Amber Pine and Sophia Danvers
Vareena Forest -> Vareena Town
@Typical @Zanavy @OtomostheCrazy @fer1323 @Heckno12
Hunk's reaction may have been lost on Ty, but not on Amber as she rushed towards the sound of cries and roars. "Careful there!" she called to Ty, but the first thing he did was throw a Pokeball, capturing the feline attacker.
"Uh, I have to say..." she commented. "I don't think that was a friendly battle. Wow, nature is quite something." Giving the Timburr a potion, she looked around at the group. "Does anyone else have any healing items?" In hindsight, it would have been a good idea to stock up better before leaving, preferably on stronger medicines.
Sophia rolled her eyes at Ty, but was quick to head over. "Yeah, a fire type that seems to want a barbecue." She crouched and took an Oran berry from her bag. "It's not much, but it'll help," she told Hunk, giving him the revitalising snack. "The sooner we get to that Pokemon centre, the better." Most Pokemon gradually learned to behave, or so she'd learned, but some were tougher to train than others. Her own cat, Grimalkin, was proof of that, as was of course Fantoccino. Sensing the Ghost type sneak behind her, she glared over her shoulder, into the seemingly empty shadows. "You know that won't work on me." Fantoccino materialised from under a thicket, scowling, as Lacey giggled.
Amber's lips twitched. "Another reason to watch out." Venturing further into the woodland, home to a myriad of wonders and dangers, she let out Aeshna. "Hey, you wouldn't mind keeping a look out for any trouble, would you?" The sharp-eyed bug darted this way and that, but stayed close by her trainer.
The walk took the best part of an hour, the sun high in the sky by the time buildings came into view. Sophia sulked the entire way, between Oscar's broken promise, Fantoccino's antics, and her frilly skirt constantly catching on brambles. It didn't help that the last of her injuries were acting up. Ty's Igglybuff had mostly healed her, but her bruised ribs and knee were feeling the strain of the long journey. Not that she was going to slow everyone down. She was better than that. And the Litleo incident was a reminder why everyone needed to stick together. Everyone, including a certain lone wolf they were looking for in the first place.
"Finally," she muttered, squinting into the light and rubbing her forehead. She'd had to keep on high alert, with Fantoccino repeatedly having tried and failed to jumpscare the group. Lacey, by contrast, stared in fascination at the flower-lined streets ahead, holding on to Sophia's shoulders like a child piggybacking on their mother.
The Gothita wasn't the only entranced one. Throughout the journey, Amber had resisted the urge to stop and take notes. A good few photos had been inevitable, considering the many kinds of Pokemon in the forest. Aipoms swinging from trees, Tympoles splashing in the stream, Beautiflys snacking on nectar and berries. "So many more species here than in Kanto," she remarked, eyes widening as a pink and white 'fruit' suddenly jumped up and skipped away from a puzzled Beautifly. She turned to Aedre. "Have you ever seen so many? It's said Kosei is one of the regions with the most kinds of Pokemon."
An exasperated moan from Sophia snapped her from her thoughts. "Dammit Amber, quit dawdling! I swear a Shelmet would get through these woods faster. Remember, we've got to catch up with a certain smart aleck."
Amber gave a strained smile. Admittedly she had become rather sidetracked, but they were pretty much there. "Ehh, not much further now. We should certainly come back later though, and take a better look around, if anyone's up for that."
With that, the group headed out of the forest, into the almost equally foliage-filled Vareena Town. Amber gazed around at the public gardens and flowerbeds, buzzing with Cutieflies and Combees. "Of course, this looks like a good place to explore too..."
"Amber!"
Amber rubbed the back of her neck. "Again, I meant later," she said, checking the map on her Pokedex for the Pokecentre's location. It had, after all, been her suggestion to stick together. With a slight frown, she looked back. It was a shame not everyone had been able to travel together, but she didn't know where Rheese had disappeared to. As bad as she felt for leaving someone behind, hopefully he'd catch up without incident.