RyuHll

The Colorless King

Minoru gathered the bag he had taken and stepped out, turning back to watch as Keiko destroyed the boat and sent it off. "I doubt they're gonna accept that. They'll want to find our bodies before they accept that we drowned. Not to mention that there's nothing here that could have really destroyed the boat," the boy commented with a sigh.

The dog-girl laughed innocently, grabbing hold of Minoru's arm and making him blush deeply again at the contact. "Oh, don't be so hung up on it. we'll be fine. I'll protect you," she said confidently. "And she seems like a scary woman too. They won't get you!"

The boy blinked in confusion at her attempt to comfort him. At length, he smiled a bit and shrugged. "We better get going," he said softly. "It won't be long before the police and that gang realize I'm not around anymore. Then they'll be hunting us."

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

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

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

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

The woman laughed lightly at that. "Think nothing of it," she responded. "I have enough food to feed the two of you and your Pokemon. No worries there. I would have offered, but I was worried you'd think I had some ulterior motive." She said the second part teasingly, having heard the small conversation between the two. Excellent hearing honed from years within the forest, looking out for injured Pokemon.

Opening the door for the two of them, she allowed them to enter. "The Potions and stuff are on the table in the back. Help yourself to those," she stated. "I can get working on something for us all to eat."

While the two were heading back, though, Leon seemed distracted. He went to the table quickly, going through the bottles on the table and then took a small green one, looking at it carefully. Satisfied that it was the right one, he turned back to Rasca. "Drink this. It's an Antidote. That Beedrill stung you, right?" he asked. He hadn't noticed at first, caught up in the battle and then their savior, but he had taken a closer look at Rasca and Superior after assessing his Pokemons' status. "It might not hurt much now, but it'll be serious later if you let the poison spread. They're known for having a particularly deadly Poison Sting." He wouldn't let it go until she had accepted the small bottle from him and drank it.

Only then, he'd turn himself back to the attention of the Potions and Super Potions, selecting what he thought each of the injured Pokemon needed.

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

Leon listened closely to both of them, glancing over at Rasca for a moment before looking up at the woman. "Well, your Pokemon will be healed, for starters," she stated with a shrug. Tugging her hat off, she let her golden blond hair fall out, reaching to just below her shoulders. "Here we are." She gestured out to a small hut in the middle of a clearing. It was like a classic look from a fairy tale, straw thatched roof and wooden form. "It's not much, but I have a few Potions and Super Potions I keep handy."

"Why does Charmander keep staring at me?" Leon asked suddenly, looking down at the red lizard.

The woman simply smiled again. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Leon's eyes narrowed a bit, brow furrowing in concentration. He couldn't get a pin on this woman. It was starting to unnerve him, though. After a moment, he knelt down beside Charmander, smiling a bit. "So, what is it? Do I have something on my face?" he asked jokingly. The little Charmander made a small sound that made Leon's eyebrow raise in confusion. It was clear he could understand it. It wasn't in the usual joking manner that Rasca would have originally taken him for. "The way I...feel? Like your old trainer? Who was his former trainer?"

"Well, me, of course. Though, I got the egg from a pretty strong trainer. He had a fully grown Charizard. I guess it came about from that," the woman explained. "From what I've been gathering, he wants to go with you." The Charmander looked to her in alarm quickly, but she only smiled. "It's alright, little guy. I'm sure Leon here will be just as good a trainer as I would have been. I'll leave the choice to you, though. For now, let me see that Oddish and Bulbasaur. Did your Nidorans take any serious damage?"

Leon didn't seem so much suspicious of the woman as he was confused. He handed the Oddish over without a fight, Bulbasaur following after her quickly. At her question, he simply shook his head, glancing to Rasca to see her assessment of Superior.

