This would be so much easier if posts were deletable..

[not even close.]

[I vote this as one of the worst moments in role-play history.]

[ooc chat ]

[Just four more posts of this crap]

"i think it would be better to post until the next page happens, so we don't have to keep seeing this."

Leon's eyes had been downcast, thinking over what had been happening. At Rasca's words, though, his eyes lit up in recognition just before he offered a small smile. "Ah, nothing. I just...get a weird feeling from here is all," he explained, laughing lightly. It was a clear attempt at hiding it. He hardly ever talked about his problems, trying to bottle them up rather than bother his friend with them.

Stepping to the side of the girl, he gestured towards Superior. "Why not try to bond with him and our new friends for a bit? I think I'm gonna sit outside for a while. Enjoy the forest. First time I've been out of Viridian City and all," he said quickly, grinning a bit as he tried to get around her. If he managed to, he'd retreat quickly outside, Nido close behind him. This forest was odd. He had a weird feeling inside of him and he could understand Pokemon a little bit better. It was always so much more of a struggle, more like he was guessing than anything. Here? It was as if they were speaking plainly. He couldn't wrap his head around it.

"You get a weird feeling, and you still wanna stay here? Leon, you're not even listening to yourself, are you?!" Disgusted, she moved aside, letting him go free for now. Rasca wanted to see how far he would go. If he was gone too long, she would definitely be out there searching for him. That's if he actually wandered off. If not, then she could spy on him from the old ladies hut.

"Fine, but don't think i don't know what you're really doing. I'll exploit you if i have to." Rasca bowed ceremoniously, even opening the door for him as he left. 'At least it's a good idea. I do need time to get to know the pokemon.' Looking at their slightly tired faces, she moved towards the Bulbasaur, taking a seat a far enough away to give it space. "Look, i know i'm not as talented as that boy who can talk to pokemon, but i know i can be one of the best trainers you've had so far. I mean, see the way Sup- er.. the Nidoran over there is happy?" He actually didn't seem all that happy, but he was probably just grumpy with having to leave a fight without really finishing it. Rasca hoped that's what his face meant, instead of it meaning he hated her for dragging him along.

Blowing out a weary breath, she went on, smiling benevolently at Bulbasaur and pushing up her shades to her forehead. "Okay, we really screwed up out there, you saw that for yourself. But..i mean we did kind of save you. Both of you. I suppose that kinda puts you in a position to be grateful." Taking a seat, Rasca pet Bulbasaur, commenting on how easy going it was. "You sure are a lot more eager to please than Superior." Upon hearing his name being mentioned, her Nidoran became shocked and head-butted her backside rather roughly. The tip of his horn caught on her shirt, tugging on it like a nagging mother. Rasca shifted around and crouched low to the ground, facing Superior face-on. "Watch this Bulbasaur! Me and Nidoran are going to bond." Snorting and tossing her head, she knocked her head gently into the base of his horn. Her shades slipped down and hooked on his horn, rattling around in circles as he backed up.

When he finally sat down with a proud look on his face, the shades had finally come to rest on his face, making him look just like his name-sake. Rasca crowed happily when she saw this, saluting Superior. "He did it! Aw man. Too bad Leon can't see this. Hmph. Wet blanket." Superior tossed off the shades, purposely making them land too far away from her reach, so that she had to get up to retrieve them. "Nice throw there, buddy. Thanks for the amusement." The other two pokemon seemeed slightly enheartened by his move against his trainer, and brightened up in their actions.

Leon exited, not going very far into the forest. He went to the edge of the clearing, sitting down against a tree. He didn't think Rasca would really understand. Yes, he got a weird feeling. That didn't mean it was a bad feeling. It was just...confusing. He always felt like he could understand Pokemon. It had never been that...clear before. It was as if they spoke in human tongue for those brief moments. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

It didn't mean it was bad, though. He loved talking to the Pokemon. It was calming to him. He understood them better than he understood most people.

His thoughts were broken as he realized he had been followed. Nido and Charmander had come out with him. The Oddish was there too, hiding behind Nido. “Hey there, guys,” he said, smiling at them. “Everything alright?”

The Nidoran shook its head, looking up at him. “You're off. What's wrong?”

That made the boy frown. “I'm...off?” he asked, confused. “What do you mean?”

The Charmander walked up next to him before plopping down and looking up. “She told me things would be weird for you when you arrived,” it said, sounding like perfect human speak to him. “She also told me I would feel something about you...something similar to her and him.”

“Her and...him?” Leon asked, brow furrowing. “Your first master?” Charmander gave a nod, saying something more. This time, the boy's eyes widened in surprised.

“...Red?”

