When the light had begun, Tommy and his whole team turned to watch as Forte became a Loudred and the trumpet player smiled. Cici had earned it, that much was for sure. After that, the duo got some breakfast for themselves and then set about asking around town for some information on what was going on with Entei. Eventually, someone told them to look on the north side of the Volcano and, after giving their thanks for the information, that was where Cici and Tommy found themselves at the base of. Tommy was fairly excited to finally be here, as he had read that most of the dragon types were located here, along with a couple of different fighting types that he had been looking to possibly catch.
Still, the rocky side of the mountain cut an imposing obstacle as he looked up at it, with various outcroppings along the way but plenty of paths up to choose from. "So, up for some hiking?"
“Both ghost-types then?” Leisy asked, noticing that the way Ella’s Duskull moved — a gentle, drifting fashion that had just a touch of forcefulness when the Pokemon darted around — matched the way the pumpkin-topped Pokemon did. “Ghost-type moves are effective against other ghost-types, so watch out if they roughhouse,” she said, a little alarmed when the two Pokemon started chasing each other around. However, upon seeing the relaxed way the game progressed and hearing the bubble-like sounds from either Pokemon — laughter, she figured — Leisy calmed down, relieved the Pokemon were okay. “They get along well,” she observed, smiling as she watched the two spirits dart after each other, eyes aglow with mirth.
The sharp cry from Ella jolted Leisy out of her smiling stupor — something that always seemed to happen when she was watching Pokemon — just quick enough for the girl to spot the latter half of a glossy purple-topped cream coat disappearing behind a bush, the long tail lifted in satisfaction as it winked into the darkness. “Oh no you don’t!” she called as Bidein launched into action from his perch on a nearby branch, diving down from the canopy into the bushes. A fierce squawk and some muffled rustling ensued, both bird and cat leaping out from the bush immediately after. While the almost-raptor’s feathers were fluffed up in an attempt to intimidate his opponent, the feline looked unfazed, its brown paper prize still dangling from its mouth as it watched the bird calmly.
“Bidein, hold on,” Leisy called, walking over. Her approach caused the cat to look over, gold eyes silent and calculating as it watched the human bend down so that she seemed like less of a threat. “It’s alright,” she reassured it, retrieving a bag of Pokefood from her own bag. “It’s not right to steal things, but I understand why you do,” the girl said, pushing the new bag of berries over. “So take these instead and return the other one, alright?”
The cat’s eyes narrowed at the human’s words, itself unmoving in its spot as it considered the offer. Was it worth it to give up her prize in exchange for another one? This bag appeared the same externally, but perhaps it contained less berries than the other. There was no way to tell from where the Purrloin stood, and when she agreed to the trade it would be too late.
Seeing that the Pokemon was having some doubts, Leisy reached over and opened the bag, rolling down the sides so that it formed a makeshift bowl of sorts. “Here you are. Don’t be shy,” she said, sliding it over to the feline.
Shanae’s Houndour was quick to grumble about his designated role in the investigation — bloodhound as opposed to primary investigator — but his ears perked up instantly when he tried out a sniff. Recognizing the signs, Shanae grew hushed, following the Houndour quietly. Alright, Ebon. Lead the way, she thought, keeping pace next to her fire-type, her footsteps noticeably louder compared to her Pokemon’s. This, however, failed to bother the fire-type as he went right on with the trail, ear pricked and nose twitching.
The trail led the duo towards the back of the area where shrubs gave way to scattered boulders and rocks varying in size as much as the ground varied in color. Other than the shrubs, the ground was relatively clear of greenery — not that the dry, yellow bunches helped much.
Not much fauna out and about either, Shanae thought with a frown, following in her Houndour’s steps. [i]I guess it’s the fate of a city founded and living on industry — grand and lonely, rich with variety and invention but poor at the same time.
A soft growl from Ebon told Shanae that they were close, and she nodded at the fire-type to show that she was ready to see what was around the bend of the large earthen hill they’d come to a stop beside. A nest, perhaps? Most Pokemon are aggressively territorial around their nests, so this wouldn’t be the ideal place to host a fight, she thought, steps slow and measured and body pressed close to the side of the mound as she rounded the corner, head craned to get a glimpse of whatever it was that had her Houndour on edge.
A heavy thumping noise from behind her jolted Shanae into a flinch as she flattened herself against the hill in surprise. “Marvin?” the woman asked in surprise as the boy’s Onix pulled to a halt a few meters away from her, dipping its head down to allow its trainer to climb off.
“Heya — just thought I’d check up on you, but it looks like you really do need me around,” Marvin Terra said, a smug grin on his face.
Rank: Skilled Organization: Helping Hand Guild [Founder]
"Yeah, more so than I was yesterday," Cici replied, making her way up the rocky trail as Forte and Dulcet followed. While not out of shape, she wasn't exactly athletic either, her physical activity consisting of walks around Central. Still, there was something relaxing about the mountain scenery - or at least, there would be, if it wasn't for the whole Entei situation.
She stopped, nearly causing Forte to crash into her, as a short distance away, a crack appeared in the ground. "What...?" She pulled away, watching the crack widen. Chunks of earth fell away, disappearing into a rapidly-forming hole.
She stumbled further back as something surfaced. A pair of jaws, the upper one grey, the lower one red, stretched wide open to reveal a set of pointed teeth.
Dulcet immediately placed herself in between her trainer and the creature, eyes fixed on it as she hovered, feathers puffing up. It looked like a Ground type, meaning some of its attacks would be unable to hit her, and there was also something draconic about this sharp-fanged Pokemon. If it tried to harm Cici in any way, she'd Moonblast it to kingdom come.
Ella watched Leisy's Fletchinder take action, driving the cat out of the shrubs. As Leisy bent down, trying to call the cat over, she crouched by the other trainer's side. "C'mon... You must be hungry," she said, her voice soft.
After studying the paper bowl for a few seconds, the feline slowly approached, sniffing the food before dropping the bag to one side and munching at one of the berries. It gave a satisfied purr. "Thanks," Ella said, quickly retrieving the bag.
The commotion had brought both ghosts back over. They floated in the air nearby, taking in the scene. "It's ok," Ella reassured them, putting away the paper bag. She hoped they wouldn't scare the cat, but instead, they resumed their game, their laughter sounding through the woods.
She turned her attention back to them, though she kept glancing back at the Purrloin, to make sure it didn't do anything sneaky. With a smile on her face - her first genuine one in a while - she took out her Pokedex.
"Pumpkaboo, the Pumpkin Pokemon. It is said to carry wandering spirits to the place where they belong so they can move on."
Ella wondered why some people were so afraid of ghosts. Sure, some could be dangerous, but so could other types of Pokemon. Fairy types, popular with many, were often the ones to watch out for in her hometown.
"Hey... Pumpkaboo, I see you and Brighteye are getting along pretty well," she said, taking an empty Pokeball from her pocket and holding it out. "Do you two want to travel together?"
Both their lights brightened. With a happy cry, the Pumpkaboo flew towards the Pokeball and vanished into it.
Ding. As well as indicating the capture of a new Pokemon, the Pokedex had something else to inform her. She'd gone from beginner to skilled. "Yes! A full team!" The forced cheeriness in her tone sounded unconvincing even to her. Those self-doubts started to return, clouding the excitement of having a new teammate. Despite what she'd told Leisy the other day, to her, it really did feel like a word change and nothing more.
A moment of hesitation passed, purple feline silent and still as it weighed its options. Leisy held her breath as the Pokemon made up its mind, consciously hoping that the Pokemon would taker her up on her offer. Then, slowly and cautiously, the cat Pokemon leaned forwards and deposited its first prize on the floor before picking up the other bag in its mouth. Unable to resist the grin that spread over her face, Leisy found herself childishly giddy that the purple Pokemon had dropped its walls enough around her to take offered food despite the fact that the Pokemon had only just met her. Before she could do anything else other than grin goofily, however, the cat Pokemon disappeared into the forest again.
“Oh,” she said, disappointment nipping at her heels as she stood up. Quickly shaking the feeling off, she retrieved Ella’s paper bag and returned to the girl’s side, stilling for a moment so that Bidein could reclaim his perch on her shoulder. “Congrats, on the Pumpkaboo, Ella. This is your sixth Pokemon, right? Welcome to the Skilled club,” she said, smiling brightly. The disappointment now put firmly behind her — after all, what good would it do to be caught up on something like that? — Leisy was truly happy for her friend. That the pink-haired girl’s smile seemed too wide on one side and too tight on the other did not escape Leisy, and black-haired girl honestly hoped that Ella found it in her heart to be at least a little happy that her progress was clearly marked somehow. That she was making progress rather than stagnating.
