[center][color=paleturquoise][h1]Remi Kubo[/h1]
[h3]Vareena Town[/h3][/color][/center]

Vareena was nice enough. A quaint little village at the edge of the forest, like something out of a fairytale. Every inch of it was covered in green - climbing vines blanketing buildings, overflowing pots of flowers on windowsills, little tufts of grass growing between the worn cobblestone paths. 

Remi leaned back in her chair outside of a small café, closing her eyes as she lifted her face up towards the afternoon sun. Her bag was mostly forgotten at her feet. Her pink bomber jacket, too warm for the day, was tied around her waist, leaving her in a loose black top and leggings. The air was clean and laced with the smells of earth - flowers and young sprouts and stray herbs growing wherever they pleased. She listened to the sound of the coffee grinder from inside the building through the propped open door, only slightly hidden by the acoustic song on the radio. 

Remi breathed in slowly. Out again. Yeah... this town was nice enough.

The familiar mewl of a Leafeon jolted Remi upright. She looked around with wide eyes, expecting to see her sister Kara charging at her, full of rage and retribution -

A young man cooed over his Leafeon, playing with its long green ears and saying how different it looked after evolving. Remi let out a breath. Irritation zipped through her.

Stupid grass town. 

Tack, her oldest (and only, up until recently) companion sat on the iron table in front of her. He watched her with his head quirked, ears twitching this way and that. Remi scratched under the Pikachu's cheek. He immediately leaned into the touch, moving his head to get a better angle as his foot started to thump against the table. Remi's eyes softened, and she gave a tiny smile. It soon turned mischievous. She brought her other hand up to the other side of Tack's face and started squishing at his cheeks, smooshing them up and down. 

The Pikachu gave her a fake glare, making a show of trying to escape. Remi felt the air start to charge. She held back a laugh, contorting his face more and more. The little orb of living lightning, worn on a collar around Tack's neck. Finally, bright sparks of electricity crackled out of Tack's cheeks, tiny and sharp into her palms. Remi pulled back her hands with a hiss as Tack charged across the table to nuzzle his head into her neck.

[color=paleturquoise]"Brat,"[/color] she said with a laugh. [color=paleturquoise]"Shoulda named you Cheeky."[/color]

Something small and flying chirped over her shoulder. Remi turned to look at the newest member of their little group: Kara's Dreepy. Well, [i]Remi's[/i] Dreepy. She'd named him, she'd registered him, she'd even [i]paid[/i] for him, so he was hers now. Officially. Legally. 

He blinked his big, round eyes at her. 

Remi lifted her knuckles to the little dragon, waiting for him to approach. He'd been hers for a couple of days now, and they'd spent time training in the forest outside of town, but he was still getting accustomed to having a trainer. She was pretty sure her sister hadn't even let him out of his ball after purchasing him from the breeder. He tilted his head, translucent body waving in the air. He blinked again though, head shooting up to look at something behind Remi.

A small creature, moving too fast for her to see clearly, darted down the path. The Dreepy took off after it.

[color=paleturquoise]"Trouble!"[/color] she called after them. Tack chirped excitedly as he looked between his trainer and Trouble's quickly retreating figure. Remi jumped out of her chair, grabbing her bag as she chased after them. She held out Trouble's luxury ball, clicking the center button to call him back. A flash of light shot through the air towards Trouble... only to fade away, unable to reach him. He'd gotten out of range. Remi grit her teeth and sped up, sprinting like she was back on the football pitch - the one place she and Kara had [i]actually[/i] worked well together. 

[color=paleturquoise]"Tack, follow!"[/color] she ordered. Quick as a blink, he darted forward and started closing the distance between himself and Trouble. Remi dodged around people, Pokemon, even jumped over a small fence at one point, Trouble's luxury ball still gripped tightly in her hand. The train of running Pokemon made a sharp turn down an alley, and Remi skidded to follow, her fingertips bracing against cobblestone.

The mystery Pokemon burst out of the other side of the alley, Trouble and Tack close on its tail. Finally in range (hopefully) Remi held out the ball again and clicked the button.

Trouble was gone in a flash. Tack still ran after the Pokemon, caught up in the chase.