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

Leon rolled his eyes at her antics, but allowed an easy smile to come to his lips as well. He appreciated how she tried to keep the topic off him and his lack of parents. The woman, meanwhile, started speaking again. "Well, I live here," she responded happily. "I've always loved the forest. I was born here and could never bear to leave. I traveled for a little while, but...well, I always find myself coming back here. Besides, I like to keep an eye out for interesting trainers." She winked at Rasca teasingly, a playful grin appearing. "Have to come through here to reach Pewter City. Most start from Pallet Town so it's as good a place as any."

"Where did you start?" the boy asked, seeming to have finally found his voice again. Though, to Rasca, he appeared a tad bit suspicious. Something wasn't right about this woman. There was more that she wasn't telling them.

"Right here, with Pika," she responded happily, letting the Pikachu jump down to her arms. "Charmander only came to me a few years ago. About...five? Ten?" Charmander let out a small cry, seeming to correct her. She laughed as if she could understand the small Pokemon. "Ah, that's right. It was ten. Though, ten years ago was when I found him as an egg. He only started becoming battle ready about a year ago."

Leon's eyes narrowed a bit while her back was turned. "You could understand him?"

The woman turned back, raising an eyebrow. "And you can't?" She had him there. He had always assumed it was just because of how much he studied Pokemon, but he could get a sense for what they were saying, even through their language. He had always assumed he was alone in that endeavor. It appeared that he wasn't, though.

Suddenly, he perked up, remembering a story. "Wait...you're..."

"A hermit. I don't like people much. I only show myself to a select few. You two happen to have been selected," the woman responded with a smile. It was faintly veiled, but Leon got the picture. He simply gave a nod, dropping the subject for the time being.

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

"Mm..." The woman seemed a bit distracted as she thought it over. "The Pokemon have been restless lately. Especially the Beedrill," she explained. "I'm glad you found those two when you did, though. I try to protect them, but I can't be everywhere at once, even with Charmander and Pika being around." The two Pokemon had stayed out of their balls, Pika settling itself down atop the woman's head and Charmander trailing behind. Though, it kept looking at Leon oddly, unnerving the young boy. While he was good with Pokemon, the attention was still odd, considering he hadn't done anything for the fire type.

"Well, enough of that. What's done is done," the woman said happily. "You two are from Viridian City, right? I assume you're heading for Pewter. Your parents alright with you traveling out like this?" She smiled almost in a motherly fashion as she regarded Rasca and then Leon.

Leon offered a shrug and a small smile. "I don't really have parents. So...don't really have a problem traveling," he explained. The boy didn't talk much about his family, not even to Rasca. As far as she knew, both had left him before he could talk. By the time they started hanging out, he was an orphan.

"Sorry to hear..." the woman said with a frown. "What about you?" She glanced towards Rasca.

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

"Oh, you know you're enjoying yourself," Leon shot back. Instead of moving to her side, though, he simply whistled, letting Nido come back to him. Now the Beedrill were surrounded by the two Nidorans and a Bulbasaur. He glanced down at the grass type and grinned at him. "Ready to take them down?" The Bulbasaur cried confidently, planting its feet and preparing for the next attack. "Go, Leech-"

"Smokescreen!" a woman's voice shouted above the other two. A plume of smoke cascaded out of the trees, covering the battlefield and losing all participants of the battle within. There was the sound of fighting before everything went quiet again. Leon tensed, crouching down close to Bulbasaur and Nido, keeping Oddish close to him to keep it safe. Slowly, though, the smoke began to clear. As it did, three figures stood there. A tall woman with blond hair, wearing a straw hat atop her head, stood at the center, a young Pikachu standing in front of her, the Beedrill fallen at its feet. At her right, a small Charmander stands, the user of the Smokescreen, apparently. Her clothing was very plain, though the beige jacket she word had the symbol for an electric type imprinted on the back.

Leon didn't move, still stiff and shifting his weight forward. He was keeping himself in the way of the three Pokemon with him as he stared at this woman. "Who...are you? From what I heard, no one usually lingers in this forest..." he stated slowly.