“Alright, off we go then?” she asked. The girls set off for Feyhollow again, this time at a faster pace than before. It wasn’t long before the scrawny swampland made way for lush green forests, and the quaint Feyhollow rooftops were soon able to be seen.
“Excuse me?” Shanae asked, not understanding what the boy meant.
“Well, for starters, you forgot to get the Greatball mentioned in the mission guidelines,” Marvin said, pulling out the mentioned red-striped-blue on white Pokeball and tossing it to Shanae with an easy underhand motion. “Secondly, you have no idea where to start looking.”
“‘No idea where to look?’” Shanae echoed, brows furrowing. “Sure I may not be from around here, but some basic rules apply to Pokemon tracking — including one that points me to the farthest deserted spot on the map,” Shanae said with a frown.
“That rule might be true for most places, but not here in Ironforge,” the boy said, landing on the dusty ground with both feet and leading the way around the bend of the mound confidently. “You see, this is an abandoned coal mine. ‘Abandoned’ not because it became too difficult to extract the remaining deposits of coal, though. This mine was cleaned out,” Marvin explained, nodding to the boarded-up entrance of the mine. A signpost beside the nailed pile of wooden boards told the same story the boy had, and Shanae grimaced.
Being shown up by someone never feels good, she thought. Especially when he’s a kid over five years younger than me.
Still, Shanae knew how to admit her own faults, and she did so — albeit a little begrudgingly. “Alright then, Marvin. Clearly being a local has its perks. But did your father clear your participation?” It’s not me being competitive and begrudging, she told herself, at least not entirely.
“Er, well, about that,” the boy said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Shanae dropped her frown, her heart going out to the boy. There was a time in her life when she’d been discriminated against too. Her age, her gender, her upbringing — they were all pitted against her at least once in her life, and each time Shanae had done her best to push past the frustrating judgement passed upon her. A helping, encouraging hand reached out to her once, and she felt that it was only right for her to do the same.
“Nevermind then. Just don’t get in my way during a battle,” Shanae said, flashing the boy a grin. “Alright then, Marv. Where to?”
Rank: Skilled Organization: Helping Hand Guild [Founder]
"Maybe now I'll be able to help Vivian after all..." Ella said as her footsteps crunched through grass, although she couldn't fully disguise the doubt in her voice.
Shadows were setting over the woods, and the pink-haired girl kept a look out for any fairies that liked to become active at night. She'd need a Poison type out for protection. Her first thought was Treasure, but she needed to bond with her new Stunky. Not sure how the feisty skunk would get along with the Trubbish, she released the Stunky alone. He glanced and sniffed around, taking in his surroundings before scampering alongside her.
"Hey, c'mon, stay close by," Ella said, leaning down and petting the fluffy little Pokemon. She didn't want him running too far ahead, not with possible pit traps around. "You have such lovely fur! Like a liquorice allsort." Standing back up, she smiled down at him. "So, Allsort, onwards to town?"
She hoped she and Leisy would reach Feyhollow before the sun went down, not just because of the fairies, but because it would be more difficult to watch out for Ekans pits or anyone sneaking around. Some of her Pokemon could give off light, but only so much.
To her relief, though, it wasn't long until thatched rooves and street lamps came into view.
TP: +1 +3 (74) Pokemon:
Trubbish (Treasure), female, lv8
Ekans (Smiley), male, lv6
Duskull (Brighteye), female, lv7 (+1)
Inkay (Jumbles), male, lv5
Stunky (Allsort), male, lv4 (+1)
Pumpkaboo (currently unnamed), female, lv2 (+1)
Inventory:
Potion x1
Black Sludge x1
Rank: Skilled Organisation: None
✿ Florence Hadley ✿
Location: Feyhollow Town
Florence shook her head, her stomach tightening. She heard tiny little footsteps, and a worried "Chiko-ri?", but she kept her attention on the notice, re-reading it.
Mission: Missing Cutieflies
We urgently need trainers to help us find three lost Pokemon. Our home was broken into, our Pokemon nearly stolen. They thankfully managed to drive away the would-be thieves, but three of our Cutieflies panicked and fled. Please, search for them and bring them back to safety.
You'll be able to use your Pokedex to tell wild Pokemon from trained ones.
- Honeycomb Health Foods
Max number of people: 3
Requirements: None
Rewards: 15TP + choice between Cutiefly egg, Combee egg or Weedle egg
Biting her lip, she thought over what to do. She couldn't just ignore lost, distressed Pokemon. But what if they thought she was one of the thieves? What if she panicked them further?
Maybe they'd relax around Vernie. She was good at calming other Pokemon, after all. If they didn't, though... They were Cutieflies. Bug types, with an advantage over Grass.
She reminded herself what Cutieflies were known for - their ability to see auras. Was it just a matter of seeing life force, or could they tell whether or not someone was trustworthy? And the couple who ran Honeycomb Health Foods would be more likely to trust her than a total stranger, even if they only knew her vaguely.
"Come on, Vernie," she said, making her decision. "There are some missing Pokemon we should go find."
TP: +1 +3 +10 (accepted mission) (24) Pokemon:
Chikorita (Vernie), female, lv2 (+1)
Inventory: Rank: Beginner Organisation: Aether Foundation
So Lunala was sort of the patron Pokémon of Stillwater. Charlotte always found interesting the types of Pokémon that were intelligent enough to exert guardian-like behavior… examples of which include the elusive legendary beasts of Johto, of which she had only heard of.
“Why don’t you get a little sleep?” Charlotte agreed, pulling out a laptop with an Aether Foundation vinyl sticker on the cover. She inserted the power cord into the port on the laptop and handed the pronged plug to Charjabug, who bit onto it and started humming with electricity, charging Charlotte’s computer. There was no Internet connection, but Charlotte just needed to compile the notes she made that day. “I’ve got a bit of work to do.”
She placed her computer on a wooden table and started to compile her notes.
”Pokémon appear to be agitated, but this is a result of interference from local ‘mythical’ Pokémon; confirmed reports of Darkrai’s presence may contribute to restlessness of Pokémon.
“From an ecological standpoint, the absence of modernization in Stillwater allows Pokémon to reach their most powerful evolved forms naturally and more quickly. There is an abundance of evolved Pokémon such as Sharpedo or Scolipede that exist in the wild. I predict food-chain hierarchies unlike those seen in more modernized areas; will perform more obsersazwzxdrcfghbjjknlm,.l;,“
Wimpod skittered onto Charlotte’s laptop and sat.
“Wimpod, what did I say about crawling on my laptop while I was using it?” Charlotte chided, gently picking the isopod Pokémon up off the keyboard and setting it on the table.
Wimpod chittered and hopped into Charlotte’s lap, before settling. Wimpod was quite light and frail, and didn’t put that much weight on Charlotte. Charlotte patted Wimpod’s head.
“I’ll give you some food when I’m finished working, ‘kay? I know sometimes I forget,” Charlotte said. “Thanks for reminding me.”
Charlotte corrected the error caused by Wimpod’s frantic legs skittering all over her keyboard.
”…will perform more observations tomorrow. Stillwater is home to many aquatic Pokémon, due to the town’s situation on the bayou. There are, however, Ghost-type, Dark-type, and Psychic-type Pokémon that travel throughout the city; notably, Inkay and Malamar, who are aquatic creatures but are classified as Psychic and Dark type Pokémon…”
“It could be like one of those things that just has eyes,” Juana suggested. “Like, Golett, maybe?”
She jotted down the pattern on the statue’s body: three multicolored eye-like lights on either side of the bronze strip, and the black divots up and down said strip.
She glanced towards Tora. Back in Feyhollow, she seemed quite skittish, as if it were outright dangerous for her to be in one place for too long.
“Well, this sure was an interesting trip. Cill’? Tora? Wanna hit the strip, pick up anything we need, and figure out where to go next?” she suggested.
Noticing that Cici had stopped, Tommy looked around her to see what the cause of the hold up was and smiled. This was one of the Pokemon he'd come looking for here in Tefan, and how it was right there in front of him. Pulling Jerus' pokeball off his belt, he stepped around his friend. "Don't worry, I got this one. How about you and Dulcet continue further up a little ways?" Tossing the ball up into the air, he catches it and throws it out, summoning the Psychic-Fairy type from his rest. He looked right at the Gible and then back at his trainer and nods, ready to go. "Alright Jerus, use Disarming Voice!"
