon, but it was all too possible.
"Hey! What in the name of Arceus do you think you're doing?" Florence spun around, backing away from a woman whose glare pierced into her. "Catching a Pokemon in a place like this? Look at this mess! Some of us are trying to relax here!" Several other pairs of judging eyes turned in her direction.
"S-Sorry!" Florence retreated further. "I'll - I'll go up and pay for the damage."
That was when Ella stepped in. "She wasn't trying to catch him! He's hurt and scared. If it hadn't been for her, he wouldn't have stopped attacking."
The shoppers kept grumbling, muttering something about "damn bugs" and "careless trainers". Trying to shake off the accusation, Florence turned back to Ella and Leisy.
"Thanks," she said to Ella. Her expression became thoughtful, shadowed with unease. "And here's what we could do. Bonica and I can watch over him, she'll be able to use another Stun Spore if she has to." She handed the patchwork-clothed girl a Pokeball. "Please take Vernie to the Pokemon centre, and get this Cutiefly's trainers."
She shifted her cautious gaze to the Cutiefly, then to the Budew. Bonica stood close by her trainer, buds slightly open, ready to act fast if necessary. Her Poison typing meant she didn't have the same Bug weakness as pure Grass types, Florence reminded herself, and it gave her a resistance to Fairy attacks. Still, the trainer couldn't help but worry.
TP: +1 (31) Pokemon:
Chikorita (Vernie), female, lv4
Budew (Bonica), female, lv1
Inventory: Rank: Beginner Organisation: Aether Foundation
"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Ella asked, to which Florence insisted she would. As reluctant as she was to leave Florence alone with a panicked Pokemon and someone who had just shouted abuse, there wasn't really another option. Given the way some people had reacted, if the Cutiefly freaked out again and the Grass type trainer wasn't around to subdue him, they'd most likely retaliate.
"I'll get your Chikorita seen to right away - I can't believe I let that happen!" She hurried from the conservatory, gripping the Pokeball. "I'm so sorry, Vernie! I didn't mean for you to get hurt," she whispered, although she didn't know if the Chikorita would be able to hear her inside the capsule. It had been her fault that the Cutiefly had caused so much destruction, that Vernie had taken the Bug-type move, that Florence had been yelled at. Now it felt like her responsibility to fix as much of the damage as possible.
"You remember where these people live, right?" she asked Leisy. "You could go and tell them where the Cutiefly is, while I go to the Pokemon centre. Then let's meet up in the greenhouse."
“We’re here on request of his trainer — the Cutiefly was separated from its owners, and it attacked us out of fear,” Leisy explained to the looker-ons. “We calmed it down now, so sorry about the disturbance!”
When the muttering continued, Leisy figured that the park visitors hadn’t taken too kindly to the trainers, but also knew that trying to convince them otherwise would be futile and a relative waste of time. Although she felt uncomfortable with the negative attention, the black-haired girl turned back to her friends and focused on the more important task at hand: getting the Cutiefly to safety.
“Ella, it’s as much my fault as yours, so calm down,” Leisy said. “And Florence, that sounds like a good plan,” she said, nodding at Florence’s words. “We’ll be able to get the Cutiefly to safety the fastest this way. Take care, Florence. Give us a call with your Pokedex if anything comes up!” the girl said, waving to the brown-haired girl as she walked away.
“Yes, I believe so,” Leisy said in answer to Ella’s question. Although she wasn’t completely certain, Leisy figured that she could figure it out — even if that meant stopping a couple locals to ask for directions. “We’ll meet back at Florence’s then. Hope she feels better soon,” Leisy said, nodding at the Chikorita’s Pokeball as she made her leave. “And take care, Ella.”
“Timmy, dodge it!” Marvin called as his Pokemon attempted to leap out of the way. The feral Pokemon was too close, however, clipping the edge of the water-type’s tail.
“Endy, Water Pulse!” Shanae shouted. The Lapras complied, issuing forth a quick, succinct ring of water that shattered upon making contact with the rogue fire-type who roared in protest. “Now try Confuse Ray!”
“Timmy!” Marvin called in alarm as his Pokemon flinched back from the fire-type, who was growling and snarling at the new focus of its attention. “Are you alright?”
The Palpitoad nodded at its trainer, smiling and bouncing a nod again despite the chink in its webbed tail. Seeing that his Pokemon still wanted to stay in the game, Marvin steeled his heart and thought up his next move.
“Help Endy out with a Muddy Water!” he called to his Pokemon. The wild fire-type, having suffered enough of the large water-type’s jets of water, dodged the Lapras’ Confuse Ray with a snarl, launching itself at the Lapras. Fire blazed in its mouth, leaking out in fading blazes as Shanae recognized the incoming Fire Fang.