When the all the pokemon, excluding her own Nidoran left the cabin; Rasca felt sulky. 'I bet he called them over to himself with his new super powers. I thought he told me to bond with them?' Her attitude became one of steam riddled anger. Though it was currently simmering on the back burner of pain. Trying to soothe her own dejection, she crawled over to Superior on her stomach. She looked really pathetic that way, and that's how she hoped her pokemon thought she looked. It might ravage some pity on her forlorn state, and then she could revel in the thought that at least one of the pokemon liked her company.

Rasca tried a different tactic when the 'pity me' one became fruitless.

"Hey, hermit lady?" She got up from her prone position, snatching a poketreat from Leon's bag that he had left behind in the hut. Twiddling it between her fingers as she talked to the woman about how to get Superior to like her a bit more. Even poking around the kitchen to find ways to help her out, as she cooked and cut various types of food items for them to eat later.

Rasca spied a lettuce bowl, and applied herself to mixing the vegetables around in a soupy thin mixture. Reminded her a lot of the salad dressing bought from a store, if not probably a bit more healthy for all of them. She doubted the woman even went close enough to hear the sounds of a grocery store, no matter how fanciful she claimed her hearing was. 'At least i'm safe in my mind.'

The woman's words of wisdom weren't very much different from anything Leon could have said to her, though she didn't want to hear much of anything from him in the first place. Hermit lady seemed to notice this, and steered clear of the subject, asking Rasca to fill her in on how Superior acted. The lady didn't comment on how strange a name it was for the Nidoran, though pride could do funny things to certain pokemon. In the end, Rasca felt a bit more confident on how to prepare salads, which made the woman smile when she told her that.

Even Superior dropped in on the fun, coming over to Rasca's side and nudging her hand, almost delicately. Shocked at the way the pokemon was treating her, she flipped a few leaves of the salad onto his face. Plap, plap, plip! They slid down his cheeks until Superior sucked them into his mouth, munching on them with a satisfied look on his face. Thinking she had done this all by herself, Rasca threw up a mighty cheer. The hermit was not quick to judge, but after she had calmed down, the lady pointed out how Rasca had the scent of treats on her palms. Examining what was left of the treat, she held out her hand towards Superior, and as she did so, he quickly snatched it from her. Both the lady and Rasca shared a short chuckle over that.

(You have Bulbasaur still. And the Pikachu that's staying with the woman, if you really want. xD)

Leon was busy talking to the Pokemon for a good while before he eventually found his way back. The Oddish had followed the other two out to thank him for saving them. However, his conversation with Charmander had been the most interesting. He didn't know what to make of most of it. The scents of Pokemon were much stronger than most and, apparently, Leon reminded the small lizard Pokemon of one of the best trainers in the world. For some reason.

As things turned out, though, he came back into the hut in a brighter mood than when he left. He smiled over at Rasca and the hermit, offering a wave. "Any luck with Superior and the Bulbasaur?" he asked her with a grin. Walking over to them, he smiled at Superior before looking back to his childhood friend. "Oddish was saying how he and Bulbasaur want to come with us too. Since we saved them and all. Though, Bulbasaur is apparently more fond of you. I protected Oddish, but it wasn't as heroic as beating a Beedrill with my fists." He said it teasingly, remembering that Rasca had actually tackled one of the poisonous Pokemon.

(oh jeez, i totally forgot them >W< Now who's the selfish one, eh?)

Setting the table was the last meager chore Rasca chose to do in preparation of the meal. Several times she had to come back to the hermit and ask where something was. In her own eyes that wasn't being very helpful, but it was better than doing everything yourself. After a while though, the lady let her give up, since she happened to be more knowledgeable about where all the items were supposed to go.

Over-reacting to Leon's question, Rasca huddled up near the two aforementioned pokemon and hugged them briefly. "Oh yes, we are all the best of friends right now!" She smirked, but withdrew from Superior when he tried to bite her. "Err..that was a love bite. Goooood Superior." She patted his head and moved to rub Bulbasaur's side. It allowed her to do so, and she enjoyed it for a few seconds before answering. "You know me Leon, just lookin out for number one." Rasca pointed at Leon when she said this, letting him know what esteem she held him in. "Beesides.."She paused as if there was going to be laughter. "Hermit lady did all the real work here."

Leon laughed a bit. "I never thought you the type to be in the kitchen anyway," he teased her. "Also, her name is Yellow. Right?" He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. The woman looked surprised at this, but then smiled, nodding. Given the fact that she hadn't given a name, this meant she must have been well known. Or the Pokemon had told him. It was one or the other. He went on explaining anyway. "You were one of the original four with Red. I remember hearing stories of the young girl from Viridian Forest. Never thought I'd actually meet you, though."

