Rin's right hand twitched, fully ready to point and issue an attack on the Smergle, but it immediately eased upon the fourth roll. This was all too familiar, yet it still pulled a good laugh out of them when the ball finally dinged in success. "You handsome devil, good j-!" Right before their eyes, the subject of their compliments, Osajyin, was enveloped in pure white light; the brightest sight they'd ever witnessed. Rather than flinching away, Rin couldn't help but take in every second of it. Absentmindedly, they released their newly caught Smergle so he could take in the moment with them; even Anusobeket's jaw hung open. It was magical; awe-inspiring. It was certainly a first for Rin, and the first change for Osajyin would the extension of his leaf. No longer planted at the back of his head, its stem elongated and bent at a sharp angle. Sharper still, was the new sycthe-like shape of his leaf. That wasn't all that grew however; not by long shot. Osajyin in fact, had shot up a whole foot, all the while the thorns around their neck protruded out into oblong pods several inches long. His tail came last, and with a wiggle of it, the searing light shimmered off with only fading particles in the air left as a memento.

Expecting a brilliant display of his brand new cry, Rin's open-mouthed grin grew wider and wider in anticipation. Languidly, Osaja craned their neck to look at the art the Smeargle, who Rin already knew they wanted to name Olotah, had drawn; oblivious to any expectations, and perfectly content to quietly peering at the artwork now in front of him. "Of course. That's our Osaja." Relaxed as ever. Rin snickered, shaking their head as they took their Pokédex out of their pocket. They had to share this moment with Umi, as she would harp at them for months for not calling her immediately after catching the Painter Pokémon, and to do that they needed the Professor's help. As Rin dialed Eugene's number, Olotah had scurried off to show off his work in attempt to gain the evolved pokémon's favor and attention. Anusobeket apparently seemed as independent as her trainer, for she was making her way towards the distant waters that Olo was painting earlier. Who knows what kind of trouble she'd get into out there! Hopefully not more than she can handle, but who knows?

"Sure professor, I will be there sometime tomorrow I am hoping,
but I just caught wind of a rare pokemon I want to check out!! See you soon." Liz hung up with the professor, she was going to save her new ability as a surprise for Rin, but now she had to find out about this pokemon. She walked right up to the trainer. "So you found a rare pokemon??
What was it?? Where did you see it?? I have to know, I want to catch it!!" She didn't waste any time getting to the point, she wanted to catch the Pokemon and go to the professors lab as fast as possible.

The tough looking trainer was momentarily taken aback by the girls direct line of questioning, but this didn't last long. He was more than happy to repeat his story. "Yeah, you bet! So I was climbing around on Route 2 when it happened. A giant Aggron burst through mountain side. Rocks were flying everywhere! At first, I feared for my life, but thats when I remembered my Karate training! My Pokemon and I can handle anything! You see....."

The trainer kept talking about everything that came to his mind, but Liz had the information she needed from. She crept away slowly as the trainer focused on an other person over the indomitable Aggron. She left the center and stopped at a restaurant to grab a small bite to eat, she enjoyed a delicious grilled cheese and tomato soup, it was her favorite. When she finished and paid for her meal she knew she had to get more pokeballs. She walked into the pokemart and up to the counter.

"Hello, can you tell me what you have for sale here??" She questioned the man behind the counter.

@balthazar007

Expecting a brilliant display of his brand new cry, Rin's open-mouthed grin grew wider and wider in anticipation. Languidly, Osaja craned their neck to look at the art the Smeargle, who Rin already knew they wanted to name Olotah, had drawn; oblivious to any expectations, and perfectly content to quietly peering at the artwork now in front of them. "Of course. That's our Osaja." Relaxed as ever. Rin snickered, shaking their head as they took their Pokédex out of their pocket. They had to share this moment with Umi, as she would harp at them for months for not calling her immediately after catching the Painter Pokémon, and to do that they needed the Professor's help. As Rin dialed Eugene's number, Olotah had scurried off to show off his work in attempt to gain the evolved pokémon's favor and attention. Anusobeket apparently seemed as independent as her trainer, for she was making her way towards the distant waters that Olo was painting earlier. Who knows what kind of trouble she'd get into out there! Hopefully not more than she can handle, but who knows?

The sun had finished setting by the time Totodile reached the water's edge. The waters here were moving fast. The current was indeed strong here. Out in the distance, small unidentifiable Pokemon would occasionally jump up and out of the water. Rin would need a fishing rod to pull any of them to shore.

From a nearby bush Rin and her Pokemon were being watched closely by a Furret. Her movements were very gentle as she tried her best to remain hidden.