“Get him with a Confuse Ray when he’s close, Endy!” Shanae yelled, knowing that the water-type didn’t possess the agility to dodge the incoming attack while on land. Prepping his attack, the Lapras flung himself to the left so that his shell would take the brunt of the impact.
Rank: Skilled Organization: Helping Hand Guild [Founder]
Ella nodded, and rushed to the Pokemon centre. As she handed over the Pokeball, hastily explaining that the Chikorita had been hit with a Bug-type move, the nurse looked up in shock, asking if Florence was alright.
They know each other, Ella reminded herself, thinking back to yesterday. It made sense, considering what Florence had said about training as a nurse. "Yeah... She's fine. She's just looking after a Pokemon right now." The uncertainty was clear in her voice.
Slumping into one of the chairs as the nurse set to work, Ella let out her own Pokemon one by one while she waited, feeding them berries. "Sorry all this isn't quite what you were expecting," she muttered. Her excitement several days ago at finally becoming a trainer already seemed like a distant memory. She'd never imagined the adventure would be anything like this.
"It's alright, little guy, you'll be back home soon," Florence whispered, but the Cutiefly kept struggling, legs and wings twitching about. "Your trainers will be here in no time."
At a sudden flutter of the bug's wings, Florence gasped. Green, floral-scented powder billowed around the Cutiefly, creating a soft glow around his body. He hadn't been trying to fly. He'd been trying to use...
"Aromatherapy? You know Aromatherapy?" The realisation sent a cold jolt through her. "Quick, Bonica! Stun Spore!"
The energy sphere the bug had readied fizzled out as the burst of spores hit him, causing him to twitch and spasm sickeningly again. "Please, try to relax, it won't be long until they're here." Florence couldn't keep the trembling out of her voice. The buzz sounded like a cry of terror as the bug shook off the paralysis long enough to sent up another cloud. The moment he did, Bonica hit back with another Stun Spore.
"I'm so sorry... if there was anything else I could do, I would..." Florence dug her fingernails into her palms. This didn't feel like helping. This felt like torturing the poor little Cutiefly. If she didn't subdue him, though, he'd hurt himself and others. If only she had a Pokemon with Sleep Powder or Grass Whistle... She stared desperately around.
"Somebody, please help!" she called. "Can anyone's Pokemon cause sleep, or calming effects?" The conservatory had emptied out considerably, and the few people still around didn't seem to have heard her. She flicked a glance towards the door. The trainers had to turn up soon...
TP: +1 (32) Pokemon:
Chikorita (Vernie), female, lv4
Budew (Bonica), female, lv1
Inventory: Rank: Beginner Organisation: Aether Foundation
Retracing the path to where the Cutieflies’ owners lived would take a while, and Leisy prepared for that by releasing all her Pokemon. Well, attempting to — Devinco immediately opted out, glaring at the trainer to indicate that he wanted to be returned before the chaos started, and Naunet’s lack of social tact was just fuel to the fire. Tyrus, goofy as always, almost paralyzed a ruffled Bidein, prompting Leisy to return both of them as well, and the sight of the poison-type snake sent Animo sniffling back into his shell, refusing to budge. In all, Leisy was left with a grand total of two Pokemon: Cassia, the Ekans whose distrust in Leisy was apparent in the way she slithered on the far side of the clearing, and the unnamed Purrloin, who seemed to find the whole situation rather amusing.
Figuring that her best move would be to keep silent, Leisy did exactly that, unsure of how to bargain for the Ekans’ trust. She’d caught the poison-type by nearly scaring it to death, and her later actions had failed to garner the Ekans’ favor as well. So, letting the snake Pokemon go on hating her for a little longer didn’t seem like such a bad option; at least she wasn’t making it hate her more, right?
Seeing the human’s awkwardness towards the poison-type keeping its distance, who also expressed clear animosity towards the human, the Purrloin was rather amused indeed. On one hand, the palpable tension in the air was quite funny. On the other, it was starting to get a little boring.
“Mreow,” she yawned loudly, prompting both human and Pokemon to look at her in surprise. Shooting the purple Pokemon to her left a grin, the Purrloin trotted over, leaving Leisy alone on one side of the path.
Well, at least they seem to be getting along well, Leisy thought, seeing the Purrloin and Ekans come to terms with their new proximity. The Ekans seemed more surprised than anything, continuing its slither in a rather erratic fashion as the Purrloin smirked haughtily, continuing its trot forwards with its head held high. The walk went like that until trainer and Pokemon arrived at their destination where the friendly couple who’d received them earlier emerged, citing their thanks and offering sweets to the trainer and her Pokemon.