Jerus makes a sound that blasts the Gible with Fairy-type damage, which clearly both caught the Dragon-Ground type off guard and had double the effect. Grinning, Tommy pushes the attack by having his Pokemon attack with Magical Leaf. The Gible, having mostly recovered, dodged the attack and countered with a Tackle, which knocked Jerus back. While it did do some damage, Jerus was on top of it again and attacked with another Magical Leaf that stunned the Gible with it's suddenness. Seeing an opening, Tommy pulled one of the empty Pokeballs from his belt and threw it, the sphere bopping the Gible on the head, who was sucked in in a white flash.
The ball fell to the ground and wiggled, leaving Jerus to prepare while Tommy was apprehensive. Dragon types were known to be stubborn and difficult to catch, but he really hoped that this one was a little more cooperative. After it's third or fourth wiggle though, the ball stopped and the button flashed red, indicating the capture and Tommy grinned as he retrieved the ball, shrinking it and adding it to his team. "Welcome to the team, Sharktooth." He then turned to catch up to Cici had she gone ahead like he suggested.
Jason chuckled at the Wimpod getting in the way of Charlotte's work. "Iliana can be like that," he said. "Chooses my research time to want to play." He stifled a yawn. "Well, I'd better call it a day and hope this nightmare thing really is over."
After saying goodnight, he headed to the room. A small and simple one, but this gave it a cosy feel. In some ways, it reminded him of the cabins in Atana. It had been a while since his stay there... In fact, he'd been so busy setting up and running his organisation, it had been a while since he'd travelled out of Central City.
Once he'd changed and settled in, he gave his Pokemon a quick dinner of berries before flopping onto the bed. He frowned, turning over in hope of finding a more comfortable position. Was this mattress filled with straw? It didn't matter. His sleeping patterns had been such a mess lately - as usual - that as long as he actually got some rest in, he didn't care too much.
He'd look into what was going on with the local legends in the morning.
TP: +1 +1 +3 (42) Pokemon:
Vulpix (Iliana), female, lv12 (+1)
Snorunt (Eira), female, lv12 (+1)
Doublade (Agne), male, lv11
Golett (Amyntas), lv12 (+1)
Espurr (Tibert), male, lv11
Fraxure (Fraener), male, lv11
Inventory:
Pokeball x1
Rank: Skilled Organisation: Legendwatch (founder and leader)
"Well, you did say you wanted a Dragon type..." Cici commented, giving a slight nervous laugh. Once it became obvious that the situation was under control as Tommy sent out his Ralts - a Fairy type - Cici left the battle to him, glancing over her shoulder a few times just to make sure he was ok as she continued up the trail.
It wasn't long until she found herself facing an opponent of her own. With a scrabbling noise, something emerged from a cave. A grey lizard with a large yellow scale on its forehead, its red eyes narrowing, fixed on her Pokemon. "Jang! Jangmo-o!" it cried, jumping around, a metallic sound ringing through the mountains as it struck the scales on its back with its tail.
"Ehh..." Still not completely over her jumpiness, Cici looked at the Pokemon, an awkward smile on her face. "You're challenging me, right?" Dragon types, or at least most of them, were known for being proud fighters. The Jangmo-o took a step forward, staring down Dulcet.
"Ok, Dulcet! Use Dragon Pulse!" With a screech, the Swablu opened her beak and sent a turquoise energy burst at the Dragon type. The lizard darted aside, retaliating by slamming its tough head scale into Dulcet. Recovering from the Headbutt attack, Dulcet flew up above the Jangmo-o with a sweep of her fluffy wings. "Dragon Pulse, again!" This time, the blast hit its target, earning a growl of frustration as the Jangmo-o staggered and slumped.
Throwing her last Pokeball, Cici watched it rock. If the Jangmo-o turned out too prideful to be caught, she'd have lost her chance to get a new Pokemon. The Pokeball continued to shake on the rocky ground - then stopped. Dulcet gave a triumphant chirp, and Forte let out a cry of excitement at having a new teammate.
"I'll call you Kymbalon," Cici said, picking up the Pokeball and turning back towards Tommy. He also held a closed capsule, and the Gible was nowhere in sight. "So we've both got our dragons now, huh?" she called.
TP: +1 +1 +3 (79) Pokemon:
Loudred (Forte), male, lv10
Swablu (Dulcet), female, lv9 (+1)
Igglybuff (Ligeia), female, lv8 (+1)
Kricketot (Cadence), female, lv6
Chingling (Allegro), male, lv3
Hoothoot (Tactus), male, lv3
Jangmo-o (Kymbalon), female, lv2 (+1)
Inventory:
Potion x1
Rank: Skilled Organisation: Helping Hand Guild
✿ Florence Hadley ✿
Location: Feyhollow Town
As soon as she reached the store, Florence stopped and stared.
The door hung off its hinges, showing the utter mess inside. Boxes lay upturned on the floor, Pollen Puffs and other supplements scattered everywhere. Taking small, slow steps forward, she rang the doorbell and waited.
She heard the stairs leading to the home upstairs creak. The ashen-faced old woman greeted her at the doorway, her husband following.
"I, uh..." Florence's gaze flicked from the woman, to the man, to the ground. What on earth was she supposed to say? By silently standing here, did she seem like she didn't care? No, if she didn't care, she wouldn't be here, but she should be saying something comforting. "I saw the notice, just now..." She trailed off.
It was Vernie who did the comforting. Trotting over to the couple, she released her soothing fragrance.
The old woman's anxious expression lightened a little as she looked from Vernie to Florence. "You're the girl who works in the Pokemon centre, aren't you?" Florence nodded at her question. "Can you... can you help?"
Nodding again, Florence hunched her shoulders. "I'll do my best to find them."
"Oh, thank you," her husband said, the relief clear in his voice. "This means a great deal to us. I've looked, but can't find them. Cutieflies are usually good at finding their way back to people... they can see the energy of living things... but there's been no sign of them yet. They must be lost, or trapped somewhere. We just hope..." He and his wife gave each other a worried look. "We just hope those good-for-nothings haven't found them."
Florence's sense of urgency grew. If the thieves were still around, she'd have to find the Cutieflies before they did. "I'll search all over to them. Maybe they'll be drawn to Vernie here... they like positive emotions, don't they? And she's good with distressed Pokemon."
A hint of a smile brightened the grey-haired woman's face. "Thanks. Just be careful."
As she left, Florence considered the warning. She cast her gaze towards the sky, which had turned a dull shade of orange, and was rapidly darkening. It would be night soon, and there were possibly still thieves in town. Should she be doing this, with just one Pokemon? But if she didn't, who knew what would happen to the Cutieflies?
The couple had wanted up to three people to take part in the search, though. There was a good chance she wouldn't be doing this alone.
TP: +1 (25) Pokemon:
Chikorita (Vernie), female, lv2
Inventory: Rank: Beginner Organisation: Aether Foundation
Tora followed the others humming a little as she killed over what Cillian said. "Maybe. Could pick up a couple of books maybe about the subject. Could be a intriguing read." she said, pulling out her Pokedex as it buzzed, looking over as Ria, Orion, and Cairn gained a bit more experience. As they examined the statue, she nodded in agreement with Juana.
"Some Pokemon do have faces without mouths. Another example is Solrock." Tora hummed, taking out her sketchbook and starting to sketch the statue, slender fingers elegantly guiding the pencil lightly against the paper.
She was so focused on what she was doing she almost didn't recongize the feeling of being watched. Glancing her blue eyes up, her body slightly shivered, swannapimples sprinkling her skin as she quickly glanced behind her. The murkrow haired girl didn't see anything.. But she was thankful for Juana's suggestion.
"Um, yes that sounds fine to me. Is there anything you need Lady Juana?" she asked.
Sunset was upon the girls when the set foot in Feyhollow proper, but Leisy was still wide awake — most likely an aftereffect of the late-morning nap earlier that day. The same could not be said for the Fletchinder on her shoulder, however, who was constantly adjusting his stance on his trainer’s shoulder in an effort to fend off sleep.He must have stayed up while I slept, keeping a lookout, Leisy realized, smiling at the bird and reaching a hand up to pet it. Silly Bidein — loyal to a fault.