The trainer kept talking about everything that came to his mind, but Liz had the information she needed from. She crept away slowly as the trainer focused on an other person over the indomitable Aggron. She left the center and stopped at a restaurant to grab a small bite to eat, she enjoyed a delicious grilled cheese and tomato soup, it was her favorite. When she finished and paid for her meal she knew she had to get more pokeballs. She walked into the pokemart and up to the counter.

"Hello, can you tell me what you have for sale here??" She questioned the man behind the counter.

The Poke Mart attendant was having a bad day. His favorite TV show was canceled mid season. His wife was sick with the flu. And nobody cared about his Butterfree collection.

Oh wait, a customer!

As Liz walked through the door, the man perked up. He had a job to do after all. She immediately started speaking as she walked up. He responded, as cheerily as always, "Why hello there! Yes, we have all your Poke Corp needs. You must be a new trainer! All Poke Marts carry the same inventory. You'll find a list of our items on the monitor behind me. Tell me what you like, and I will gladly point you to the right isle or retrieve it from behind the counter here."

The man behind the counter perked up as Liz walked in, directing her towards the monitor to make her purchases. She scrolled through the stock they had on hand, her female instincts kicking in, she wanted to buy everything they had!! She picked up two great balls, and five more pokeballs, that would have to hold her over until she got her hands on more money. She turned to leave but saw the man's Butterfree collection.

"Excuse me sir, is that your collection?? I find it remarkable the many different Butterfree you have collected!! Do you know where I can find a Caterpie or it's evolutions in the area??" She asked the man.

@balthazar007

Rin actually had to cut the video-call short upon Umi's instance to appraise their new Pokémon, which prompted Rin to then discover Anusobeket's absence, drop their Pokédex --shutting off its screen, and sprint off to find their starter. Osajyin and Olotah in tow. At first the duo seemed content to continue their little artshow; with Osajyin cooly unperturbed, and Olotah assuming his Trainer was simply running to get the exercise. Upon hearing Anusobeket's name called out, but having no Anusobeket in sight caused the older pokémon to nudge the younger on after Rin. Osaja's gained maturity also gave him the hindsight to know to retrieve Rin's fallen Pokédex that he noted his Trainer screaming greetings at just moments before. When his head came back up from having to scoop the device into his mouth, he caught sight of Rin running straight through patch after patch of tall grass in their search. It was a miracle they weren't caught by a wild pokémon. However unbeknownst to them, they did catch the eye of a certain Long Body Pokémon. Taking an intrest in the scattered group, she watched them from a far; hidden in the underbrush of bushes.



Eventually she saw the teenaged trainer make a dash for the shore, where they were soon reunited with their starter. Her gentle spirit and sentimental heart loved a happy ending. It was a sweet sight seeing the two hug and laugh. From her vantage point, it appeared the group was looking to fashion some kind of camp on the shore as the sun had gotten awfully low. So much so, it had finally said goodnight to the world, and had laid to rest underneath the horizon. Figuring she'd make herself comfortable if she was going to stalk the group, the Furret set to making herself a little pallet with some leaves beneath her. When she looked up, the Trainer was headed right towards her location! Had she been discovered? Not at all. In fact, Rin was only coming over to find sticks among the treeline for supporting the tarp they had packed for a tent.

Rin wasn't even looking for firewood at the moment as they well intend to set up camp now, and then return after they'd satisfied themself with their catches for the day. Could the Furret sense this and stay hidden, or would she scare off, or even potentially attack? Rin didn't know as they were oblivious to her presence. Their mind was still preoccupied wondering if their Pokémon could handle the small tasks Rin had given to each of them as they were quite used to doing things on their own; never worrying over someone else's ability to get the job done. Though, really they only worried about of their pokémon. Osajyin was tasked with trying to hunt any small fish that came too close to shore even though he wasn't the most proactive; Olotah had the job of staying on lookout with the dim light of his Synthesis even though he was a little too trusting; and Anusobeket had the straightforward occupation of shooting down tough branches with Water Gun even though the noise probably caught the attention of any and every pokémon on the beach every twenty seconds she used it. Pointing to a branch not too far from the Furret's hiding spot, Rin called out another command.

"Go ahead, Anusobeket! We're gonna need that one too. Use Water Gun!"

The man behind the counter perked up as Liz walked in, directing her towards the monitor to make her purchases. She scrolled through the stock they had on hand, her female instincts kicking in, she wanted to buy everything they had!! She picked up two great balls, and five more pokeballs, that would have to hold her over until she got her hands on more money. She turned to leave but saw the man's Butterfree collection.

"Excuse me sir, is that your collection?? I find it remarkable the many different Butterfree you have collected!! Do you know where I can find a Caterpie or it's evolutions in the area??" She asked the man.