“Really, it’s fine,” Leisy said, declining the offerings. Beside her, her Purrloin shot her trainer a nasty look, meowing loudly so that her thoughts were made clear. “Oh, alright. Um, thank you,” Leisy said, smiling awkwardly as the couple cooed over the suddenly friendly dark-type. “We should be getting on our way though — Florence is waiting for you, and Ella will be on her way as well.”
“Right you are,” the gracious lady said, rising and helping her husband up. “Let’s be on our way, dear. We can’t keep our baby waiting.”
The Purrloin seemed rather annoyed that its newly-beguiled toys were lured away from her, but she relented, restarting her trot beside the Ekans, who was more feigning dislike and disinterest towards its trainer than actually feeling it. Indeed, the Purrloin thought it rather funny, and even more amusing if she could convince the poison-type out of its shell. What was the story behind the Ekans’ animosity, and why had it faded?
“Florence should be just around this bend,” Leisy said, leading the couple forwards. To her surprise, both Purrloin and Ekans moved closer to her as they crossed the bend, apparently resolved their conflicts with each other as well as their trainer.
“Liciae — you’re Liciae,” Leisy told the Purrloin with a grin. “And Cassia, thank you for giving me another chance.”
A meow and a light hiss answered the beaming trainer as they finally entered the park where Florence had been waiting.
The impact of the fire-type’s Rapid Spin — while not fatal — clearly hit hard as the Lapras skidded back, wincing. “Endy!” Shanae yelled, alarmed. The Lapras, rather than looking at his trainer, attempted another Water Pulse at the feral fire-type before it could regather its wits and attack another Pokemon.
“Otiosus, help him out!” Shanae called, releasing her Lombre. The rogue fire-type was too quick, however, colliding with both Lapras and Water Pulse in a second Rapid Spin. “Endy!” Shanae shouted, running towards the crash site, Pokeball in hand in case needed.
The dust settled, revealing a severely weakened Lapras — clear bruises in order and lightly scratched up — and the fire-type, now dusty and huffing heavily. Without another thought, Shanae returned her Lapras, whispering a “good job” to his Pokeball before turning her wary eyes to the fire-type. Was it still up for fighting, or was it willing to stand down now?
“Now’s your chance, Shanae!” Marvin called from where he was kneeling next to his Pokemon. “Use the Great ball!”
Shanae hesitated, seeing the fight still flickering in the fire-type’s eyes, and the wild Pokemon took the chance to bound away, heavy thuds stirring up dust in its wake. Shanae fell back onto the ground in surprise, half relieved that the fight had ended — for now.
Rank: Skilled Organization: Helping Hand Guild [Founder]
Tora was half asleep when the train came blaring to a halt before them. Her posture straightening instantly in alert as she looked around quickly. Examining her surroundings, getting a little spooked by the sudden loud horn of the train. When she realized there wasn't anything particularly suspicious, her body laxed a litter and her blue eyes were half hidden behind her droopy eyelids.
"Mhm? Wha? Oh." Tora murmured as she realized the others were speaking to her. Giving a soft reassuring smile in return. "That is probably a novel idea. I am pretty worn out." she answered as she slowly got to her feet. Archie wagging her fluffy creme tail as she watched her tired trainer, walking beside her feet as if worried the raven haired woman would suddenly fall over.
Turning her gaze to Juana as she headed inside the train to take a seat, she thought for a moment, trying to collect a decent enough thoughts to form a proper answer. Cairn, Ria, and Orion were her newest catch... not much else. Oh wait, she was answering what happened? Right right.
"Oh. Um, I guess I kinda was? I didn't get much chance to sit down and rest like I normally do occasionally. I just felt a bit nervous. Can't sleep. Felt like someone was following me. It might just be my imagination however. Probably nothing to worry about." Tora answered, for the most part, honest. Though she was still a little worried. Taking a seat inside the train, she took a deep breath to help calm her nerves and relax a little. Archie sitting down beside her feet and giving a little bark.
"Apologies, I don't mean to make you two worried."
“All good, amiga,” Juana replied, clapping Tora on the back. “If someone’s following you I’ll make sure Corphish gives them a nip en las nalgas.” She pointed at her rear and gave a mischievous grin.
The train shuddered and began to move. Juana sat and watched the windmills pass by, as the scenery gave way from plains, to hills, to crags.
Juana listened to the wheels click and clack underneath her. She thought back to her childhood in Unova, and how often she would take trains to get around the region. Though she never had need for anything larger than a subway.
Juana’s thoughts were interrupted when the train’s wheels went, like, “KKKKRREEEERRKKKKSSGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!”