“Bidein, I’m going to swap you out for Naunet,” Leisy told him, using two fingers to smooth out the out-of-place feathers on the fire-type’s chest. “She could use some exercise, and you could use some sleep.” Bopping him on the beak to silence and chirping protests, Leisy flashed him a grin. “You need to rest well, though. I might need your help later, and I don’t want you to be too worn out.”
With that the Fletchinder relented, allowing himself to be returned. Leisy’s Piplup was at her side a moment later, looking around her surroundings curiously before meeting her trainer’s eyes and giving the girl a happy chirrup of greeting.
“Hello to you too, Naunet,” Leisy said, smiling as she watched the Piplup waddle over to Ella. “You’ll have to excuse her rudeness. Naunet doesn’t really pick up on any social cues — other than the ones she wants to, of course,” she told the other trainer. “She’s a Piplup — my second Pokemon. I caught her back in Central a little under a week ago.”
The Piplup, bright eyes practically boring into the other trainer’s Stunky, was cautiously holding her place in front of her trainer as she looked at the poison-type for any indication of anger. She’d been spurned by the rock-type of the team — the grouchy, dratted Larvitar — a few too many times for comfort, and she didn’t want a repeat experience with this sharp-eyed Pokemon.
“I don’t think I need anything right now,” Cillian said, frowning as he ticked mental boxes off in his head. Counting the mission rewarded Heal Ball, he was currently in possession of five Pokeballs, so he figured that he had enough to last him. For now.
“Where should we go next though?” he asked, pulling out his Pokedex to check out the nearby locations. “We’ve all been to Feyhollow and now Zephyr. I started in Central City, but wasn’t half as interesting as Zephyr. Central’s a city proper,” he said, shrugging. “I don't have a huge urge to head there like I do some other places.”
And other locations there were — the mysterious Stillwater, the treacherous Atana Mountain Range, and the lore-ridden Tefan villages just to start. There were so many places to go now that Cillian opened his eyes to them, and he didn't know where to start if not all of them.
“Er, do you two have any preferences?” he asked Tora and Juana, hoping they had a better reason than him.
As it turned out, Marvin was a better guide than Shanae had hoped for, doubling both as a mission guide and as a tour guide. Pointing out major landmarks while riding his Onix, Marvin proved himself a local history buff by rattling off random pieces of trivia attached to structures and locations easily overlooked.
“That over there is the oldest tree in west Ironforge,” he said, indicating an innocuous but ancient-looking wrangle of a tree. “It was planted by the founder’s family — his youngest son, who went on to become the first silversmith in town.”
This was one of many facts Shanae sat through on her ride towards the likely location according to Marvin. Although some of the boy’s tidbits made her zone out and opt for staring at his Onix rather than him, some of his tangents were fairly interesting. For one, Shanae learned that the abandoned mine she’d been wandering around was home to a colony of Marcago. According to Marvin, they hibernated through most of the year, emerging during the hottest months to bear young before disappearing down the tunnels again.
“So they moved into the coal mine?” Shanae had asked, frowning as she pictured the dark-shelled Pokemon trying to squeeze down tight mine shafts. Marvin laughed, shaking his head.
“No, they were there first. The cavern was there home, but the allure of the coal deposits was too much for people not to go digging,” he explained, smiling wryly. “You’d think people would be smart enough not to go into a nest of fire Pokemon, let alone go into a mest that was made of combustible fuel.”
Rank: Skilled Organization: Helping Hand Guild [Founder]
"Rudeness? How so?" she asked Leisy. "She seems pretty friendly." As Naunet gave Allsort a cautious stare, keeping her distance, Ella began to understand what Leisy might mean... She didn't blame the Piplup for being nervous around Pokemon she didn't know, though. Tension stiffened her body as she kept her eyes on the two Pokemon, recalling how quick to get into a fight Brighteye had been back in the Pokecentre room. She kept her grip on the Pokeball, in case Allsort did the same.
Edging forward, Allsort sniffed at the Piplup, letting out a chattering noise. As he visibly relaxed, so did Ella. Maybe she'd been a little too worried about letting her Pokemon get along with others, just because of that one incident.
She tensed again as something rustled in the bushes. "Careful!" she said to the Pokemon, who spun in the direction of the noise. She took a step back. "Something's in there!"
TP: +1 (75) Pokemon:
Trubbish (Treasure), female, lv8
Ekans (Smiley), male, lv6
Duskull (Brighteye), female, lv7
Inkay (Jumbles), male, lv5
Stunky (Allsort), male, lv4
Pumpkaboo (currently unnamed), female, lv2
Inventory:
Potion x1
Black Sludge x1
Rank: Skilled Organisation: None
✿ Florence Hadley ✿
Location: Feyhollow Town
The first place Florence headed to was the mart, to pick up a trainer's basic supplies.
Wow... That's a lot of trainer points already, she thought as she checked her Pokedex. As she purchased a Pokeball and a Potion, she asked the woman at the till if she'd seen any lost-looking Cutieflies around. It turned out she hadn't, but another trainer, browsing the stock, piped up.
"Well, I saw one darting through the park earlier," he replied. "It looked pretty frantic, but I only caught a glimpse of it before it hid."
The park. A place Florence knew well. "Oh! Where did it hide?" she asked, eyes widening.
"It disappeared behind a bench," the boy replied. "Next to the lavender plants."
Florence gave a grateful smile. "Thanks, I'll go look there right away." As she left the mart, relief settled over her at the thought that the first Cutiefly might be easy to find... Then again, for all she knew, this Cutiefly could just be one of the wild Pokemon Vernie had startled earlier.
Seeing the the white-striped Pokemon relax, Naunet did the same, finally stepping forward since it appeared that there was no immediate threat. Leisy was too absorbed in watching her Pokemon to perk up at the light rustling, but Ella warned her with a cry.
“Thanks,” she said quickly to Ella, pivoting to face the trembling shrubbery. “Naunet,” she said, meeting her Pokemon’s eyes. The Piplup gave her trainer a nod, taking two steps towards the bush and bracing herself for the unseen enemy.
The bushes gave a final shudder of defeat before a familiar sleek, purple shape emerged, a smug grin curled on its lips. The Purrloin! Leisy realized, having pinned the Pokemon down in her Pokedex after their initial meeting. Giddiness bloomed in her heart when she realized what the Pokemon’s reappearance might mean.
The key word’s ‘might,’ Leisy, she told herself sternly as she bent down to greet the Pokemon. Don’t get your hopes up too much.
“Hello there. How can I help you?” she asked the Pokemon. The dark-type gave her a “meow” of hello, licking its lips to make its goal crystal-clear. “Ah,” Leisy said, heart sinking a little. Well, that was what she got for feeding wild Pokemon. “Sure — I have some extra berries, yes.”
As his trainer reached for said berries, Bidein shot the wild Pokemon a dirty look. The feline responded with a satisfied smirk, planting itself firmly in front of the trainer as its food was delivered.
“There we are,” Leisy said, opening a carton of berries and setting it in front of the wild Pokemon. “This is the last tray though — you’re still a wild Pokemon, so you have to keep your skills sharp. You can’t always count on trainers being kind enough to give you food, so consider this your last freebie.”
The Purrloin chewed slowly as the trainer spoke, yellow eyes focused on its food. Inside its brain, however, cogs were turning and churning out a clever ruse, which it carried out by looking up at the trainer with a pair of bright, shiny eyes that screamed, “Love me!” Leisy, of course, was not immune to cute animals pleading to be pet, so down she went.
“Aw, you poor baby!” she said, squatting and reaching a hand out for the feline to sniff. The Purrloin, hoping to speed the entire process along, headbutted straight into the trainer’s hand to start the petting frenzy — which Leisy gladly played her part in. “Wow, your coat is so silky! Who would have thought a wild Pokemon could be so soft?” she complimented, half to herself. The dark-type sent its deemed rival, the flying-fire dual, a victorious grin — which the Fletchinder responded to with a death glare.
Looking to Ella to see if the girl wanted in on the pseudo-petting zoo, Leisy realized that she was wasting time, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. “Ack, we have to be on our way,” she told the Purrloin with a sad smile. “Go on home — being wild seems to suit you just fine.”
The dark-type shook its head vehemently, confusing the black-haired girl.
“What—” Understanding clicked in her head, and Leisy beamed. “Oh. Really?” she asked, eyes wide. The Purrloin nodded, and Leisy grinned.
