[IC] It's some kind of madness, that started to evolve!

[amberstrike]

Rasca tucked her hands behind her head, reveling in the mid-morning daylight. She was perched upside down on the edge of her bed, her black and red tipped hair, touching the ground in short clipped strands. She was trying to practice not passing out in an awkward position, so that hanging with golbats would be easier. Plus it was another way to waste time while she waited for the correct opportunity to bother Leon. Mostly it was just procrastination, that stopped her from actually moving. That and her shades were catching the light so perfectly, it would be foolish to get up and destroy the magical scene.

So that's exactly what Rasca did, because she didn't care about that kind of stuff. Rolling off her bed and falling to the floor with a sluggish thump, she crawled over to her window and peeped out. No Leon at the door, so she would have to go out and get him. Sighing dramatically while propping her elbow across her shaded eyes, Rasca fell backwards onto her swing. Scootching her back up the fluffy seat, she sat down very un-lady like. She reached out her tennis shoes to the window clasp, and flipped it up, edging the window panes open as well. Her legs took her in the opposite direction and when she swung forward, her pendulum motion rocked her back and forth, faster and a bit higher.

Thanks to her high ceiling room, this was possible, as was her ability to jump off her swing, out the window and onto the second story veranda. Rasca loved being able to do this, and thankfully her parents had supplied the correct items, since she had done so well in school. Snorting at the ridiculous building, and it's so-called useful teachings, she climbed down the ladder to the ground near her family's front door. A note was left by IM to her parents home desktop, just a quick message to let them know who she was with, and all the fun they would be having. Rasca didn't have any idea what Leon would make them do for fun, but she trusted his pliable mind to not let her down. With that thought in mind, she made her way to Leon's house, stopping along the way to dig up her messenger bag from the branches of the tree in her parent's front yard.

[RyuHll]

A yawn escaped the young boy's throat as he continued his wait for his friend. Leon knew he could have easily gone to bother Rasca and get her up. He didn't want to wake her up too early, though,worrying she might get annoyed with him. Of course, that led to the problem of how early was too early? He didn't know. Thus, he waited, reading his book outside his house as he was prone to do when he was procrastinating or trying to hold off until he had to go some place. His messy brown hair fell over his eyes, masking the light blue from view.

Truth be told, he was really excited about the prospects for today. He knew Rasca would enjoy it too, which thrilled him even more. The two were let off from school for the moment, having entered their summer break. Thus, they had the opportunity to leave for a while and try their hand at something they both wanted to do. Raise Pokemon. It had taken months of research and preparation, but Leon felt adequately prepared now to do this, even without the help of Pallet Town's Professor Oak.

It wasn't long before he noticed Rasca on her way to him. His face lit up in a smile and he waved to her, shutting his book quickly to stand up. He opened the flap of his red jacket, sticking the book into a pocket on the inside, before heading towards her. “Great, you're finally here,” he said, barely masking his excitement, a rare display for the usually shy and quiet boy. “Did you pack your bag like I asked you to? I think you're gonna enjoy my idea for our new adventure.”

[amberstrike]

'Ah, looks like Leon found himself another book. Too bad i couldn't catch him before he looked up. I would have liked to pounce on him.' Rasca thought to herself as she unslung her bag that he had asked about. She also returned his smile and stuck her tongue out at him in an easy going manner. "Yes, it is I! Oh yeah, and you too. Pokepedia Brown." She patted her carrying weight and nodded simply, before answering and then questioning Leon. "All set up. Why, where's your bag?" Her eyes gleamed at the mention of adventure, knowing that her summer wouldn't be wasted away in the usual manner.

She thanked him for telling her what to pack, as her habit was always to either take too much, or nothing whatsoever. Often making her parents wonder why they let her out of the house at all. Leon did have a knack for being smart and helpful about things, adventures it seemed- in particular. Though he always went on about pokemon more than anything. Would this adventure be any different? Some tacky trip to the library maybe? Uhg, Rasca sure hoped not. Still, she kept her fingers crossed behind her back, just in case luck was on her side.