Juana jerked forward and banged her head on the tray table.
“OW!” she yelled, rubbing her forehead. She looked out the window. The train had ground to a halt.
“What the heck is going on out there?” Juana asked, standing up. She headed to the edge of the train car and looked out.
Sitting in the middle of the train was a red-and-yellow Pokémon with an explosion-shaped shell. Juana stared; it was as if an explosion out of a Technicolor cartoon had attached itself to a turtle with a helmet. The turtle’s schnoz looked like the nozzle of a hose, and the turtle had a pair of stubby arms with yellow thumbs. It was curled up as if sleeping.
Well, because it was sleeping.
Juana looked up. Tefan Village’s volcano was quite visible, but the train still had a ways to go.
Juana looked at her Pokédex.
”Turtonator. Blast Turtle Pokémon,” it reported.
“Turtonator, eh?” Juana remarked. “Can’t be sleeping on the tracks like that, bud.”
She jumped off the train and walked to the Turtonator. The conductor stopped her. “Wait; Turtonator has been known to explode. Don’t get too close; you might set it off and take out the train tracks. And the locomotive. And everything within a fifteen yard radius.”
Juana jabbed her thumb to her breast. “Relax! I’m a Pokémon trainer. Catching Pokémon is what I like to do.”
“I don’t get it, this happens every time we go to Tefan Village,” the assistant conductor complained, scratching his head.
Juana held up her Poké Ball. “Well, let’s see if we can clear these tracks once and for all!” she declared. She approached the Turtonator. “Hola,” she said, cautiously walking up to the Dragon-type. “Would you please get off the tracks so you don’t… blow up the train?”
Turtonator snorted. It liked this nice warm spot and didn’t want to move.
“Lazy tortuga,” she muttered to herself. “Come on, you’re holding up the train!” she chided, tugging at the Turtonator’s arm. The conductor flinched, expecting the turtle to explode.
Turtonator just snorted again.
Juana rooted through her bag, and found a tin of spicy cinnamon candies. “Maybe since it’s a Fire type, it likes spicy food?” she wondered. Contests weren’t really a thing in Unova, so the Perez family confectionery didn’t really pay much attention to the affinities of Nature and flavor; they just sold the stuff and left it to Trainers to decide what to do with it.
Turtonator sniffed the tin of mints, and tentatively ate one.
It was pretty darn spicy.
Turtonator got up and howled, fire blasting through its snout. The turtle comically stamped around the railroad tracks, fanning its mouth, before turning towards Juana with a look like, ”What was that gross sweet and spicy thing you made me eat?! I’m gonna roast you for that!”
“Oops,” Juana gulped.
Turtonator used Flamethrower and started chasing Juana around the train tracks. “Ay, caramba! Go, Corphish!” she yelped, hopping around trying to evade the Turtonator’s fire.
Corphish popped out of its Poké Ball and pinched Turtonator’s snout with a Vice Grip. The fire abruptly stopped, but Turtonator rattled its head, flinging Corphish off. Corphish scuttled to its feet and put up its claws like dukes. ”Come at me, turtlebro!” it seemed to be saying. ”I’mma snap ya!”
Turtonator let loose a jet of flame at Corphish, but Corphish countered with a stream of bubbles. The bubbles staved off the fire long enough for Corphish to slide under and nip Turtonator’s left leg. Turtonator hopped up and down, gripping its foot and loosing embers from its snout. This gave Corphish the opportunity to shoot bubbles into Turtonator’s chest cavity.
Turtonator, not expecting this, fell over on its back and wiggled around, the spiked crags in its shell trapping it in the earth. Juana pulled out her Great Ball, and tossed it at the flailing Turtonator. The capsule cracked open, and the Turtonator disappeared in a flash of light. One shake… two shakes… three shakes… Click!
Juana rushed over to the fallen Great Ball and held it in the air triumphantly. “This train stops for no mine turtle!” Juana shouted, as her Pokédex updated its entry on Turtonator:
“It gushes fire and poisonous gases from its nostrils. Its dung is an explosive substance and can be put to various uses.”
Juana stared at this dex entry. “So… it literally has explosive diarrhea.”
Not the best dex entry in the world, but hey! It was educational.
The conductor wiped sweat off his brow. “Okay, looks like we can keep moving. Thanks, kid; that Turtonator’s been getting on those tracks every time we pass through this route.”
“Hey, my friends and I need to get to the village, and no turtle on the tracks is gonna stop us,” Juana replied.
Getting back on the train, Juana set Turtonator down on her tray table. “I’m going to have to send some Pokémon to the PC first opportunity I get,” she remarked.
