[color=6ecff6][h2]❄Erika Olson❄[/h2][/color] [hider=Pokemon] [img]https://cdn2.bulbagarden.net/upload/c/ca/Spr_5b_361.png[/img] Sno, Snorunt ♀ Level 17 Status: [color=00a651]Fresh[/color] [img]https://cdn2.bulbagarden.net/upload/c/cc/Spr_5b_345.png[/img] Eep, Lileep ♂ Level 15 Status: [color=00a651]Fresh[/color] [img]https://cdn2.bulbagarden.net/upload/f/f1/Spr_5b_333.png[/img] Tara, Swablu ♀ Level 15 Status: [color=00a651]Fresh[/color] [img]https://cdn2.bulbagarden.net/upload/2/24/Spr_5b_256_m.png[/img] Chic, Combusken ♀ Level 18 Status: [color=00a651]Fresh[/color] [img]https://cdn2.bulbagarden.net/upload/a/a1/Spr_5b_443_m.png[/img] Gibs, Gible ♂ Level 18 Status: [color=00a651]Fresh[/color] [img]https://projectpokemon.org/home/gallery/image/71777-animated-3/?do=download[/img] Kay, Inkay ♀ Level 15 Status: [color=00a651]Fresh[/color] [/hider] [hider=Inventory] [color=007236][b]Treetop Badge[/b][/color] 10 Potion 8 Pokeballs 5 Great Balls 4 Antidote 4 Paralysis Heal 1 Escape Rope 3 Tanga Berries 2 Spelon Berries 3 Chesto Berries A Swanna Pail 1 Bug Gem 1 Jaw Fossil 1 Guide to Mt. Strength [b]TM-22[/b] Solar Beam [b]TM-66[/b] Payback 4258P [/hider][hr][hr] Erika had to do a double take at the reported funds in her account after she stepped out of the Berry Garden. All that money was gone in about an hour of spending which was quite tragic. No doubt her guide was going to cost her a fair bit, too, but at least she'll be able to earn more money? Anyway, she didn't have to wait too long. She let her Pokemon out to stretch their legs and chill in the relaxing aura of this place. It made time go by quickly because her friends Joshua and Ewan emerged. [color=6ecff6]"Oh I'm glad!"[/color] Erika smiled watching them approach as she sat on a bench, turning away from what she was watching. Chic was in the middle showing Sno and Gibs how to kick. Their attempts to kick high went about as successful as you can imagine... [color=6ecff6]"Chic turned into my hero in her fight against Bellawe... Bellossom."[/color] Erika responded to Joshua and glanced over to Chic was finding it quite amusing to watch her teammates try to kick. She could only imagine how a Zubat managed the feat of carrying Joshua's challenge. Supersonics and Wing Attacks? Zubat had never registered on her radar of competitive Pokemon so she didn't know too much about them. Ewan's subsequent arrival brought Erika out of her thought. Again she smiled, [color=6ecff6]"Oh think nothing of it!"[/color] Her eyes sparkled at the mention of Hail. She wanted that but would reserve that for later because.... She received a different TM which was quite nice! [color=6ecff6]"Thanks so much Ewan! I guess I should have played it safe and let Gibs stay out of danger. I lost sandstorm halfway through the challenge, and it took the rest of my team for that close win."[/color] She turned away and frowned, thinking about how she might do that battle differently. She didn't feel like there was honor in a lot of switching, but that was dumb because there were even moves about preserving stat changes in a switch. So why recklessly throw her team into situations when playing smart like Ewan could have been better. Something to note for the future. [color=6ecff6]"I've got our guide coming here so we just have to wait a bit longer, I think."[/color] She would add before Joshua began her story. Of course. Confuse Ray would save you if you got lucky. Joshua seemed the lucky type. Then Elana showed up. Erika jumped to her feet and was ready to give her greetings when Joshua stepped in. [color=6ecff6]"[sub]Oh that's just Joshua..."[/sub][/color] She said quietly as Joshua's earnest introduction had pretty much taken all the focus. Then Elana walked around and right up to Erika who stiffened as she got very close. She was leaning so close... [color=6ecff6]"[sub]Oh no, no. They are just my friends wanting to join us."[/sub][/color] Erika responded. Did Elana want it to be just the two of them? Her heart fluttered at the thought, and her stomach felt like she had butterfrees flying around. Surely this was just about business and the cost of guiding others and not something else... right? And with that they carried on through route 4. Elana as the lead and Erika right behind her with her other friends likely following. on the way there, Erika would talk with the two about Archie and the battles they had. She'd even try to talk a bit about trying to strategize for each gym by building a balanced team. She was lacking a good Steel and Fairy type but with the evolutions she had, she could cover a lot with her Pokemon so far. Anyway with Elana guiding them they reached Mt. Strength quickly. Once there, it appears there were some tricks already with the revelation that wild Pokemon liked to jump trainers. [color=6ecff6]"Oh that does sound bad."[/color] Erika would admit thinking about she had actually considered letting Chic walk around to view the fighting types earlier. She'd obviously be targeted. So that meant she needed to find a lame looking Pokemon which felt mean. But if she did have to choose with something she didn't agree with... Tara popped out of her ball with her fluffy cloud wings and splitting feather like hair thing. She wasn't ridiculous but maybe to some? Also a Flying type would mean that she could just fly away from any attempted fights and the Pokemon would recognize that... right? [color=6ecff6]"Okay, I think Tara will be good for that."[/color] Of course Elana knew what she was doing and also had Slurpuff out for another reason. The Dawn Stone and the prospect of finding Erika quite optimistic, although she wasn't sure if stones smelled? Maybe to a Slurpuff. [color=6ecff6]"Oh okay, okay."[/color] Erika nodded hanging onto all of Elana's words. Then Elana hit with the proposition. Now depending on the circumstances, that could be crazy good for Elana, likely scoring a surplus of stones to pay her commission several times over. Erika should have objected, at the very least obtained a thunderstone and waterstone for her team evolutions. However... [color=6ecff6]"Oh uh huh, you can take any other stone you find. That's fine!"[/color] Erika conceded immediately because Elana would be pleased and it was quite easy to have tunnel vision for that if you were a [i]bit[/i] smitten. Poor Joshua and Ewan, though. [color=6ecff6]"Oh the map, yes."[/color] Erika dug into her pack and withdrew her map. She unfolded it and glanced around at the various locations. [color=6ecff6]"It seems like the stones would be lower in the mountain like how it was in the Frozen Caverns so maybe there. But does Slurpuff smell anything or maybe you have a better idea, Elana?"[/color] And Joshua and Ewan. Though Erika seemed to forget them at the moment. But any direction was a good one as long as it seemed to be drawing them to a Dawn Stone's location!