If Rasca had to admit anything at that very moment, it would be that she knew any time spent with Leon would be worth it. Even if it was at a too-quiet library. Leon had a good head on his shoulders though, it probably wouldn't be anything like what she was thinking. Why else would he get so excited and worked up, just upon seeing her come towards him? It had to be something huge. Leon would never normally act like this. He especially wouldn't be telling her to pack stuff. Those were definitely clues to a real adventure.

[RyuHll]

Leon gestured back towards the bench, a small bag with a pull string sitting there. Walking back to it, he grabbed it and slung it over his shoulders, grinning happily at his friend. “We better get going,” he stated. “It might take a while to get things set up.” He started walking down the street, letting her follow after him. It really didn't take long for the boy to start talking about Pokemon. Though, he was very vague on what they would actually be doing. He wanted it to be a surprise, but that's all he'd really say about it.

However, Viridian was a small city. It wouldn't take long for Rasca to realize where they were heading. As they approached the edge of the city, the path leading out to the west was clear enough. Go far enough and you'd reach Victory Road and, eventually, the Indigo Plateau. Of course, that wasn't the concerning part. Many kids wanted to see Victory Road and the Indigo Plateau. The problem came in the tall grass that littered the place. Pokemon thrived out there. Two kids had absolutely nothing to defend themselves with.

Leon, though, didn't seem to be concerned. He just continued to talk to her about his latest studies on Pokemon; most recently, those on the two species of Nidorans. He almost seemed unaware of the possible dangers. After all, he was normally the one to warn her of them if they drifted too far to the edge of town.

[amberstrike]

Rasca nodded and picked up her bag, trailing after him as he chattered away. She smiled ruefully at his incessant need to talk about pokemon. Sometimes joining in silently if she knew what he was going to say, having studied them a bit as well. Most of the time Rasca kept quiet, but gave the appropriate replies at standard times, wondering what he was getting at exactly. Leon knew just how to keep information out of her reach without making her feel badly about it. This time was no different, and her mind whirled with the hidden possibilities. None of them included pokemon, since he acted like this a lot. Maybe he was just distracting her from what the adventure would really be about.

Peering suspiciously at him behind her shades, she stifled a smile, trying to be serious about whatever he had on mind. None of the usual territory gave her any clues, as there could be a secret passageway that she didn't know about. Of course, her mind was really just hoping against reality that something like this would happen, even though Viridian city didn't hold anything of the sort. It did hold the perilous path that Leon seemed intent upon walking towards, which made Rosca feel a bit scared, side-stepping to the right of him. She planned on herding him to another part of the city, so she could talk some sense into him. Who on earth went on about nidoran species, and didn't give a flying pidgeotto about which direction they were heading?

Crazy Leon, that's who. 'Guess it's time i take matters into my own hands.'
Stepping in front of him with her shades tilting down off the bridge of her nose, she held out her hand as if it would have the power to stop him.
"Hey, i don't know if you've noticed, but we're pretty freaking close to, oh i don't know..harm?" Sighing wearily, she shook her head and continued in a more polite tone of voice. "So how about we take your talk of very fascinating nidoran species, and go somewhere else." It wasn't a question, because she didn't want to have to tell anyone the reason why they had gotten hurt. Which is exactly what would happen if they decided to go any farther than they were now.

[RyuHll]

Leon simply smiled in response to her worry, placing a hand on her shoulder and pointing out towards the grass. “Since when have you been so scared?” he asked. “Besides, this is the adventure I've been wanting to take you on.” He retracted his hand, dipping it into the pocket of his jacket for a moment before taking out two small red and white orbs, Pokeballs. It seemed he had been paying attention to where they were going. It just happened to be in a direction he normally avoided.

He decided he should probably explain to Rasca. After all, he doubted she'd simply take the fact that he had gotten Pokeballs as reason enough to go search for Pokemon. “It goes back to the two species of Nidorans I was telling you about,” he explained. “The male gender of Nidoran is a rather violent, angry species. Unless it trusts you, it'll more soon poison you than let you capture it. They're known for their attack power and are quick to aggression. They are also rather common Route 22.” The route they were headed towards. That wasn't very reassuring.