"Well...it happens. I try to keep my presence here to a minimum so others don't come looking for me. Being known as Red's companion, a lot of people would love to battle me," she explained, rolling her eyes.

"Charmander mentioned that. His father was Red's Charizard. A powerful fighter, from what I heard," the boy commented. "Charmander wanted to come along with me. Hopefully, he can meet his father again." The Charmander piped up eagerly, giving the affirmative. "I heard about all four of you. Green wanders the world, rumored to have left to another land. Blue is preparing to take a test to become a gym leader, though that isn't for a while yet. And Red awaits atop Mount Silver for someone who can beat him."

Yellow rolled her eyes at that. "And they call me the hermit. But yes, that's the gist of our current whereabouts," she responded with a sigh.

'Hmph. Yellow huh? That sure does brighten up my mind of all previous suspicions. Not.' Though Rasca feigned indifference to the exchange going on between a grand pokemon master, and a starling, she was interested in hearing how it all came about. Though neither Yellow nor Leon went much into explanations, there was still quite a bit to be learned from what they were going on about. She spoke up once there was an opportunity, not really sure how this was helping them in their pokemon adventure. "It's a pleasure being rescued by you Miss Yellow. Nice to know we can finally call you something other than a hermit."

Nonchalantly leaning against the wall of the hut, Rasca made herself scarce from the conversation once more. She even picked up a fork and poked idly at the salad she had helped prepare for the meal. It did look good, and the pokemon had already been fed, so it seemed to her like it was time for the humans to begin their meal as well. Rasca didn't want to seem spoiled however, so she left alone the utensils afterwards.

Giving Leon a knowing look, she wondered if he was going to add finding the other colorful pokemon masters to their adventure list. She wasn't sure how it would pan out to find Green, but it could be eventful if they accidentally bumped into him as well. Though with Yellow, he seemed to already have a good idea of where she was in the first place. 'All that talk about legends and what not.'

Leon nodded slowly, thinking about his situation now. He could chase after the four of them. It would definitely help his research. If he could reach Red, he could study the three legendary birds. Red and Blue had both been tasked with completing the Pokedex. Between the two of them, they probably had all the Pokemon in Kanto. A grin crept on his face at the thought. "Then I guess I'll have to start searching harder for the other three," he said.

Yellow shook her head. "Good luck with that. Red doesn't pay attention to anyone who doesn't make a name for himself," she said.

"So...all I'd have to do is beat the Elite Four?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

This made Yellow furrow her brow in confusion. "You say it as if it's easy," she stated. "The Elite Four could beat me if they were together. It took all four of us to beat them once. You think you can do it yourself?"

"Not at all. I think Rasca can, though," Leon replied happily. "I don't think I'll be strong enough. I can out think them, though. My strategies can beat the best in the world's." He paused at that, scratching the back of his head before turning his attention to Rasca. "Of course, if Rasca wants to help me. Wouldn't want to force you to help me with that."

Rasca narrowed her eyes at Leon, congratulating herself on figuring out that Leon had wanted to track down the other colors. 'At least i know what humans want. That's normal, but it's something.' She did think that he had his sights set a bit high up. Rasca almost wanted to take Yellow's side of the discussion. Though she wouldn't mind tagging along with him to beat them. As if they stood a chance.

"I'm here aren't I? I wouldn't be with you still, if i wasn't all for your plan to dominate the pokemon world." She chuckled as the light glinted off her shades, giving Rasca an intimidating look to her face. "Of course, i could always leave you behind, go back home, and generally be a boring sod." It didn't suit her to desert him like that, and it wouldn't be fun back home. Plus if she came back with some prestige, maybe her parents wouldn't be so harsh on her for leaving all of a sudden.

'Then again...Yellow could have some great advice for us.'

"What do you think Yellow? Can we somehow go up against the Elite Four and make history again?" Rasca paced a bit in her spot, as if this would help her make a decision. "Or do we give up now and just go home?" She would stay on the journey with Leon, no matter what Yellow said. She just wanted to know what the old hermit thought about it.

Yellow was quiet for a moment, busying herself with setting up the table with the food she had prepared. After a moment, she shook her head. "You do realize that no one's beaten the Elite Four since Red, right? There have been other champions, besting the Pokemon League...but no one has lived up to the invitation the Elite Four sends out," she explained, looking up at Leon. "Not since the four of us challenged them."

Leon gave a nod. "There's a first for everything. That includes Red losing," he stated confidently.

The hermit gave a sigh, smiling softly. "If there's anyone who can beat Red, I think it would be you, Leon," she said, momentarily ignoring Rasca. "You've got the knowledge and the drive to be the best researcher and you earn the respect of Pokemon without capturing them. Red was good with Pokemon, but it was more passion than knowledge that drove him. You share that passion. I can see it." She bowed her head again. "If anyone could match us, it'd probably be you two."