Needless to say, Leisy was in a pretty good mood when she and Ella entered Feyhollow’s main square.
Juana shrugged. "Tefan Village sounds very interesting, actually," she said. "I'll bet there are tons of cool dragon Pokémon to find!"
She checked her Pokédex for train schedules. "Next train doesn't leave for an hour and a half, though; I think I'll check out some of the other shops, if that's alright."
The statue of Regigigas was quite intriguing, yes. Eventually time came to leave, and Juana and Steenee split off to look at a souvenir shop. Lined up in rows were cans, books, dolls... Even those Stufful toys that move, that young women love so much.
Juana carried Togepi in her arms, as Steenee excitedly walked alongside her. Steenee stopped as one of its sepals twitched. The grass Pokémon turned around and saw one of the Stufful "toys" crawl slowly off the display and flop to the ground.
"Mrowr?" the teddy bear-like creature purred. Stufful stood up and started crawling towards the fridges in the back of the shop, hungrily eyeing the pint-sized ice cream containers stored there.
Juana, in the meantime, spotted a slightly larger sketchbook than the pocket-sized notepad she carried around. Thankfully, because she carried around a backpack now, she could indeed stand to carry a larger pad.
Picking up a basket and tossing the book in, Juana's thoughts about what kinds of travel snack to pack were interrupted by a loud clatter from the back of the store.
As it turned out, the Stufful had accidentally tipped over the shelves containing the ice cream, and spilled the frozen treat all over itself. The Stufful licked its lips and paws, unmindful of the damage it had caused--holy MILTANK did it break the shelves?!
A mustached janitor with a Diggersby saw the commotion, sighed, and started wheeling his bucket over to the mess. The Diggersby grunted and followed.
"Okay, little buddy, let's get you out of there," the janitor grumbled, grabbing his mop and sweeping the spilled, melting ice cream. Stufful, however, did not budge.
Diggersby sighed and reached down with its arm-ears to pick up the Stufful.
Diggersby could not anticipate what came next.
The Stufful, with a Brutal Swing, knocked itself out of Diggersby's grasp, comically sending the rabbit sprawling across the floor. Diggersby groaned, its eyes swirling. Stufful scrambled away, shoving Steenee aside and blowing it into the snack foods. An apple fell on Steenee's head.
"Oh gosh, Steenee, are you okay?" Juana asked, running into the aisle. Steenee stood up and rubbed its head. It stood up indignantly and pointed after the panicking Stufful, who was knocking displays down left and right.
"C'mon," Juana said to Steenee. Steenee nodded. Juana, Steenee, and Togepi went out to the entrance of the store, where the messy Stufful had run off to.
The Stufful turned around and rammed into Steenee, sending it crashing into a magazine display. Steenee rubbed its head and huffed indignantly.
"Double Slap!" Juana called.
Steenee rushed forth and slapped Stufful repeatedly with its sepals.
"We have to take this outside," Juana muttered. "Togepi, use Yawn!"
Togepi just yawned. A little puff of smoke came out of its mouth and dissipated on Stufful. Stufful blinked.
"MROWR--ZZZZZZZZ"
Stufful fell flat on its face, snoozing away.
Juana pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it at Stufful, encapsulating the pink teddy bear. The ball shook thrice, and with a satisfying click, Stufful was caught.
The sun had gone down, but the soft glow of the park lights provided plenty of light to see by, as did the swarm of Volbeats flitting through the sky, guided by an Illumise.
Vernie scampered ahead of Florence, looking this way and that. "Uhh, please try to slow down," Florence urged. "If the Cutiefly's still around here, we'll have to be careful not to startle it." She kept a look out herself, watching for any sign of movement in the shrubs.
Crouching down next to the lavender plants, she peered into them. "Hmmm... it doesn't seem to be around here..." She was just about to stand up when there was a buzzing noise. Inching forward, she craned her neck. There, between the plants and the wooden fence, was a tiny yellow fly. It instantly shrank back at the sight of her.
"Come on, little one. It's ok," Florence whispered. Vernie approached, gently saying something to the panicked Cutiefly. As it turned its attention to the Chikorita, Florence took out her Pokedex, taking care not to make any sudden movements. Sure enough, this was one of the Cutieflies she was looking for. "It's safe to go back now," she tried to reassure it.
The Cutiefly stayed where she was, studying the energy of the girl and her Pokemon. There was something guarded about this human, her aura tightly closed around her, difficult to read. The Chikorita, though... Her aura resembled bright yellow sunflowers in full bloom. Nothing to hide. Slowly, cautiously, the fly drew closer. As she did so, the glow surrounding the human brightened, taking on flecks of pink. Concern. Watching the flecks grow into unfurling petals, the Cutiefly fluttered out of the flowerbed.
"Let's get you home." A smile softened Florence's features as Vernie let the little bug perch on her leaf. Both trainer and Pokemon turned to head back - and seemingly out of nowhere, something flew at them.
The Cutiefly took to the air, speeding into the distance. A mass of Zubats followed, ears trained on its buzzing as they closed in.
Vernie reacted first. "Chiko! Chikori-ta!" she called, whirling her leaf around, wafting her scent towards the Zubats. The moment they spun in midair to face her, the Cutiefly buzzed away, out of Florence's sight and the Zubats' earshot.
Shrieking their frustration, the colony rushed at Vernie.
It was Florence's turn to act fast. "Vernie, come back!" she shouted, grasping the Pokeball and recalling the Chikorita just in time. Biting down on thin air, one of the Zubats let out another screech. They sped at a different target - Florence.
There was only one thing to do. Run. Get to a building and take shelter until the Zubats had gone. Her feet pounded against the path, but the fluttering of wings became louder as the wild Pokemon drew closer and closer.
While Allsort kept his piercing glare on the Purrloin, Ella relaxed and stepped forward.
"Hello again," she said, watching Leisy feed it another berry. She couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, you've fed a cat," she said to Leisy. "You know what this means." Crouching down as the other trainer started petting the Purrloin, she let it rub its head against her hand. "Aww!" A grin spread across her face as she tickled the cat under its chin, earning a loud purr.
"Stun! Stunky!" Allsort cried, his glare flicking between the Purrloin and Ella. He scurried over to the pink-haired girl, giving the cat a look of pure jealousy before rubbing around Ella's ankles.
Leaving the befriending of the Purrloin to Leisy, Ella petted Allsort on the head, running her hand down his fluffy back. "Sorry I couldn't spend time with you up until now," she said. It was still jarring to think she'd been asleep for a day and a half.
Asleep, when she should have been training to become better able to save the missing Pokemon.
It was only a matter of minutes before they left the forest, the Purrloin still trotting along after Leisy. "Looks like you've got a new Pokemon already," Ella commented. Her earlier suspicion had been right.
She spun round at the sound of frantic footsteps, the high-pitched screeching of Pokemon making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. A young woman ran from the park, a horde of Zubats chasing after her.
"Jumbles!" Ella's first instinct was to send out the Psychic type. "Quick! Use Psybeam!" The area lit up as the Inkay fired a multicoloured beam at one of the Zubats, knocking it from the sky. Several of the others turned, ears swivelled towards her and Leisy, darting forward with their sharp fangs bared.
The Zubat flock came out of the dark like a horde of nightmares, forcing Leisy into terrified retreat in memory of her encounter with Darkrai earlier that day. This living smog of the night, however, was too high-pitched — too full of wild squeals and paper-thin wing beats to be Darkrai coming after her again. Zubats! Leisy thought, recognizing the sharp points and high-pitched shrieks of the common poison-type.
“Naunet!” Leisy called, looking to the water-type. The Piplup was already on her feet, eyes sharp as she waited for her orders. Beside her was the Purrloin, hackles raised and ready for action as well. “Naunet, Let’s try a few Bubble Beams! Purrloin, use Fury Swipes on any Zubats that come too close!”
The blue-and-white penguin launched into action, leaping forwards and opening her mouth to let loose a fierce torrent of bubbles, small and big. Sharp popping noises could be heard as the Zubats — frenzied and confused by the sudden introduction of so many objects in the air — made contact with the bubbles. Beside her, the Purrloin was swatting down bats that came too close for comfort, a snarl on her lips as she did so.
Still, the swarm of Zubats was not so easily deterred, immediately regrouping for another attempt. Seeing their imminent arrival, Leisy knew she needed to change her strategy a bit.