“The female Nidoran, however...” he continued without pause. “They are rather docile. They trust more easily and are more known for their loyalty than aggression. In fact, their evolution, Nidoqueen, is known for being a very protective Pokemon, taking damage to protect its friends and, in some cases, its trainer.” He was walking towards the grass, pocketing the two Pokeballs and, instead, pulling out a small pellet. She would recognize it as a type of food for Pokemon. “In fact, they are so trusting that they typically forage for food very close to human civilization.” He knelt down, placing the pellet on the ground lightly. Going back to his pocket, he shook the container lightly, making just enough noise to be heard on the outskirts of Viridian City.

It didn't take more than a few minutes for the grass to begin rustling. Despite this, Leon seemed calm. “Along with this, Pokemon are generally a very calm species, except for a few outliers. Nidorans especially have little reason to fear us as their poisonous nature keeps us away from them. Of course, the female variant is rather empathetic. If you were to be agitated, they would become agitated. Thus, if you are calm, you have very little to actually fear.” The small blue head poked out of the grass, looking curiously up at the boy. He just smiled in return and nudged the pellet towards it. It let out a small cry and came out fully to nibble at it. After tasting it, it let out a happy cry, clearly enjoying it.

“And, once it's enjoying its food, not thinking about the odd human with it, you should be able to gain its trust,” he murmured to himself, reaching out slowly. His finger reached behind Nidoran's ear and scratched lightly. It made another happy cry, smiling up at the boy before going back to its small meal. This made him turn back, grinning up at Rasca.

[amberstrike]

One of her eyebrows arched up, following the movement of her arms, that crossed at the elbows and rested informally against her chest. She pushed up her shades and sniffed importantly. "I was merely scared that your parents would come and kill me, or have me locked up somewhere for getting you killed. I could care less about the dangers of this road." Her foot tapped it with bravery, even going so far as to sit sprawled out on the ground, close to the tall grass. Rasca lifted up her shades to get a better view of the pokeballs. Whistling with admiration, she had to hand it to him for being so sneaky about how he started up the adventure.

A few words stood out to her as she thought of the possibility of going out along Route 22. She could already guess who would be getting the male Nidoran. Her head tipped backwards as she listened, nodding along to his descriptions of their personalities. Poison was an admirable trait to have, it usually made battles against higher powered pokemon more easy to win. Once he was done explaining things to her, she would have to make sure they had brought along antidote in case of an accident, or for a battle zone.

Rasca pulled her gaze toward Leon, as his shoes made noise on the ground past where she was sitting. Her thoughts wandered a bit when he talked about the female nidoran, but collected themselves when the poke pellet was placed down. 'Leon is actually serious,
about doing this. Wow.'
Out loud, but quiet enough not to spook the Nidoran that was going to make an appearance, Rasca asked him a question.
"Since we're gonna find my companion along the way, how do i protect myself from all the rest of the pokemon around here?"

She knew it would be interesting to see him answer, as he might come to the conclusion that she would have to fight pokemon like a hitmonlee. Of course there was the other option of Leon's pokemon protecting her, but not even their friendship worked out that way. Rasca was reminded of his gesture earlier, and she rubbed her arm subconsciously. Then with the appearance of his smile, and the combination of the Nidoran's happiness, she took the opportunity to pat Leon on the back. Remaining calm as he had subversively instructed her to do. 'As if i wouldn't be completely at ease with a pokemon like that.' Her pride in confidence struck a chord, making her stand up to receive some hidden glory from the sun. She didn't want to interrupt their bonding time, as it was important, so she merely sat close to both Leon and the Nidoran.