The woman smiled at him. "I suppose not. I keep a low profile," she replied. "If you two can still walk, why don't you come with me to my cot. I can get these Pokemon tended to. You really picked a hell of a fight for just entering the forest." Leon wasn't sure what to make of the situation, glancing towards Rasca. She was better with interacting with other humans.

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

Leon stepped forward, taking a look around as they moved. Nido was right by his side, sniffing the air every so often to check for other Pokemon in the area. It was coming up unfruitful for a short while. However, at length, Nido perked up, looking off to the right. "You find something?" he asked with a small grin. Without a word, the Nidoran darted off into the forest, Leon following after her. What they found was surprising enough. There were three Beedrill swarming the area, but the three Pokemon weren't focused on the newcomers. They were focused on their cornered prey. It was a weakened Oddish with a Bulbasaur standing over defensively. As a Beedrill moved to close in, it would be met with a Vine Whip, warding it off.

Bulbasaur was outnumbered, though. Even if Oddish could fight back, it was three on two. Not to mention, Beedrills were fully evolved. These two would be beaten in a long term battle, even if Bulbasaur was doing a good job of holding them off for the moment.

It didn't take long for Leon to assess the situation and make a decision. "Nido, Tackle!" The small Nidoran shot up, slamming into one of the Beedrill and knocking it away. The Bulbasaur looked surprised at this, but quickly acted, shooting its vines out to defend the Nidoran from the counterattack from the two other opponents. Nido quickly retreated back to the other two Pokemon, standing ready to fight. Leon sidled closer to them as well, watching the three Beedrill.

Even for him, this was a bit more than he had intended for his first match up. Rasca would see that too. Three fully evolved Pokemon against two that were in their first evolutionary stage. "Bulbasaur, I'm gonna need you to listen to my orders. If you listen to me, I can get all three of you out unharmed." He smiled a bit at the grass type, earning an understanding growl in response. "Nido, charge." The Nidoran shot forward, aiming for the closest Beedrill. "Right behind it, Razor Leaf." Bulbasaur did as asked. Nido ducked down, letting the Razor Leaf soar past it and strike the Beedrill, sending it to the ground.

Though, in doing so, he left the other two open.The last Beedrill was shooting at them, aiming to get them while they were distracted. Leon was already moving, darting in the way and scooping up the two grass types along the way. He rolled back, ending up in a crouch, letting Bulbasaur down slowly, but keeping Oddish close, being the injured one of the group.

He put himself in a harder situation, though. With three Beedrill still up, he was cornered, cut off from Nido.

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

“Oddish would be good, considering the first two gyms we'll be facing,” Leon confirmed. “Most Pokemon in this forest will be bug or grass types. Maybe a few water types here and there. Grass or water would help with the first gym, though.” He paused a moment, glancing over at her. “By the way, Rasca. I know how things normally are...but let me train too. I'm not gonna get anywhere on this adventure if I can't even fight with Nido or capture my own Pokemon. Alright?” He knew how she was. He appreciated her efforts, always standing up for him with bullies. This, however, was different. He cared about Pokemon and making a name for himself here. He didn't want her to baby him like he usually allowed.

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

Leon shook his head, cocking his head to the side to look at her. “I plan to battle him. My style of battling, though, is not to fight with power. It's a game. Who do I send out in this situation? What move do I counter with? Should I use an item here?” He was growing more excited by the moment. “I don't need strength if I can out think him. I just need to find a way to do so. Though, to do so, I'm going to need a lot of help. I'm sure I can do it with Nido, though. Isn't that right?” His Pokemon gave a happy cry, smiling up at him.

“Okay, Rasca. We should be more serious now,” he stated, his smile softening a bit as he looked around. They were just entering the treeline. “I'm thinking each of us should have two other Pokemon by the time we leave this forest. It'll give us a bit of variety against Brock. Sound good?”