“C’mon back, Purrloin,” she said, returning the inexperienced dark-type. Despite how much the Pokemon might look the part of a street-wise Pokemon, Leisy knew that being a thief also meant that the latter part of “fight or flight” was preferable to the former. “Devinco, let’s go with a Sandstorm!” she called as her ground-type popped up by her side, eyes swivelling to catch on the Zubat swarm.
A sandstorm was stirred up, and Leisy lost sight of her Pokemon. Ella. I have to find Ella, she thought, knowing full well that Devinco and Naunet could take care of themselves. As a ground-type and the Pokemon who’d summoned the sandstorm, Devinco would find his new conditions more favorable than not. Naunet, on the other hand, had been through more sandstorms than the wild Zubats — no thanks to her rouchy teammate. Thus, Leisy knew she could count on them to count on each other.
An arm shielding her eyes from the storm and the other stretched out in front of her as to prevent her from crashing into anything, Leisy navigated through the Sandstorm until her hand touched something soft: fabric.
“Ella?” she asked, sand whipping past her cheeks. A bob of brown hair turned to look at her — the girl who was being chased by the Zubats. “Oh, are you alright?” Leisy asked, checking the girl over. “Sorry about all of this — the sandstorm, I mean. I figured this would be the fastest way to chase the Zubats off, considering that they’re fliers and everything.”
Cillian nodded at Juana’s words. “Good idea. Let’s meet up at the station in an hour and fifteen then?” he asked. Checking his map, his eyes caught on one of the many windmills dotted around the train-turned-station.
Worth a look, he thought, putting his Pokedex away in his bag and setting out. Seeing as the walk would take a good ten minutes or so, Cillian slid his fingers over the Pokeballs on his belt and picked one out.
“Hey there, Decus,” Cillian said in greeting. The Scyther looked around, ignoring his trainer completely, before relaxing slightly and settling for blandly staring at his trainer. “Hey, don’t be like that! Didn’t we bond some earlier?” Cillian asked, reaching a hand into his bag. “Well either way, remember these?”
Fishing successful, Cillian produced a blue-foiled candy from his bag, brandishing it to the bug-type. Decus instantly perked up, but he smothered his excitement in the next second, hoping his trainer was too dull to notice his childish reaction to the sweet. The grin on his trainer’s face, however, said anything but.
“Cooperate, and you’ll get your sweets,” Cillian teased. “Well it’s not like we’re off to do anything bad anyway — just some exploring.”
Giving the offer a moment’s consideration — it didn’t exactly seem bad — the Scyther nodded, flicking his blades to indicate to his trainer that they should be on their way. The grin on Cillian’s face persisted all the way until they’d arrived at the base of the windmill, both trainer and Pokemon looking up at the whirring structure silently.
“Very tall, very sturdy,” Cillian observed, figuring that a location as reliant on technology as Zephyr Strip would naturally utilize it for all their structures. “Pretty cool.”
The Scyther was silent at his side, apparently in agreement with his trainer.
Sand spiralled up from the ground, buffeting Ella and her Pokemon. Shielding her eyes, she called out to wherever her Stunky was.
"Allsort, use Fury Swipes!" She reached for another Pokeball. "Brighteye! Hit them with Shadow Sneak!" Brighteye sped to Jumbles' side, swiping with shadowy arms at the Zubats, while Allsort leapt up and lashed with his claws. Through her watering eyes, the trainer could only just make out the vague shapes of Leisy's Pokemon, also putting up a fight. It was difficult to tell, but she was almost sure they looked different. Bigger.
"Leisy!" Ella stumbled forward, reaching out, as she heard the other trainer call for her. "Leisy, where are you?" Spitting out sand, she realised with a panicked jolt that shouting may be a bad idea. Zubats had very sensitive hearing. They'd know where she was. She could only hope the sandstorm would throw off their sonar and flight patterns.
An agonised scream, followed by a muffled thud, turned her blood cold. She whirled around. "Jumbles!" Peering out from behind her arm, she half-ran, half-staggered towards the twitching shape on the ground, and dropped to her knees. "Somebody help!"
She hunched over the injured Pokemon as a shadow loomed above. "Skull!" came a familiar voice. With a surge of relief, Ella looked up to see not the Zubats, but Brighteye floating over her, stretching out her cloak to protect her and Jumbles from the sand.
The Inkay's light was fading, but Brighteye's shone down, revealing the extent of the damage. Ella gasped at the sight of the puncture wounds. If that had been the attack she thought it was, that could be nothing other than devastating to a dual Psychic and Dark type.
Someone tugged at the sleeve of Florence's dress - someone who called her Ella. She turned, seeing a dark-haired girl through the raging sandstorm. "Eheh... I'm fine," she softly reassured the stranger. "But the Pokemon I was looking for... she got lost again, I hope she's not hurt..." She clasped her hands, hoping the Zubats hadn't injured the Cutiefly in any way - and that the little bug hadn't encountered any other predators.
"You don't have to be sorry..." She squinted up at the struggling shapes. It looked like the Zubats were having a tough time flying through the sand. "Thanks."
At the sound of cries from a Pokemon and a human, Florence turned and rushed through the sand. She froze as a mass of darkness billowed in front of her.
"It's alright," came a shaking voice from under the shadows. "She's my Duskull, she'll keep us safe. Please! Can you help? One of my Pokemon, he's hurt!"
Crouching under the cloak next to a pink-haired girl, Florence grabbed her medical kit from her bag and quickly cleaned the sand from the Inkay's wound before using her potion. The punctures began to close, but the Inkay still barely moved. All he could do was let out faint whimpers.
"Is he going to be alright?" the girl asked, eyes wide.
"He's stable now," Florence reassured her, applying a salve made from berries to the wound and placing a bandage over the top part of the Inkay's mantle. "This will ease pain and aid healing. The wound isn't deep, Inkays have very tough mantles, but to have had that effect on him, that attack must have been Leech Life. A Bug-type move." She dug out some berries from her bag and fed them to him. "He'll need these, they'll replenish his lost fluids. And get him to a Pokemon centre as soon as you can."
Between the sandstorm and the horde of bats, there was no way to easily get to the building right now, but the Inkay had already perked up. He weakly floated a few inches above the ground, his lights brightening.
Overhead, the battle still unfolded. Florence couldn't see it through the sand and shadows, but she could hear the shrieks of Zubats. It had to mean the other trainers' Pokemon were winning, she thought, her entire body tensing. It had to.
Before Leisy could figure out a reply, a round of cries could be heard from inside the sandstorm. “Ella!” Leisy called, recognizing the voice. She took off in the direction of the sound, a hand stretched blindly in front of her in an attempt to find her friend. Behind her, she could hear the brunette girl running as well.
A black mass distracted the girl from her course, prompting her to leap back in fright. The darkness revealed itself to be a familiar red-eyed shape — Ella’s Duskull. A voice from somewhere near the brown-haired girl confirmed this, and Leisy forged her way through the sandstorm towards her friend’s voice. “Ella!” she called, finally spotting her friend. The pink-haired girl explained her plight, to which the brown-haired girl Leisy had met earlier — in a cool, confident manner — answered, kneeling down beside Ella’s injured Pokemon and pulling out a medkit.
“Wow, are you a nurse or a doctor-in-training?” she asked, fascinated by the girl’s practiced actions. A round of shrieks from the sandstorm interrupted her staring, tearing her away from the other two girls and into the sandstorm, her eyes seeking out her Pokemon under the protection of her sleeve.
“Devinco! Naunet!” she yelled, searching for her Pokemon in the swirling sands. Around her, Zubats seemed to be lost, their means of sight — echolocation — disrupted by the particles whirling around them as they shrieked in alarm. The Zubat’s cries seemed to be dwindling as, one by one, they took flight for the skies, retreating in light of the sandy onslaught.
When the last Zubat flapped out of the sands, struggling to right itself in midair, the sandstorm churned anew and disappeared all at once. The sand now gone, Leisy snapped her head around to look at the remaining two Pokemon on the field. At first glance, she was confused — where were her small, cute Pokemon that she could pick up and carry? As she stared, however, the two Pokemon’s features — the bipedal Pokemon’s flowing blue coat and the chrysalis-like Pokemon’s fierce eyes — registered with their names.