Taking her shades off her nose and into the bag she carried, Rasca grinned back at Leon. Playfully, she gave him a thumb's up and acted like she was some wise sage, who had taught him everything he knew. "You did very well, young one. I'm rather impressed at your ability to get a Nidoran so quickly." Snickering, and squatting down beside him, Rasca watched and wondered what this particular pokemon felt like. It looked so rough and pointy, that it had to feel like some kind of hard stone. Instead of asking to pet it, she poked the pocket that held the pokeballs. "Are you gonna catch it or what?" An amused look on her face took the bite from her words.

[RyuHll]

Leon had been watching the small Pokemon for a while, not really paying attention to what Rasca had been saying at first. However, at her question, he smiled a bit. “No. I didn't want to just capture it,” he stated. “This is a test above all else. Though, another thing I had to test. Female Nidorans are extremely gullible. This is made up for in the fact that the males stick very close to their mates. Together, it is said they have a perfect union. The caring and protective side...” He gestured to the blue Pokemon before them. “And the skeptical and powerful side. Two sides to the same coin.”

There was rustling behind Nidoran as he continued speaking. The boy went quiet, focusing on it, his looking growing more serious. It seemed he had been waiting for this. With a cry, a purple blur shot out, lunging for Leon's hand. The young boy swept it away quickly, diving into his pocket quickly to produce another pellet. Playing with it in his hand for the moment, he placed it down in front of the other one. “No need to be scared, little guy,” he said softly. “I was only giving her a treat. You can have one too.”

The Nidoran bristled in response, seeming suspicious of the offered food. However, the blue one let out a soft cry, seeming to talk to the purple one. After a moment, the purple one snorted, turning its head away in annoyance. Though, it did settle down and nibble at the small treat offered to it. That made Leon smile again. “Hey, guys. I want you to meet my friend, Rasca,” he said softly, placing his hand on Rasca's back. The blue Nidoran chirped happily before going back to its pellet. The purple one made a soft sound, though it sounded less happy about it.

He was about to keep going, but he paused as a small growl was heard. With a cry, a white furred body popped out from the surrounding grass. Leon was already moving without thinking as it shot towards the smaller Nidoran. He moved in the way, raising his arm and taking the initial kick from the Mankey that had jumped out to attack. He crashed backwards from the force, clutching his arm quickly. It wasn't too much of a surprise. Leon was well known to valuing the well-being of Pokemon over himself. He just never had much chance to display that.

The two Nidorans instantly went into action. The blue one backed off, retreating to Leon's side, while the purple one launched forward, ramming into the Mankey with full force. The two Pokemon clashed and went down, fighting amongst each other while the blue Nidoran stayed by Leon, making sure the one who protected it was alright. Despite the situation, it seemed he had one her over.

[amberstrike]

She deflated a little, somewhat disappointed that they wouldn't be catching the first pair of Nidoran's in sight. "Oh. Well then i guess your tests are successful, for now." Leaning back on her elbows, Rasca went on with her trivial mostly one-sided conversation, for a few moments. Then something else occurred to her. Leon's symbolism in the pokemon before them, was actually to show the reason why they got along in the first place. Studying him, and wondering what other things he had in mind for their adventure, she listened with an open, yet slightly puzzled mind. She did not admit they were the perfect match, as Rasca figured he didn't want to go that far with his reasoning. It was safe to assume that both of them worked like the sides of a coin, but whether or not such things made them compatible, was a different story all together. It's not that the idea repulsed her, because in some way she liked it. But Leon was casual with her, so it made sense that it wasn't on his mind.

Another question was about to form in her mouth, but before a word could be spoken, there was yet another rustle of the tall grass. Leon wasn't fazed by it, and it almost felt staged until the male decided to perform some kind of attack. Luckily for that pokemon, Leon had a pellet. 'Looks like he has everything under control.' Rasca had the idea to stay back from the little confrontation that the male wanted to start. A second inclination was to scare off the Nidoran, so it would stop harassing them. She even went so far as to get up from her position, into a more defensive one. Though her demeanor never changed from calm to fear, she made sure that the little pokemon would know there was a bigger force than it, that was more than capable of defense. Hurting it would not be necessary however, as pain was not on her mind in the slightest.