The Poke Mart attendant got truly excited by Liz's question. Smiling from ear to ear, the man spoke his peace, "Oh, you noticed that did you!? You have a sharp eye! My wife and I travel far to the east once a year during the spring time for Butterfree mating season. You can find them on Route 15. It is truly a site to behold! But that beautiful scene is also the final resting place for elderly Butterfree. Each year, I find the most beautiful Butterfree that has passed away and add it to my collection. It's a reminder of life's beauty, from beginning to end."

Liz nodded to the man's enthusiastic attitude of the elderly Butterfree. She paused only long enough to be polite to him. "That sounds fantastic sir, thank you for the free information, I must run back to Zuerest,
so I should be back this way in a day or two. If I find the time I will stop by again do some more shopping and you can tell me about that Butterfree with the weird coloring." Liz bowed out the store before the man could say anything else, she had one more stop and it was the gym, she wanted to know if she could find any information on the gym leader. It wasn't that hard to find, being one of the biggest buildings in town, she walked right up to the door and went in.

"Hello?? My name is Liz from Zuerest town!! I have come to find out about this gym!!" She called awaiting an answer from anyone.

@balthazar007

...Anusobeket had the straightforward occupation of shooting down tough branches with Water Gun even though the noise probably caught the attention of any and every pokémon on the beach every twenty seconds she used it. Pointing to a branch not too far from the Furret's hiding spot, Rin called out another command.

"Go ahead, Anusobeket! We're gonna need that one too. Use Water Gun!"

The Water Gun struck the tree nearby. When the branch hit the ground, the wild Furret leaped high into the air, which showed off the entire length of her body. She landed gently back on the ground. She knew she had been seen, but was still holding onto some hope, that might not be the case. Her gaze was fixed right on the trainer's eyes to in order to deduce whether or not she'd been spotted or whether she had gotten insanely lucky.

Liz nodded to the man's enthusiastic attitude of the elderly Butterfree. She paused only long enough to be polite to him. "That sounds fantastic sir, thank you for the free information, I must run back to Zuerest,
so I should be back this way in a day or two. If I find the time I will stop by again do some more shopping and you can tell me about that Butterfree with the weird coloring." Liz bowed out the store before the man could say anything else, she had one more stop and it was the gym, she wanted to know if she could find any information on the gym leader. It wasn't that hard to find, being one of the biggest buildings in town, she walked right up to the door and went in.

"Hello?? My name is Liz from Zuerest town!! I have come to find out about this gym!!" She called awaiting an answer from anyone.

There were tons of people in this gym, all of them were battling their hearts' out. Liz's proclamation, while loud, only drew the attention of one young girl. She stepped out of the crowd and walked straight up to Liz. She stood uncomfortably close as she looked up to speak to Liz, "Oh yeah? Well I assume you are a trainer. Did you come here to challenge this gym? Or did you come here to talk loud and look ugly?"

The rude little girl sure wasn't afraid of anything!

Rin was known for many things, and subtly was not one of them. Their eyes grew to be like sauscers before honing in on where the Long Body Pokémon had sunken back to. If they had seen correctly that was an evolved pokémom. "What are you doing down there?" Rin took a step forwards, before following up there question with, "Wait, are you hiding? From me? I mean I am going to be World Champion, but I don't bite. Unless I'm hungry . . . which I'm not." Anusobeket stood out in front of Rin, a Water Gun on the brim of her teeth. She arched her brow at Rin. "That depends," Rin told Anu before turning towards the Furret, "you gonna come out the easy way or the hard way?" If Rin was successful, this would be their second evolved pokémon, but they were more than certain they could handle her with Osajyin over on standby.

The rude little girl got right in Liz's face, and began insulting her. "Are you a trainer here little girl?? If so I want to test my strength on you, your pretty chatty, I want to see if I need to train more to take on this gym, and my pokemon could use a little exercise. What do you say,
will your parents allow you to battle??" She asked in a mocking tone trying to get the girl to rose to the bait.

@balthazar007

Rin was known for many things, and subtly was not one of them. Their eyes grew to be like sauscers before honing in on where the Long Body Pokémon had sunken back to. If they had seen correctly that was an evolved pokémom. "What are you doing down there?" Rin took a step forwards, before following up there question with, "Wait, are you hiding? From me? I mean I am going to be World Champion, but I don't bite. Unless I'm hungry . . . which I'm not." Anusobeket stood out in front of Rin, a Water Gun on the brim of her teeth. She arched her brow at Rin. "That depends," Rin told Anu before turning towards the Furret, "you gonna come out the easy way or the hard way?" If Rin was successful, this would be their second evolved pokémon, but they were more than certain they could handle her with Osajyin over on standby.