“Naunet? Devinco?” she asked, running forwards. As confused as she was, Leisy’s relief exceeded her initial surprise, propelling her into the hug. “I’m so glad you’re both okay,” she said, tearing up. Though she’d felt confident — sure, even — that her Pokemon would come out of the sandstorm fine, Leisy had seen Ella’s Inkay and felt the tight terror of a trainer unable to help. Seeing her Pokemon live up to her initial expectations made Leisy both proud and fearful. Her Pokemon were getting so strong, and she wasn’t sure if she was playing leader or catch-up at this point.
A nudge from the decently-sized penguin — now quite a bit bulkier than before — prompted Leisy out of her woes and into a smile. “Hey Naunet, looking good,” she teased, poking the bird Pokemon’s soft belly. Turning to her newly-evolved cocoon, Leisy slid finger along his exoskeleton. “You feel like a rock, Devi,” she giggled, rising to get a full view of both her Pokemon. “Evolution — it really is amazing, huh.”
The change aside, it was clear that Naunet had taken damage from the sandstorm; some loose sand was stuck to her, every action stirring more out of her feathers. Devi, on the other hand, seemed comfortable with the sand, but a bite-mark on the side of his shell indicated that he too had taken part in the scuffles.
“You both did wonderfully, so feel free to take a rest now, alright?” she said, returning the two Pokemon and putting their Pokeballs into her bag so that five became seven again. After a moment’s thought, Leisy pulled her Fletchinder’s Pokeball and released the fire-type. “Hey there, Bidein. Guess what? You’re not the only evolved Pokemon anymore,” Leisy said with a grin, walking back over to where Ella and the brown-haired girl were. “Is your Inkay alright? We’ve arrived at Feyhollow, so the Pokemon Center should be a quick trek.”
The windmill itself appeared sleek and stylish, smooth metal glinting starlight off its surface. It looks simple, but that can’t be true, Cillian thought, placing a hand on the cold surface. Inside, he could feel the thrumming of gears and wires hard at work. There’s no wind down here, but maybe higher up…
A sharp pop followed by a few growls caused Cillian to snap his head towards the sound. Rounding the side of the large, cylindrical structure, Cillian spotted a funny object stuck to the metal. Clearly made of metal, the round object had two magnets on either side and some nails sticking out of it, the surface of the metal sliding down to reveal… An eye? Cillian thought alarmed, taking a few steps back as to distance himself from the object. It’s a Pokemon! he realized, hurriedly pulling out his Pokedex to scan the strange Pokemon.
Magnemite: It is born with the ability to defy gravity. It floats in air on powerful electromagnetic waves. The electromagnetic waves emitted by the units at the sides of its head expel antigravity, which allows it to float. The units at its sides are extremely powerful magnets. They generate enough magnetism to draw in iron objects from over 300 feet away. The faster the units at its sides rotate, the greater the magnetic force they generate.
A crackle of electricity prompted Cillian to look up from the electric-type’s entry. “Why are you—Oh,” he said in realization as the Magnemite’s next spark fizzled out unimpressively. “You’re stuck.”
The Magnemite — its lone eye boring blankly into the trainer and his Pokemon — sparked another fizzle in what Cillian interpreted as agreement. Beside Cillian, his Scyther seemed unimpressed, looking on the steel-type with an apathetic gaze.
“Alright, sure. Why not,” Cillian said, retrieving a Pokeball from his belt. “I’ll lend you a hand.”
Cillian’s Bulbasaur appeared at his side in a spurt of red light, letting out a happy rumble when it saw its trainer. “Hey there, Mitis. Help me out and throw a Sleep Powder at this Magnemite, would you?” The Bulbasaur nodded, his bulb compressing briefly before blowing forth a puff of pink powder that splashed onto the steel-type, knocking the Magnemite out almost immediately.
“Huh. Funny that steel-types can fall asleep too,” Cillian said, approaching the now-sleeping Pokemon. He’d figured that — since the magnets were part of the Magnemite — the magnets would “turn off” if the Pokemon fell asleep. Apparently this was not the case.
Looking around, Cillian found two sticks that seemed sturdy enough to pick up a Magnemite. When he did, he returned to the steel-type and, using the two pieces of wood, gingerly picked the Magnemite up off the steel rod.
“There we are,” he said, grinning as he set the steel-type down. “All safe.” He paused, pulling out a Pokeball and dropping it on the Pokemon. Three shakes, and Cillian had officially caught himself a Magnemite.
Before he could celebrate, however, a growl sounded in the bushes behind him. Spinning around, the white-haired boy spotted a pair of red eyes that slid out in the form of a small, puppy-like Pokemon that bared its fangs at the trainer.
“A Rockruff!” Cillian exclaimed, recognizing the puppy-like Pokemon. While not the first choice for a pet Pokemon — most preferred Eevee’s doe-like eyes or Snubbull’’s quirky paradoxical looks — Rockruff were still common enough of a choice that Cillian recognized the Pokemon instantly. He did, however, get one thing wrong. “Rockruffs,” he amended when three more of the rock-type Pokemon slinked out from the bushes, growling.
Beside Cillian, his Pokemon had taken up defensive stances, Decus’ scythes splayed and ready and Mitti’s vines raised high as he gauged the threat. The four Rockruff were equally cautious, teeth bared as they judged the trainer’s Pokemon. The trainer seemed weak enough, not as big as most other humans. The bug-type at his side seemed like a threat, fierce and large, with blades big enough to do serious damage. The grass-type at its side appeared relatively harmless, although it smelled a bit funny — something that made the Rockruffs wary of leaping into battle.
Cillian watched the Rockruff quartet, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why were they so angry? As far as he was concerned, he hadn’t invaded their territory — he doubted any self-respecting rock-type would choose to live next to a steel, man-made structure, least of all a windmill — and he definitely hadn’t challenged the Rockruffs first. So, what was the matter?
I walked here with Decus, heard the Magnemite— Cillian’s eyes widened. Heard a pop of electricity, then growls.
“Don’t tell me — you all were planning on eating the Magnemite?” he asked, frowning at the wild Pokemon. The rock-types didn’t understand the trainer’s question, but his voice was loud enough to incite a new round of barks and growls.
Cillian looked to his own Pokemon, rubbing his neck. “Well, I guess this is a good chance to get some training in,” he said, sighing and cracking his knuckles. “Let’s do this.”
Ultimately — after his Pokemon had returned every Bite and Rock Throw with a Vine Whip or a Wing Attack — Cillian found himself walking away from three fainted Rockruffs and yet another Pokeball. “This guy must have been the leader. He had strong eyes,” he mused to himself, tossing the Pokeball up in the air before catching it and clicking it into place on his belt before continuing towards the station where he was due to meet Tora and Juana. “I’ve always wanted a puppy.”
Rank: Beginner > Skilled Organization: Helping Hand Guild
As the girl she'd been talking to a moment ago asked about her medical knowledge, Florence gave an awkward smile. "Well, I did train to be a nurse, yes," she replied, the confidence fading from her voice. "But I'm no substitute for a Pokemon centre professional."
Above, the chaos had started to calm down. The bats, swaying in midair, pulled themselves from the sandstorm and took off into the night. As the sand stopped swirling and settled all over the ground, Florence crawled from under the Duskull's cloak, the pink-haired girl and the Inkay beside her.
"Whew... Thanks." Again, the corners of her mouth twitched into that tight, nervous smile. She set about checking on all the other Pokemon as soon as Leisy stopped hugging hers. No major damage - and one good thing had come about from that battle. Where the Piplup and Larvitar had been before the sandstorm kicked up, were a proud Prinplup and a sturdy Pupitar. "Heh... Evolution is pretty fascinating."
Even so, it shouldn't have had to happen that way. "Sorry you got caught up in that," she murmured to both trainers, but mostly the girl whose Inkay had been hurt. "Are you both alright? That's, uh... I guess that's what happens when you take on too much with only one Pokemon."
She let out that one Pokemon, just to make sure the Chikorita was alright. The moment Vernie appeared, she gave a relieved cry and hugged Florence's leg with her vines. It seemed the Pokemon had been just as worried about her trainer. "Hey, I'm fine," Florence reassured her, leaning down and checking her over.
Vernie wasn't injured, but as soon as she saw some of the other Pokemon were, she rushed towards them. "Ita? Ita-chiko-rita. Chiko," she said, her tone gentle and soothing, as she looked up at the Inkay, who floated closer. She's much better at cheering up sick and injured Pokemon than I am, Florence thought, watching the two.