"Picky little fellow. Aren'tcha?" Rasca put on a friendly disposition towards the Nidoran, resuming her crouched form. She even extended her own arm towards Leon, and pulled him close, giving his back careful, measured pats. She did this not only to keep the peace between them and the pokemon, but also as a little joke to him. It was fun to relax in this way, and she smiled at him with real cheerfulness. Poking fun at the purple Nidoran, Rasca said, "I bet you're only here because she got the pellet. We're in the same boat my friend."

Just as she reached forward to pet the purple Nidoran, a common occurance between pokemon began. She stepped back and let them duke it out, wondering who would be the victor. 'It wouldn't be pretty if the Mankey got overly violent, but unfortunately with their temperance, it could be an active result.' Rasca shook her head, not wanting Leon to see a vicious pummeling. It's not like he wouldn't be able to stand the sight, but she still felt the need kick something's butt. Instead she took his side and stood slightly in front of him. Her hands clenched easily, while her feet planted in a firm position on the ground. There was really no need to go any further than that, since it couldn't turn out too bad. This is what she hoped.

Rasca looked down at the female, and back up at Leon, smiling a bit. "Guess you got a poke pal anyways. I'd love to see you try and shake her off your trail." Her forgotten shades had left a ring around her nose, and made her miss wearing them. It wasn't too important though, so she let the matter drop from her most prominent thoughts.

[RyuHll]

Leon grinned weakly, still holding his arm tenderly. “It all works out,” he commented. Slowly, he moved his injured arm to scratch the Nidoran's ear lightly, watching the battle between Mankey and the male Nidoran. His eyes were more calculating now, studying the two opposing Pokemon. As he was watching it, his hand dipped back into his jacket pocket and he slowly retrieved one of the two Pokeballs. “Nidoran won't win. He's slightly weaker and Mankey's just as aggressive. Nidoran will ward him off with its poison, but it's going to be injured. We'll need to take it to the Pokecenter and Pokeballs are the easiest way to let them rest.” He paused a moment and continued. “Just try to reason with it. Forcefully putting it into the Pokeball will just make it resentful and harder to keep happy.”

He let her take it before looking down at the female Nidoran and smiling. “We'll make sure your friend gets taken care of, alright?” he asked. The small blue Pokemon gave a happy cry of approval, resting herself next to Leon and watching. The two other Pokemon continued battling, but it went much like Leon predicted. Nidoran was losing, but it landed a single hit, throwing Mankey off guard. It seemed weakened, poisoned by Nidoran's barbs, though it had the upper hand throughout the fight.

With a weak cry, it turned and fled back into the tall grass, getting away from the group.

[amberstrike]

Rasca didn't mention his obviously hurt arm, thinking that she would bring it up later when the pokemon were done being fixed. She shook her head, annoyed at his almost willingness to get hurt, just to save a pokemon. Her hand even reached out to pinch his arm lightly, just to remind him that sometimes it was better not to sacrifice yourself. She wasn't sure he would understand that, just from pricking him, but in her mind it made perfect sense. Of course, she wasn't thinking with a clear head, as it was befuddled by anger and resentment at the two pokemon fighting at the moment.
"Don't worry, i won't be smacking the poor thing around to get it into the pokeball."
A slight smile curved her mouth upwards, as her body took the careful yet crouched stance to throw the pokeball. Making sure not to hit the Mankey instead, Rasca filed behind the Nidoran, and pulled an arm back to launch it outwards.

It was pretty cool to see that Leon knew what he was talking about when it came to the outcome of fights. Why, if he was a gambler. there could be a whole new avenue for him to consider. 'Then again, it is a rather shady prospect, and very easy to lose everything in. Rasca shrugged and didn't pass on her thought to Leon, as she knew he would not approve of her wild idea. If she wanted to admit it, then it was a rather bad idea. Best to keep it under wraps instead, getting closer to the two pokemon as the fight drew to an end. Now that the Mankey had fled, Rasca tossed the pokeball easily from hand to hand.

