[b][u][color=f49ac2][h3][center]~Melody Hemlock~[/center][/h3][/color][/u][/b]

Finishing up his latest opponent (seriously, what exactly did that Mareep [i]have[/i] against Pidgeys?), Tesla ambled back to Melody, butting her shin with his head until she picked him up, somewhat distractedly. Of course she was distracted, though: Abigail was talking to her!

[color=662d91]"Well, Crobat is a pretty [i]frais[/i] pokemon,”[/color] said Abigail. [color=662d91]"Not something I'd use myself. I like the more [i]robuste[/i] types. Like Skarmory or Nidoking, like what Nidoran is going to be soon enough."[/color]

Her best friend yawned, looking scornfully at Avery and his newly caught Pineco. Well, understandable-- Melody didn’t really like bug types too much herself: they were altogether too scuttley and slimy, for her tastes. Besides, her mother had always told her that bug types were the most disgusting of all Pokemon.

Still, Avery seemed happy. He was even kissing the Pokeball! Melody giggled. [color=f49ac2]“Congrats, Avery!”[/color] she said, waving at him.

But… "frais"? For a moment, Abigail’s French left Melody feeling a little confused. What did that mean? Like… fresh? It certainly sounded like it. But seriously-- what was that supposed to mean?

Still, the other girl’s approval left Melody feeling light and kind of giddy. She beamed. Maybe that had been a good excuse after all! And now she really [i]was[/i] looking forward to catching a Zubat!

Also, now she knew what type of Pokemon Abigail liked. “Robust” types, huh? Of course Abigail liked powerful, strong Pokemon! Melody liked cute Pokemon herself, but obviously Abigail was able to look above insignificant things like appearance!

[color=f49ac2]“You think so?” [/color]she said happily. She would have said more, but just then, Peggy returned to the group, holding out a Pokeball proudly.

[color=82ca9d]"L-look guys! I c-caught a Pokemon!”[/color]

Melody was already in a good mood, but, hey! Now Peggy seemed happy too! [color=f49ac2]“Congratulations to you too, Peggy!”[/color] she said. [color=f49ac2]“What type of Pokemon is it?”[/color]

Maybe she should try to catch a Pokemon here, too? But she hadn’t seen anything she was too interested in: she’d thought she might like to catch a Pidgey, but… uh. She didn’t think she was very fond of bird Pokemon after all. 

And then she heard a piercingly loud squeal, and a lot of cursing. It only took her a split-second to register it as Abigail’s voice, and she whirled around, hand twitching towards the knife in her pocket. Was Abigail in danger?!

Then she took in the reality of the scene before her. There was a bug scurrying away, and Abigail… was covered in sticky webbing. Melody winced in sympathy. Oooh, that was awful. She’d offer to lend Abigail her favorite bottle of shampoo, later. 

The Spinarak started scuttling away, back into the forest. 

[color=662d91]"Get back here you dumbass bug!”[/color] Abigail shouted, scooping up her Nidoran and giving chase. [color=662d91]"I'm gonna feed you to the first Hoothoot I see out here!"[/color]

Wait. Giving… chase?

Oh, [i]hell[/i] no. There was no [i]way[/i] Melody was letting her new best friend run off into the trees alone. The pair rule existed for a reason!

[color=f49ac2]“Abigail, wait!”[/color] she shouted, breaking into a run. Still, the girl seemed rather intent on her chase.

Her feet pounded against the leaf-covered ground, and Melody winced as a strand of her pink hair got caught on a branch. Ouch. Yeah, she had to start tying that up, didn’t she? But she kept running anyway. She had to keep up with Abigail!

It was because of this that she nearly collided with the other girl when they both came to a stop, only managing to skid to a halt just in time to prevent herself from bowling them both over. And--

Hoooooly mother of Arceus. That was… a lot of Spinaraks.

The Spinaraks seemed to regard the two girls with their beady black eyes. There was webbing [i]everywhere[/i], and even as Melody stared in horror, the Spinaraks converged behind them too. They were surrounded, by at least a hundred horrible little green bug Pokemon.

Hadn’t she seen a horror movie about a tourist who’d wandered into a Spinarak nest, once?

Melody didn’t waste a second. She dropped Telsa to the ground and grabbed Abigail’s hand.

[color=f49ac2]“Tesla, Thunder Wave!”[/color] she said, and Mareep baa’d obliging, unleashing an electromagnetic wave on the Spinaraks blocking the way that they had come from. The attack bowled them over for the most part, paralyzed and twitching, but there were just [i]so many[/i] of them.

She tugged urgently on Abigail’s hand. [color=f49ac2]“There's too many. We have to run!” [/color]she said desperately. [color=f49ac2]“Now!”[/color]

The other Spinaraks were already starting to approach, scuttling towards them like an endless sea of green. [color=f49ac2]"Thunder Wave again!"[/color] she said, and Tesla shocked the next wave of Spinaraks, but... it didn't seem to help too much. The Spinaraks just kept coming, crawling over the bodies of their fallen comrades.

She tried not to show her fear on her face. What if Abigail got hurt? That... Melody couldn't let that happen. Not now, not ever.

She'd protect Abigail. No matter what.