To say that Olivie was crabby would be to make a gross understatement.  A ghastly, permanent scowl, by now etched into her features, caused wild Pokemon that wandered to close to turn tail and look elsewhere.  Even Bernard, who should for all intents and purposes be familiar with his rival's anger at this point, shied away from her fearsome grimace and walked behind her instead.  All the same, he flinched whenever she felt the need to vent.  A pretty splash of pink and orange across the horizon failed to pacify the brunette; if anything, it worsened her temper.  Out of the blue, she exploded once again.  [color=954535]”Are.  You.  Kiddin' me!?  Ten [i]hours[/i] of walking!?  I can feel the blisters!  My legs are killing me!  I wanna fall down and die already.  If this place doesn't have a five-star hotel with free therapy I swear I'm gonna knock the lights outta someone!”[/color]

She did have a point.  The journey on foot hadn't been even passingly nice.  Sure, the landscape seemed alright, but the monotony of it all coupled with the steadily-intensifying pain and fatigue every minute meant that both trainers weren't averse to the idea of pitching themselves into the first comfortable-looking ditch they saw.  Even the sight of Stillwater itself failed to rouse them from their misery.  As she traversed the hilly marsh that lay as the final obstacle in the day's trip, and could catch a glimpse of the town's buildings, Olivie became increasingly aware that she'd be lucky to get a hotel at all.  A few minutes later, the sore-footed, muddy-shoed, exhausted pair stepped into the town of Stillwater.

The first building they came to had a large but cheap neon sign hanging from the porch, and it instantly confirmed two things: that the place wasn't such a backwater that it had no electricity, and that it did have a Pokemon Center.  The sound of rushing water became apparent, and in the fading daylight the trainers could see a sizeable river running behind the Center.  On its other side, Olivie saw an open-air facility much like the one she was poised to enter, which she dully guessed might be the Stillwater Poke-mart.  Feeling like a thoroughly-walloped punching bag, Olivie plodded inside.  Behind the counter was a grizzled, gray-bearded man with fishhooks in his dome-shaped cap.  In less than a second, the old-timer sized up both Olivie and Bernard, determining them both to be terribly tired trainers.  He gave a amicable, gap-toothed smile.  “Howdy!  I won't beat 'round the bush none, you two look rougher than a washed-up Wimpod.  Go 'head and find yerselves a room.  They aint big, but they're cozy.  We'll talk 'bout payment some other time.  Hope ya like yer time in Stillwater!”

Extraordinarily willing to forgo conversation for the chance to faceplant into a bed, Olivie managed to flash the guy a grateful smile before lurched past him for the aisle of apartments that he'd indicated with a tilt of his head.  She slammed open the first door that opened, kicked off her shoes, flung away her sweater-skirt, and leaped into the mattress.  It felt suspiciously like straw, but to a ragged trainer it made no difference.  With the last of her energy, Olivie opened her Pokeballs.  Buck, Gespenst, Verrine, and the unnamed Nidoran appeared.  [color=954535]”'Ey, close the door,”[/color] she mumbled, too pooped to care if anyone had seen her in just her undershirt and leggings.  [color=954535]”Explore if ya like, or go to sleep.  I'm goin'...”[/color]  And just like that, she slipped away.  Outside, the sun disappeared, leaving only a lingering light at the edge of the world.  Here, far away from the cities, the night sky was incredible to behold, but only slumber surrounded Olivie now.

This time, though, she dreamed and dreamed vividly.  Almost as if waiting for her to fall asleep, they leaped upon her.  Before long, the girl was tossing and turning, but the dreams did not relent.

[hider=The Benevolent Beauty Turned Boisterous Bruiser]
[b]Current Location:[/b] Stillwater
[b]TP:[/b] 38 + 1 = 39
[b]CP:[/b] 17+ 1 = 18

[b]Pokemon:[/b]
Buck the Bidoof – lvl 3  –  healthy
Gespenst the Cacnea – lvl 4  –  healthy
Verrine the Karrablast – lvl 4 – healthy
Nidoran♂ - lvl 2 - healthy
[/hider]