"Now i know how tough you are, but if you come inside this comfy pokeball, i'm sure your pixels will enjoy staying inside this not so tiny compartment." She waved it around as if it were a berry, hiding it from time to time behind her back, as if she didn't want him to actually get inside of it. "I bet that Mankey won't show it's face to you again. You sure showed it! Why not celebrate your victory with a nice pampering, eh?" The pokeball dropped from her hand, and rolled slowly towards the Nidoran, coming to a halt before it's legs. "I promise i won't even keep you in there for long. After you're healed, I'll let you out and you can run out the door." Now, how's that sound?" An appeasing look filled her facial features, not taking her eyes off of the Nidoran, but keeping them at a respectful distance.

[RyuHll]

Nidoran looked at the ball suspiciously, despite its injured body. It had its pride, after all. It didn't want to be captured by a trainer that easily. However, just as it was prepared to snuff it and turn away, the female Nidoran cried out, seeming to talk to it. It let out a low reply, only to be met with a stern look from the smaller one. With a small sigh, it tapped its paw to the small white button and let itself be sent inside.

“Good job,” Leon commented, holding his hand down. The smaller Nidoran ran up to him, jumping into his arms quickly, though it was careful to keep its barbs away from the boy's skin. Of course, that was easier for her, having smaller ones than her purple brother. “Let's get him to the Pokemon Center. Once it's rested, we can start our real adventure.”

The grin on his face was a little bit mischievous, out of the ordinary for his usual attitude. He was usually quiet and out of the way, but never really one to do something crazy or out of the ordinary. It seemed, though, like he had something else in mind for their adventures today.

[amberstrike]

Tilting her head to the side in amusement of the two Nidoran's conversation, Rasca wondered how much power the female had over the male. It seemed that they would cooperate quite nicely, and it made her feel a bit prideful to be apart of something like this. How many people got to help a little Nidoran, instead of catching it? She chuckled, and wished instead that they would keep the pokemon. It did seem to be apart of the adventure Leon was taking them both on, but it also made her pause awkwardly over the pokeball before picking it up. She could firmly say that no idea of her's completely matched his own, when it came to what was going to happen.

"Thanks Leon." Rasca nodded at his instruction, keeping pace in front of him a bit, since the female Nidoran wouldn't be the one who needed the pokemon center the most. "I'm assuming that we're going to return these little buggers back to their home?" She posed it like a question, but in her mind she was already sure of the answer. But, just in case she happened to be wrong, (one of the few times it would be nice to feel that way.) Her feet trudged along back the way they came a little faster.

His out of place grin gave Rasca's eyebrows so much of a shock that they shot up past her shades. 'What is up with him today? It's like Leon is becoming someone...more...fun.' A giggle almost escaped her mouth, but she turned it into a low growl. What better way to throw a person off their game by also doing something unexpected? She wasn't sure it would work, though if anything it might cause the workers at the pokemon center to give her a few unguarded looks of surprise. Ultimately this made her want to laugh again, and this time she let herself slide. If Leon kept her interest in the adventure by acting in the strange way he did, then that was fine by her. It was nice to see a bit of a change in his demeanor. She even lifted up her shades to wink at him, as if she understood exactly what Leon was thinking about.

[RyuHll]

“Ah, well, that's up to them, isn't it?” Leon replied with a knowing smile. “You technically captured that Nidoran yourself. So he's your's. And I'd hate to separate these two. They seemed so close, didn't they?” He grinned at the smaller Nidoran, scratching the back of its ear with his free hand as they walked. It let out a happy cry, staying comfortably in the boy's arms.

After a moment, he brought his hand up to push the glasses on his face up a bit further and looked over to Rasca. “Of course, since we have these two, we can also take our adventures a little bit further than our typical adventure. I know I've told you I'd like to see the world and the Pokemon that inhabits it. I always took you as the type to be interested in facing other trainers too. Perhaps you'd even be interested in the Indigo League challenge, battling through the eight gyms.” His grin widened as he explained. “What do you think about that?”