"Yeah... Let's go." With a glance around for any possible hostile Pokemon, she made her way alongside the others to the Pokecentre.
When the Inkay perked up, a laugh of relief bubbled from Ella so hard it made her ribs hurt. "Hey, Jumbles, try to take it easy," she said as she watched him attempt to fly around. She turned to the newcomer - a nurse, for all intents and purposes, as luck would have it. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!"
Once the sandstorm had died down, Ella shuffled forward and stood up. The shadows shrunk as Brighteye pulled her cloak inwards, brushing sand from it. The protective spirit showed no signs of being badly hurt, but that could just have been her natural stubbornness. "You did really well! Thanks, Brighteye," Ella said, before turning her head this way and that, her worried gaze sweeping around for the Stunky. "Allsort! Are you ok?" The skunk took slow, staggering steps towards her, but his eyes remained sharp and alert.
"Skull?" Brighteye spun in the air, staring at something. At the sound of an excited cry from Leisy, Ella whirled around. So that was why Naunet and Devinco had seemed bigger. "You two look great!" Ella's face lit up with a wide grin. "Congratulations, Leisy!"
Brighteye, though, wasn't so impressed. "Duskull..." she muttered, glaring at them, then looking down at her wispy robe. Turning round, she folded her raggedy arms and did her usual thing of sulking. Envious, Ella realised. "Brighteye! You're pretty strong as you are, you know! And you'll evolve soon enough."
She knew how Brighteye felt, she acknowledged, with a sting of shame at the bitterness that burned inside her. Leisy was such a strong trainer, she'd successfully protected someone in need just now... and all Ella had done was get another Pokemon hurt. But the important thing was that everyone would be alright.
After checking over all the Pokemon, the newcomer let out hers. A Chikorita, who wasted no time in cheering up Jumbles despite her own distressed state. "Oh! That's a friendly little Pokemon you have," Ella commented, then turned back to Jumbles. "You should rest for now, I'll get you to the Pokemon centre right away."
Returning Jumbles, Brighteye and Allsort to their Pokeballs, Ella hurried in the direction of the building, the other two trainers close by.
Hearing Ella’s congratulations, Leisy grinned as well. “Thank you! It was such a surprise. Pokemon should give some sort of warning before they evolve — just so that their trainers are more mentally prepared, you know?” she asked, half-joking but mostly just happy. Turning to the Fletchinder on her shoulder, Leisy bopped him on the beak playfully. “Hear that, Dei? Don’t go evolving without warning — I need to be mentally prepared to carry you on my shoulder.”
The fire-type rolled his eyes, not bothering to respond to his trainer’s question — an action that caused Leisy to giggle as she reached a hand up to pet the bird’s silky-smooth feathers. In the middle of closing his eyes to enjoy the petting, the Fletchinder’s eyes snapped open to return the Duskull’s glare, mostly warningly so that the ghost-type knew not to try anything.
“Definitely. Just keep training, and you’ll be fine,” Leisy said, hearing Ella’s encouraging words to her Duskull.
Turning to the brunette, Leisy smiled brightly. “Ah, never caught your name. I’m Leisy and this is Bidein, my Fletchinder,” she said in greeting. “And no, it’s fine. We’re glad to be of help,” she said with a smile. “You couldn’t have taken on that swarm alone, and it was fortunate that you met us when you did.”
At Ella’s comment about the brown-haired girl’s Pokemon, Leisy peered curiously at the grass-type. It looked so familiar, and the name was just about on the tip of her tongue, but it was stuck. “It’s very cute — and friendly. What is it?” she asked the fellow trainer. Leisy was so sure she’d seen it before — probably because she’d met one too many grass-type aficionado's in her childhood. There were practical reasons as to why most green thumbs preferred Pokemon over plants, and that Leisy had grown up in Central, a urban hubbub, testified to the general lack of gardens in skyscrapers.
When Ella started off for the Pokemon Center, Leisy followed quickly, and soon enough the trio of trainers had arrived in front of said location.
“... Well this doesn’t look creepy at all,” Shanae said sarcastically, looking up at the decrepit building that, according to Marvin, was once a canning factory. “Dd the city not feel like reselling the building after the brand went downhill?”
“Well that year, the economy was terrible, and no one could afford it,” Marvin explained. “When everyone had recovered, the building was already in shambles — the local teens had taken up sprucing their prime party location up — and was rumoured to be haunted. So surprise surprise, no one bought the factory, and now it’s rumoured to be haunted.”
“Haunted?” Shanae echoed, eyes wide as she turned to look at the younger trainer. “There are ghosts in Ironforge? Since when?”
“Well that’s just what we tell tourists and gullible folk. No one actually thinks that there are ghosts at Gregory McGregor’s Canning Factory,” Marvin said leading the way towards the factory entrance. “Still, people keep their distance from the place — no one likes challenging ghosts.”
Shanae listened silently, keeping pace with her tour guide towards the factory. A lone, metallic moan sounded from inside the building as Marvin pushed open the door, and Shanae felt a few goosebumps perk up but promptly blamed it on the cold night air.
Rank: Skilled Organization: Helping Hand Guild [Founder]
Florence returned Leisy's smile, her gaze flicking towards the ground for a moment as she thought of a less than charitable comment from a girl she'd known at school. Apparently, she always looked like she was in pain when she smiled.
"I'm Florence," she replied. "And yeah... That was lucky." She paused, grimacing. Had that sounded insensitive? "Uhh, not for you, though, of course! Sorry! I mean, it's good your Pokemon evolved and all, but..." Chewing at her lip, she trailed off, only to speak again when Leisy asked about her Pokemon.
"She's a Chikorita," Florence answered. "Her name's Vernie."
The Chikorita approached Leisy, peering up at the bird perched on her shoulder. Flying types could mean trouble for Grass types, and the colour of its plumage also suggested Fire, but Florence and this Pokemon's trainer trusted each other, so the bird was unlikely to be a threat. "Chiko!" she squeaked, trotting alongside the three girls. Glancing from the Fletchinder to Florence, she noticed her trainer's furrowed brows and clenched hands. "Chiko-chi?"
"Ehh... It's nothing," Florence murmured. "Just... Sorry I nearly got you hurt." She looked away, deep in thought. She really should have caught some more Pokemon before setting out to find the Cutieflies. There were many nocturnal predators out there the little bugs could be at the mercy of - Zubats, Hoothoots, Spinaraks - all of which had an advantage over Grass types.
She couldn't do this alone, but she couldn't just drag these two trainers in either. Especially not after one of their Pokemon had been hurt like that.
"Ita!" The squeak snapped her from her worries. She looked down to see Vernie staring at something in the shrubbery near the Pokemon centre.
From her hiding place, the tiny Pokemon watched for any approaching threats. None. No Zubats. Something shone in the corner of her vision - the auras of humans, drawing closer. She scuttled further into the bushes, then stopped. There was the Chikorita who'd protected her earlier, standing by the feet of the girl who'd meant to take her home. The bug edged forward... and froze. On the shoulder of one of the girls was a bird. A large bird.
"There you are!" Slowly approaching the frightened Cutiefly, Florence bent down. "Come on, it's safe now. They've gone." The bug, though, stepped back, her eyes on Leisy's Fletchinder.
"And I'm Ella," the pink-haired girl said after Leisy had introduced herself. She smiled down at the Chikorita. "Hey, Vernie." She'd seen quite a few trainers with Chikoritas - a popular species in Feyhollow for their cuteness and generally friendly, non-aggressive temperaments.
"Huh?" Something had caught Vernie's attention. Looking in the same direction, Ella spotted a tiny yellow fly huddled in the bushes. A Cutiefly, which a relieved Florence tried to coax out. "Is your Cutiefly ok?" Ella asked. Florence had mentioned only having one Pokemon, but she must have meant she only had one with her at the moment. No wonder she'd remained so anxious.
The brunette turned her head. "She's not mine," she explained. "She's someone else's, and she got lost. I was going to take her back to her home, but then, uh, well... That happened." As Florence spoke, Vernie took over attempting to soothe the Cutiefly, gently waving her leaf and filling the air with a relaxing herbal scent.
The Cutiefly took a few paces forward, but kept her gaze fixed on Bidein. "It's ok, little girl, he won't harm you," Ella reassured the bug. "He's well trained." Just like all of Leisy's Pokemon, who had no trouble being out at the same time, or helping in a crisis. She was truly an example to follow - but how could someone follow a person they couldn't catch up with?