After that, though, she was quick to change the subject. "Come. I finished preparing the food. Why don't you two eat before you set off?"

'I think i'll just take a seat while everyone praises Leon to the skies. I'm hungry anyway, should have started eating before all this happened.' Rasca tended to be a bit more cranky when she didn't have anything in her stomach. She scowled unhappily at Yellow, wondering if the woman could have spelled it out any more nicely. The hermit obviously thought Leon could do things by herself, so why did she have to tag along anyways? Rasca didn't stop grumbling until the lady chose to mention that both of them could match the four of them together.

'Old lady wisdom, just to make us more confident. It doesn't have to be true.' She took it all very harshly, and only for the fact that she had been ignored. It didn't matter what Yellow thought of her, Rasca would still be number two in her mind. Some leader. Looks like Leon was the one way she would get anywhere in this world.

But Rasca wasn't the alone in being ignored. How would Bulbasaur feel about being number two? Never quite matching up to the admiration she gave Superior, wouldn't it feel inadequate as well? It didn't sit right with her, that one pokemon could get more attention than the other, just because of seniority. Perhaps it was even the other way around. The newcomer would have to get used to both Leon and her, so wouldn't that mean...?

Shaking her head stiffly, she sat down to eat with everyone else. Wondering how to treat the two pokemon, while not giving one more than the other deserved. It was all so difficult to understand. If only she could talk to pokemon, or understand them. But then; Rasca paused in eating her meal, looking at Leon with more respect than she usually garnered. That's why they had become a team in the first place. Even though Leon was more than qualified to go by himself, he had specifically asked her to come along. To protect him, and to have fun. What kind of person did that, if they didn't expect the other person was more than useful to helping out? She chuckled as understanding dawned on her, going back to scarfing down food.

Leon was confused at the praise he received, if nothing else. He didn't know why Yellow would think him so qualified to face Red and the Elite Four. He personally didn't see it as much. He had the knowledge, but none of the power. Rasca would make up for that, though. She was strong. She was always standing up for him and helping him out. It only made sense that she would be the one to make it further. He wasn't even sure if he would get a single badge, let alone face the Elite Four.

With those confusing thoughts running through his head, he began to eat slowly. He glanced over, feeling a pair of eyes on him and caught Rasca's eyes. That was...a strange look. Why was she looking at him with that? Instead of asking, he simply smiled pleasantly at her, as if he understood, turning back to his food to finish his meal.

It didn't take long for the group to finish, filled up by the portions Yellow had offered. As she started to take the dishes back to her sink, Leon leaned over to Rasca. "We should get going soon. We probably can't make it out of here before nightfall, but we can get close to the edge of the forest at least," he said. As much as he was enjoying Yellow's company and learning much from it, he didn't like how Rasca seemed to be ignored by her. He had a suspicion as to why she was ignoring her, but it would have to wait. He'd rather just be back on the road to Pewter City with his friend. Of course, his feelings could have been making him biased in that desire, enjoying the time with Rasca despite the fact that he was sure his feelings were not returned.

Rasca was inept at the fact that Leon had misunderstood her look towards him. Merely congratulating herself on being able to read his emotions so clearly. Later on however, she would rethink her earlier actions, and come about to the proper knowledge of what Leon really had been thinking. For now, her mood was lighter than it had been, and a few notes of a song danced their way into her head. It wasn't until Leon spoke to her about leaving, that she became more sneaky.

"We could just leave now. She's busy. Plus there's a chance that our new pokemon may wanna stretch their legs. You know what i mean?" Her eyes stayed facing forward, briefly smiling at Yellow as the hermit took more plates from the table. When her back was turned, Rasca nodded her affirmation to his plan to go early. She didn't want to speak too loudly, just in case that woman was listening in.

Getting up from her seat, Rasca rested her hand on her friend's shoulder for a moment, raising the volume of her voice. "You can't let Yellow down, Leon. Get some rest, and maybe the dear lady can teach you more tomorrow." Removing herself from his side, she dropped off a few dishes in the sink, going over to where Bulbasaur and Superior would be sleeping. "I hope you don't mind i sleep with my pokemon, instead of whatever bed you have prepared Miss Yellow." Rasca stopped at the doorway and turned around. "We'll either fight, fall asleep and bond, or both. But none of us will get in the way."

She went on and prepared the floor for her sleep tonight, curling up near Bulbasaur and Superior, who in turn cuddled, and used her as a sleeping pallet. This didn't bother her in the least, as she dozed lightly soon afterwards.