He definitely had a big adventure planned for the two, from the sound of it.

[amberstrike]

Nodding simply, Rasca tapped on the pokeball lightly, asking the male Nidoran "Are you hearing this buddy? If you want, I can be your ultimate trainer. I bet you'll like that as much as i will." A grin appeared on her face, as the sun caught the light of her shades. Before she answered his questions however, she opened the doors to the pokemon center, and walked up to the counter. Placing the pokeball in the care of the worker, Rasca stood by to wait for the Nidoran to be healed. Hoping it wouldn't take too long, she focused on answering Leon. "I think you have great ideas! Imagine what would happen if we actually collected the badges! I can't believe you thought of all this Leon!" Bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet, she smiled widely, giving both him and the female Nidoran, careful and slow hugs. However, with the pokemon she was a lot more steady when it came to contacting it. Even glancing up at Leon to ask his permission to give her affection.

Obviously she was all for the idea, and the idea of traveling on their own gave her even more of a spree to her happiness. She went on and on about how amazing camping would be, the different sites they would see, and all the training they would have to go through to start in the first place. Once that thought went into her mind, another one came up. This one was a concern, which made her pause in her glee for a moment. 'If i'm the one doing the battling, what is Leon going to do? Sit around? Rasca wasn't sure what he planned to do, besides be the moral support team. It honestly didn't feel like enough to her, especially since he was the one who had thought of the adventure in the first place. Once the pokeball was returned to her care, she made the proper transaction and motioned to Leon for him to follow her back outside.

It would be a shame to waste his talents, although a bit more fun for her, Leon seemed like the proper choice as the partner in charge. Making all the decisions....he was doing it well enough now anyways. Of course, Rasca would love to be top Snubbull, ordering Leon around sounded like a fun idea. Maybe if she played her cards right, she could be the one in charge. It wouldn't hurt to try, and maybe that's how the two close Nidoran's worked. Once outside, she popped the button on the pokeball, and sat down on the front step.

[RyuHll]

Leon grinned a bit as she moved to hug him, returning the hug. Though, it was half an excuse to hide the blush that began to develop from being close to Rasca. He had been developing his plan carefully for a few weeks now, liking the idea of being able to head off on the journey with her. He knew she would be troubled with his unwillingness to really see his Pokemon come to harm. After all, he would have to if he fought at the gyms too. However, it still let him realize his own dream. He'd be able to study the different Pokemon of the world. It'd be a great experience.

What made it better was being able to stay close to Rasca. The one thing that had always held him back was traveling away from her. With both of them having Pokemon, though, he'd be able to go with her. Once she had moved away, taking her Nidoran back from the center and exiting, the young boy smiled at her, staying beside her. “When do you want to head out? I think we should grab a few more Pokeballs, but if we just head north, we'll hit the forest and, on the other side of that, Pewter City,” he explained, barely able to contain the excitement in his voice.

[amberstrike]

Rasca treated the male Nidoran carefully, though sometimes she teased it by dangling tasty pellets just out of his reach. She would always give it to him in the end, but it was entertaining to see it try. Plus, it gave her the chance to dig around for pellets from Leon even if she should have asked instead. It gave her time to answer his questions as well, so she could form the answers more easily. "Well why don't we stock up like you say, and then take a few test runs with our Nidorans, before we go out north. I for one want my Nidoran to at least like me a little before i go and force it to fight." Rasca chuckled, thinking of how it would be interesting to see the male run away from a fight, just to save it's own skin. 'It's not like he trusts me. Her light hearted chuckles became a snort of distaste. She aimed her gaze down at the male, tucking in her lip and frowning a bit. "So tough guy, I bet you would love to fight for me more, if i gave you a name. " Her hand slowly curled out towards him, cupping and lowering at the same time. She tried to avoid his snapping jaws, and succeeded in lightly touching him just once.