A building was coming up quickly - small, white, and covered in flowers. The mystery Pokemon stopped suddenly, meeting the wall. It spun to face Tack. Remi slid to a stop behind her Pikachu, finally seeing the other Pokemon clearly.

It was tiny - smaller than Tack, at least. A grass type, maybe part fairy. It looked like a little shrub with a bright pink flower and a white body underneath.

Three things happened in rapid succession: the greenery atop its body began to glow iridescent purple and green and orange, and every color between them - the familiar shine of magical leaf. Then, seeing the attack charging up, Tack let loose one of his own. He was quicker than the little shrub. Before the leaves could fly, a thunder wave crackled through the air and enveloped the Pokemon. The last key moment in this chain of events was Remi shooting her arm out, Tack's premier ball in hand. The flash of light joined with the energy from the thunder wave and magical leaf, and then Tack disappeared.

The Pokemon was paralyzed, but not quickly enough. Shining leaves cut through the air, towards the space Tack had been. The leaves were charged with the Pokemon's energy, though. They found a new target. 

Remi gasped. She brought her arms up to block her chest and face. The leaves cut deep - small, razor sharp, and powered by more energy than she'd expected. They sliced at her shoulders and forearms, even managing to cut through the fabric of her shirt. Remi's eyes shot open. Tears pricked in the corners. Her mouth opened in a stunned expression but she was unable to force her voice out.

Kara's Leafeon never hit like [i]that[/i].

Remi was frozen for a moment, like she'd forgotten how to move. The air stung at her fresh cuts as it moved over the severed nerves in her skin. Blood burned tracks down her arms. 

Eventually she raised her head slightly. An eye cracked open.

The little Pokemon was laying on the ground, awake but unmoving. Its muscles twitched. A dark eye was focused on her as faint sparks crackled over its fur. Remi's arms relaxed a bit - pain immediately arced through them like lightning. She hissed in a breath and saw the Pokemon flinch. 

[color=paleturquoise]"Hey, no no, it's ok,"[/color] she murmured, trying to keep her voice soft and steady. As slowly as she could, Remi lowered herself into a crouch. [color=paleturquoise]"You're ok."[/color]

Remi couldn't place this Pokemon off the top of her head. But something about it... itched a memory she could name in the back of her mind. Her eyebrows pulled together. She pulled her bag forward only to see the Pokemon flinch again, muscles tensing as it tried to move.

[color=paleturquoise]"Shhhhh, it's ok,"[/color] she said again. Taking care to move more slowly (while trying to move in a way that didn't set her arms on fire... or smear blood on her belongings) she deposited Tack and Trouble’s pokeballs and retrieved a small bag full of berries. Remi's jaw was tight, hands trembling against the pain. Eventually she had a bright red cheri berry in her hand. She'd learned to keep a good amount handy for when Tack and Trouble played together.

Remi held the berry out to the Pokemon. Sure enough, its little black nose twitched. She plucked off the stem and rolled it lightly towards the Pokemon. It slowed just in front of its face. She didn't know how long they both sat there, unmoving. Watching each other. Long enough for the blood on her arms to turn tacky and dark, staining long crimson lines on her arms. Remi figured she looked like a horror film victim by now - but she didn't dare move. 

Finally, [i]finally[/i], the Pokemon sniffed at the berry and ate it. Remi felt tension leave her body. She couldn't help the small, stunned smile that found its way onto her face. It finished eating the berry. Remi remembered where she recognized it from - her world religions class, last year. Her eyes widened.

[i]Shaymin[/i]

The paralysis melted away. The Shaymin darted up. Remi stood on reflex. It ran along the length of the wall until it turned sharply, diving into a dense, unkempt mess of shrubbery. Remi watched as the leaves rattled, tracing the path of the Shaymin. Eventually, it stilled. 

Remi let out a slow breath. Her arms stung in the open air.

[color=paleturquoise][i]What… just happened?[/i][/color]

It was a few more heartbeats before she moved, the spell of the odd encounter slowly undoing itself. She winced as she reached down to grab her bag off the cobblestones. She paused though when she looked down. Small leaves, some broken, most bloody, littered the ground around her (along with splatters of her own drying blood, making for a gruesome scene). She held a leaf between her fingers, turning it.

Remi slid it into the pocket of her leggings. Then she grabbed her bag and walked back the way she came.