The wild Furret was busted; she could see that. This human was looking right at her. Carefully, gently, she raised herself up out of the grass to face the human and her Pokemon. Battling wasn't her favorite thing in the world, but it might be the only way out of this situation. She tilted her head slightly, as she stared down the nearby Totodile. Was this little girl going to be her opponent? She could take her, surely she could.

The rude little girl got right in Liz's face, and began insulting her. "Are you a trainer here little girl?? If so I want to test my strength on you, your pretty chatty, I want to see if I need to train more to take on this gym, and my pokemon could use a little exercise. What do you say,
will your parents allow you to battle??" She asked in a mocking tone trying to get the girl to rose to the bait.

The little girl smiled with pure mischief in her eyes. "Technically, I'm not supposed to battle anyone from outside of our gym unless they don't have a badge yet, but something tells me you don't. You don't look strong enough to have a badge yet. If I'm right, let's battle!"

Rin tapped their chin before putting it as plain as they could, "You are an evolved pokémon, so I'm sure you know how this goes. If you wanna hangout, we gotta battle. Friends fight, it's like bonding or something, but with physical pain. I'm sure you understand right?" Rin gave the Furret two thumbs up and a genuine smile before nodding to Anusobeket. As requested, she fired a volley of water from her mouth with her STAB Water Gun. "Osajyin! Make sure she doesn't run off," Rin called out as they waved over the (still) Leaf Pokémon. The thought of a wild Furret following was appealing, but Rin would much rather just catch her. They still have Seven-Hundred-Ninety-Eight pokémon left to catch after all!

Not one of Liz's Pokemon could stand a chance against the little girls Heracross. Hephaestus went down with a quick Horn Attack and Feint, Phoniks faired only slightly better with a strong peck attack, but she to fell before the bug pokemon. Finally down to Arachne Liz had a hope, but that was dashed withed with a powerful Aerial Ace. With no pokemon Liz bowed to her opponent.

"I will be back in two days time Spunky, I want a rematch with you got it?? I have to win,nothing will get in my way of my dream of being champion!!" Liz turned and walked out of the gym, she took her Pokemon back to the center to be checked on and after the ok was back on the road to Zuerest Town, hopefully her Pokemon will be stronger when she returned, she would learn about Z-Crystals too!! As she left town she noticed a path leading back to Zuerest, hopefully this time the trip wouldn't take so long!!

Rin tapped their chin before putting it as plain as they could, "You are an evolved pokémon, so I'm sure you know how this goes. If you wanna hangout, we gotta battle. Friends fight, it's like bonding or something, but with physical pain. I'm sure you understand right?" Rin gave the Furret two thumbs up and a genuine smile before nodding to Anusobeket. As requested, she fired a volley of water from her mouth with her STAB Water Gun. "Osajyin! Make sure she doesn't run off," Rin called out as they waved over the (still) Leaf Pokémon. The thought of a wild Furret following was appealing, but Rin would much rather just catch her. They still have Seven-Hundred-Ninety-Eight pokémon left to catch after all!

Anusobeket released a powerful Water Gun, but Furret's instincts were too fast. A split second before the Water Gun made contact, she disappeared into the grass. The next second, she reemerged. She was on a direct collision course using Quick Attack on the unsuspecting Totodile. As amazingly as her speed was, it would take a slow motion camera to see her feet landing on the ground gently, not making a sound. Though the inevitable crash into Anu would be anything but gentle.

Result: Furret's Grace and Speed

"I will be back in two days time Spunky, I want a rematch with you got it?? I have to win,nothing will get in my way of my dream of being champion!!" Liz turned and walked out of the gym, she took her Pokemon back to the center to be checked on and after the ok was back on the road to Zuerest Town, hopefully her Pokemon will be stronger when she returned, she would learn about Z-Crystals too!! As she left town she noticed a path leading back to Zuerest, hopefully this time the trip wouldn't take so long!!

As Liz walked down the main path through the hills, she was being watched from a distance. Very timidly, a wild Sentret bobbed up and down out of the tall grass. Half of her wanted to come in and say hello to the human. Half of her wanted to stay as far away as possible. She settled for watching from a distance.

Liz followed the path back to Zuerest, which was so far faster than going the way she had originally. Her eyes constantly searching both sides of the peaceful route, ever vigilant for Pokemon. Atop one grassy hill she spotted a figure bobbing up and down. It had a long slender body, Liz produced her Pokedex and it informed her the Pokemon was a Sentret. She would like to have that to her team, it's slick body made it look very fast.

"Alright Hephaestus, let's go buddy, use ember!!" Hephaestus popped out of the ball flames already building in his mouth.

@balthazar007