"Look at that Leon, he loves me so much!" She crowed sarcastically. It was not interested in letting Rasca get close, since her behavior was one of direct command, instead of following Leon's instructions. This did not bother her much, as she figured it was just a matter of time before it got used to the way she ran things. 'Or, it will just hate me and run away.' Rasca flipped up her sunglasses, and toyed with them a bit, getting a small idea while the male Nidoran was busy communicating with the female. "Hey spike tips! Catch!" Tearing off her shades, she bent down quickly, and gently lobbed them at the male Nidoran, hoping they would land on his face. In her mind she imagined them landing on his eyes, and seeing how cool he looked with them on. Unfortunately he didn't seem to like it, and promptly tossed them off, crying in a small rage at her. "Oops, that didn't work out how i thought it would." Rasca tossed her shades into the bag she carried, turning back to the male Nidoran to try and initiate petting again.

[RyuHll]

Leon gave a small nod as he listened to Rasca's response. It made sense. They really wouldn't make it far if the Pokemon didn't listen to them. Of course, seeing how the smaller Nidoran was nuzzling into Leon's arms, it seemed only Rasca would have an issue with that. This made him frown slightly, watching as the two interacted. He watched it for a few moments, studying its movements for a little bit. At last, he spoke. “You can't treat it like some pet. Pokemon aren't meant to live as our pets,” he explained. “Some, you can get away with that. Nidoran is prideful, though. It'll take time to earn its respect and obedience. You just have to work at it.”

The boy knelt down, looking at the large Pokemon and smiled. He held his hand out to it and the blue Nidoran made a small sound. It caused, at length, for the male counterpart to slowly walk closer, sniffing Leon's hand. It made a low sound in warning and then closed its eyes, head held up, as if he was allowing some grand gesture in letting Leon pet him. The boy just let out a small chuckle, scratching him behind the ears. “Y'know, Nido, my friend isn't that bad either. Think you could ease up on her? She wants to be your friend too,” he stated. “Right, Rasca?”

Despite the clear signs of him being a novice with Pokemon, having never left Viridian, he seemed to have a knack for making friends with them.

[amberstrike]

"Great, so i gotta treat it like it's later evolutions. A king." She turned towards the Nidoran and bowed gracefully. "Your new name is King Superior. I hope your highness is pleased." If this was what Leon meant for her to be working on it, then she could play along for a while. At least until she actually respected Superior fully. It was entertaining to act this way towards Superior, and perhaps he would enjoy the title as well. If not, she could add some more bows and other servile movements while interacting with him. Rasca did want to work hard as well, after all, it wasn't everyday that people got to have a stuck-up Nidoran as a pokemon.

She smirked when Leon asked the simple question, bowing low to the ground this time and saying, "Yes of course, your majesty! Do honor me with the privilege in being your friend." Rasca meant what she said, even if it sounded silly coming out of her mouth. She figured it was the thought that counted, and not how it appeared to be at the moment. In this moment it seemed that Leon took on the role of King Superior's adviser. 'it suits him just fine too.'

Becoming a bit jealous of how well Leon was getting along with both pokemon, Rasca tidied up her stuff and walked backwards. She planned on taking a short tour of the town, before eventually stopping at the item shop. Walking in the strange way that she did, ensured that Superior was in her main vision, until he decided to catch up with her. Once that was accomplished, there would be more time for sweet talking Superior.

[RyuHll]

“I wouldn't go that far,” Leon commented with a small laugh. “It'll feel like you're mocking it. Just treat it normally. Like you would treat me, for instance.” He lowered his hand to the Nidoran again and pet it, grinning a bit. Though, he caught the annoyed look from Rasca. Lowering his voice, he continued. “She really is trying. Give her a chance.”

The Nidoran looked up at him dully for a moment before letting out a sigh, turning, and running after the girl. Catching up, it stayed by her leg, simply walking with her. For Leon's part, he got to his feet, still holding the smaller Nidoran, and went to walk after the two. “Rasca, I wanted to ask you. I thought of putting this whole thing together, but...what do you wanna get out of it? I wasn't sure what your goal would be if we set out together with our Nidorans.”