"Hmm... nothing. Maybe there's something back over the other way... also need to consider team balancing in the long run," Alix mused to herself as she rustled through the grass. "What do we know is around these parts? Well, the obvious choice is Birchling 'cause they're pretty much exclusive to the eastern forest... but at the same time I don't think I want another Fighting-type later down the line. Already at a disadvantage against Psychic-types. So that's a no-go, plus Shroomish is out. Maybe the decision would be easier if I found something a bit more often..."

[b]"So there was something I was wanting to get off my chest... Have you had any plans for what you would be doing for sparring while on the road? Any sort of regimen or anything? I'm used to having human partners when I spar/work out. As much as I trust Brie here, i'm sure she couldn't spot me."[/b]

"Huh?" Preoccupied, Alix hadn't noticed Ezra until just now. "Oh. Hmm. Sparring... well, it's a possibility, I suppose. No promises right now, though. My plan was just to practice my sets of techniques at the end of each day, make sure I keep up with a somewhat regular routine. And I'm sure we'll face off against other Warriors at some point. Maybe before we reach Mystriver, if we're lucky."

"Hopefully!" Ezra replied, crossing his arms. "Heh, maybe we could compare techniques one day. S'always fun to learn something new, right?" He replied.

[color=FF8103]"Rrr..."[/color] Jen shot a concerned glance at Brie, tightening her grip on Alix's arm. She took the hint. "Maybe. Though I don't think Jen's all that keen on the idea. I should get back to looking for something to battle." Giving Ezra a short wave, she headed off down another path.

Alix pushed through a particularly thick patch of grass to its other side, where she found a small clearing. A few Berry trees were scattered about the place, with several Pokémon clustered at each one. As she approached the clearing's edge, a green and white Birchling looked up, gave a short cry of alarm, and dashed away to the clearing's edge with a half-eaten Berry in one hand. The rest began to scatter, running away in all directions. [color=E9AB17]"Pikaa!"[/color] A flash of yellow streaked past Alix, unbalancing her as she tried to dodge to one side. She tripped over a particularly large root, and fell in a heap; Jen leaped from her arms in the nick of time.

"Agh... there's the disadvantage of being a Trainer," she groaned, struggling to her feet under the weight of her backpack. "Can't roll when you trip over, make it look like you meant to do that." She brushed loose dirt from her gloves and forearms. "You okay, Jen?"

[color=FF8103]"Tor."[/color] Jen just picked at a feather, casual as could be. Alix chuckled, but looked around all the same to see if everything in the area had vanished completely. Most of them had, until she spotted a green and brown head poking out from the trees, reaching down to pluck from one of the Berry plants on the far side.

"Is that...? Need a closer look. Stay close, Jen." Careful not to disturb the plants, Alix cautiously moved into the middle of the clearing. Sure enough, her guess was correct. A Tropius. And a tall one, about the size of a full-grown adult. Maybe slightly shorter. The Pokémon looked up as Alix and Jen approached, but didn't retreat, instead chewing thoughtfully. It seemed to have no issues with her presence.

"Hello?"

[color=4AA02C]"Tro."[/color] [i]Hello.[/i] A response rather unlike that of Alix's Kestra, who had instantly jumped to the conclusion that she wanted to battle him. The thought of catching the Grass-Flying Pokémon wasn't a bad one. If nothing else, it had the type advantage over the first Gym. And since Jen almost definitely wouldn't be able to handle it...

"When you're finished with your snack, may we battle?" Tropius paused, sizing up Alix and the diminutive Jen, then swallowed its Berry and stepped forward into the open. Alix hastily moved backwards, Jen following close behind.

Tropius kicked up a small pile of fallen leaves with one foot, and flapped its massive leaf-wings to hurl them at Alix and Jen. The Trainer shielded her face with one arm, but quickly retaliated with a command to her Torchic. "Go for the Ember, Jen!" The little Fire-type spat up a tiny fireball, sending it flying at the much larger opponent. Tropius recoiled, giving a low growl as the fire splashed across its body. It raised its wings a second time and began to stir up a gust of wind.

"Again!" Jen fired off another little blast of flame, but the Tropius gave one large sweep of its wings and slowed it down, dealing a glancing hit. Jen wasn't so lucky: the Gust that it threw at her sent her tumbling into Alix's leg. Half her feathers were sticking up the wrong way; it was rather cute, but there was no time to be cute in the middle of a battle.

"Let's see how he handles your Speed Boost. Duck under his next attack, then give him one more Ember." Sure enough, Tropius hurled another volley of leaves, but Jen dashed to the side - leaving Alix to be peppered with leaves - and spat up a third fireball, hitting the side of the six-foot-tall Pokémon.

Alix dug through her satchel for a Poké Ball, and tossed it. Tropius wasn't a particularly difficult target to miss. One, two, three... [i]click[/i]. Perfect. "Well done, Jen. Got a good helper for the Mystriver Gym." Her Pokédex chimed again, having collected data on her new catch. She pulled out the Dex and read the latest entry. "Hmm... Leer, Gust, Growth, Razor Leaf... ability is Chlorophyll?" She tapped the touchscreen. "Ah, it uses photosynthesis to produce sugar, giving it a boost in sunshine. Well, that's useful. Just need a name for him now... found in a Berry grove... Bailey? That's kinda like Berry."

[color=FF8103]"Chic chic."[/color] With the battle over, Jen had immediately ruffled her feathers and was picking at them again, settling them back into place. Alix stowed her Pokédex and her new catch, picked up her fussy charge and headed out of the grove, pausing to pick a trio of Oran Berries on the way.